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he collective name for the countries of the eastern shore of the Mediterranean sea is the Levant; these include those countries from Egypt to Turkey and are specifically those countries within the geographical area of the ancient Persian Empire of Mesopotamia. The plains of Mesopotamia were inhabited by races of like origin. The great commercial roads followed the course of the two rivers flowing into the Persian Gulf or cut across the desert; and ever since the Captivity, constant religious relations had existed between Judaism and the great religious metropolis, Babylon. At the birth of Christianity they manifested themselves in the rise of ‘Gnostic’ sects in which the Semitic mythology formed strange combinations with Jewish and Greek ideas and furnished the foundation for extravagant philosophies. Gnosticism borrowed much of its philosophy and religion from Mithraism, oriental mysticism, astrology, magic, and Plato. It considered matter to be evil and in opposition to Deity, relied heavily on visions, and sought salvation through knowledge. Some of the early Christian fathers believed the
Gnosticism to be 'identical to all intents and purposes with Greek polytheism. Gnosticism had a mixed influence on the early
Christian writers: like the pendulum on a clock, some were influenced by Gnostic thought, while others swung to the opposite extreme.


Gnosticism comes from the Greek word " gnosis", which means knowledge. The Gnostics were a group of people who believed they possessed superior spiritual knowledge. While modern Gnostics claim that Gnoticism is the teaching based on Gnosis, the knowledge of transcendence arrived at by way of interior, intuitive means. If this was the case there would be no difference between the religion of the mystic and the gnostic.. It would then be nearer the truth to say that Gnosticism expresses a specific religious experience, an experience that does not lend itself to the language of theology or philosophy, but which is instead closely affinitized to, and expresses itself through, the medium of myth. Where Judaism and Christianity emphasize the role of faith and works in salvation, and salvation of both body and spirit, gnostics taught that the soul's salvation depended on the individual possessing quasi-intuitive knowledge (gnosis) of the mysteries of the universe and of magic formulas. Most Gnostic scriptures take the forms of myths. The term “myth” should not here be taken to mean “stories that are not true”, but rather, that the truths embodied in these myths are of a different order from the dogmas of theology or the statements of philosophy.

 

However, early Gnostics believed that special and secret knowledge was necessary for salvation, they also believed that all flesh is evil and that only spirit is good. Because they believed that, they didn't believe that Jesus really came in the flesh - they believed his flesh was an illusion. They also believed that because sin had to do with our flesh, there really wasn't sin - sin was also just an Illusion. (That's similar to people today who believe sickness is an illusion.) The church in Ephesus was filled with people who not only didn't believe Christ came in the flesh, they didn't believe sin was real. Gnosticism fundamentally rejected Jewish theology about the goodness of creation, and especially the idea that all the nations could be blessed through Abraham and his faith. When the church accepted the Hebrew Scriptures, it implicitly rejected Gnosticism before it had a chance to get started. Thus we are already at a watershed moment in the development of early Christianity, one that could not allow Gnosticism to ever be regarded as a legitimate development of the Christian faith.

 

This empire stretched from Greece to India, and led to a "syncretism" of many philosophies and religions. It provided a conduit for Eastern religion to move west and Greek philosophy to move east. The birth of Gnosticism occurred from the often ignored period between the decline of Greece and the rise of Rome to about 300 AD. (Over 600 years) This is part of the 300 year gap in the Protestant Bible between Malachi and Matthew. The Apocrypha gives only a mere hint of what really happened in that time.

 

Gnosticism envisaged the world as a series of emanations from the highest "One", that produced a series of emanations. The lowest emanation was an evil god (the demiurge) who created the material world as a prison for the divine sparks that dwell in human bodies. The Gnostics identified this evil creator with the God of the Old Testament, and saw the Adam/Eve and the ministry of Jesus as attempts to liberate humanity from his dominion, by imparting divine secret wisdom. Gnostics like Christians take an allegorical view of the Old Testament. Gnosticism is loaded with Buddhism and other Eastern religious themes, and draws heavily on Platonism.

