07-818 Sacred Scriptures: The Gospel of Thomas and other Gnostic texts

With Rev. David Wallace

OSIS Credit Value: 1

$120 Public, $95 OSLA Students & Alumni

Distance Learning ONLY

Between the 2nd and 4th centuries A.D., a rich literature emerged amongst some sects of early Christians which proposed that there was a secret, revealed knowledge of God. These teachings – thought to be transcribed from oral teachings of the first disciples of Jesus -- became known as Gnosticism (“gnosis” is the Greek word for “knowledge"). Lost writings from this period were found in Egypt in 1945 – the Nag Hammadi texts – and scholars have long suggested that Christianity would look much different if it had been shaped by the ideas represented by these – pictures of a very human Jesus who was a master at Zen-like teaching, who was both informed and intimate with Mary Magdalene, who celebrated the Divine as both Mother and Father, and who taught a radical egalitarianism which prefers spiritual experience and “living the message” over mere religious observance.

Over the course of four evenings, we will read selections from the classic 2nd century Gnostic texts (purported to be written by Jesus’s twin, Judas Thomas; his brother, James; his disciple, the fisherman John, and others): The Gospel of Thomas (the major text of Gnostic experience); the Gospel of Mary Magdalene; The Secret Book of John, and others. In a seminar setting, we will look at the historic context of the early Christian church, and search for the mystic heart message of these extraordinary words – timeless, alive and as poignantly enigmatic as they are compelling – and, potentially, healing.

Rev. David Wallace is an Interfaith minister and 2nd year dean for One Spirit Interfaith Seminary. He is a graduate of the classics department of St. John’s College and is a lifelong student of the “great books” of philosophy and psychology. David has an extensive career in publishing and marketing, along with award winning work in retail.