(March 9, 2015 at 9:06 am)watchamadoodle Wrote: I was reading the chapter about the Gospel of Thomas last night in Ehrman's "Lost Christianities". The Gnostic theology explains so much about Christian texts and practices.
It explains a lot about later Gnostic texts and practices.
Quote: I keep wondering if the earliest Christians (including Jesus) were Gnostics.
No, gnosticism seems to have been a later, second century development.
Quote:The modern day followers of John the Baptist are Gnostics.
Any modern day followers of John the Baptist who call themselves Gnostics are modern New Age types.
Quote:The Gnostic Christians worshiped alongside proto-orthodox Christians in the same churches.
They did?
Quote:It's like proto-orthodox beliefs and gospels are censored and watered-down versions of the Gnostic beliefs and gospels.
Ummm, no. There is no evidence to support that. On the contrary, all the evidence indicates that the gnostic ideas developed out of the earlier gospel material and then grew up alongside the proto-orthodox stuff. Ehrman makes this pretty clear in his book.