Gnosticism was not one philosophy or religion. The chief common feature was an intense emphasis on the contrast of matter and spirit, sin and virtue, darkness and light. The Persian religion was largely responsible for this: but Greek philosophy in Plato, late Egyptian mysticism, and Buddhism which reached Egypt and Asia, if not Greece, had the same dualism. The flesh was a contamination of the spirit which had to live in it for a time. Sin was a defilement for which the soul had to be purified and redeemed. Baptism (by water, blood, fire, or spirit), anointings, lustrations, and thrillingly esoteric rites, not to be revealed to the mob, helped. The world was full of evil spirits and good spirits (as the Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Persians taught), and you could exorcise these by mystic formulae or even calling them by name. Paul's religion suited these mystics and ascetics. His contempt of the flesh and glorification of the spirit were common to them all. His gospel of a redeemer from sin was real "good tidings" to them. There was obviously a great deal of truth in the new religion. It might appeal to the poor and to slaves by its denunciation of wealth and its communism, but it also came to appeal to these "intellectuals." Christianity spread through this esoteric world, and it set out to answer the questions which Paul and the gospel writers had left open. The gnostics so hated and despised matter that they did not believe that God had created it. The Old Testament, which said that he had, was abandoned. Matter was eternal, in a chaotic state, as the Babylonians had said. But why did God have anything to do with the putrid stuff? Gnostics held that a number of finite but divine things had emanated from God. One of these Æons, as they were called, had "fallen" from grace. God sent a great Æon, the Demiurgos, to put order into the chaos of matter or "create" the world as we know it. This was the Yehouah of the Jews. Then he sent an Æon of the highest rank, Soter (Redeemer or Saviour), to save the fallen Æon and rescue the elements of light, the souls of men, from their contamination with darkness. This was Christos. But how could an Æon of supreme rank take flesh, with all its horrors? Most of them said that he merely used a phantasmal body, not real flesh. The gospel story was an allegory, they said, from beginning to end. Christos abandoned his ethereal body before it was crucified, and most assuredly there was no resurrection of it, and there would be no resurrection of the flesh for any man. Some men of great ability rose in the Gnostic world, and for a hundred years there was a mighty struggle. The Church won but it caught the Gnostic virus. Ascetical practices like fasting were fostered by these haters of the flesh. Ritual and sacramental features were adopted. Baptism became more important and the passage was added at the end of Matthew during the Gnostic struggle.
 

Dualism and monism
Typically, Gnostic systems are loosely described as being 'dualistic' in nature. Within this definition, they run the gamut from the 'extreme' or 'radical dualist' systems of Manicheanism to the 'weak' or 'mitigated dualism' of classic gnostic movements; Valentinian developments arguably approach a form of monism, expressed in terms previously used in a dualistic manner.

Radical Dualism - or absolute Dualism which posits two co-equal divine forces. Manichaeism conceives of two previously coexistent realms of light and darkness which become embroiled in conflict, owing to the chaotic actions of the latter. Subsequently, certain elements of the light became entrapped within darkness; the purpose of material creation is to enact the slow process of extraction of these individual elements, at the end of which the kingdom of light will prevail over darkness. Manicheanism likely inherits this dualistic mythology from Zoroastrianism, in which the eternal spirit Ahura Mazda is opposed by his antithesis, Angra Mainyu; the two are engaged in a cosmic struggle, the conclusion of which will likewise see Ahura Mazda triumphant.
The Mandaean creation myth witnesses the progressive emanations of Supreme Being of Light, with each emanation bringing about a progressive corruption resulting in the eventual emergence of Ptahil, the god of darkness who had a hand in creating and henceforward rules the material realm.
Additionally, general Gnostic thought (specifically to be found in Iranian sects; for instance, see 'The Hymn of the Pearl') commonly included the belief that the material world corresponds to some sort of malevolent intoxication brought about by the powers of darkness to keep elements of the light trapped inside it, or literally to keep them 'in the dark', or ignorant; in a state of drunken distraction.

 

Gnosticism is a term created by modern scholars to describe a collection of religious groups, many of which thought of themselves as Christians, which were active in the first few centuries AD There has been considerable scholarly controversy about exactly which groups to describe with this term. There is dispute among scholars on the extent to which early groups may have described themselves using the term "gnostikoi".

 

Gnosticism is not a defined religion as such, but often a theological dumping ground for "heresies" as defined by the official Christian Church. It was a process dating back to the time of Constantine and Nicaea in 325 AD. Christianity is Gnosticism and Judaism and an attempt to combine two systems of theology and thought. Christianity and what was called Gnosticism (a modern term) both evolved from common roots in the vast Hellenistic (Greek) syncretism following Alexander the Great's Empire.

Actually there are many kinds of Gnostics, positive as well as negative, and various types in between. Many in this group may be Gnostics without realizing it. One of the simplest definitions of a Gnostic is "One who has acquired some degree of gnosis or who is an aspirant seeking direct gnosis--hence, one who knows or seeks to know through direct spiritual or mystical experience. Specifically, one who seeks enlightenment and liberation through a conscious unification with God.

 

Also it might be noted at this point that modern pagans are not the same as their ancient counterpart, Indeed they would hardly recognize each other! Pagan gods were still the gods of the state, and the Roman government was very superstitious. All calamities were considered the displeasure of the gods. When the dissolute Roman government began to crumble, it was not seen as a result of corruption within, but as the anger of the gods; and thus there were strong persecutions against Christians to placate these gods.In such a time was Christianity born. On one side were persecutions; on the other the seduction of philosophy. To remain faithful to the belief of Jesus Christ meant hardship and ridicule. It was only for the simple poor and the rich in faith. It was a hard time to convert to Christianity from the relatively safer paganism. In the desire to grow, the Church compromised truth, which resulted in confusion as pagans became Christians and intermingled beliefs and traditions. In his Emergence of Catholic Tradition, Pelikan discusses the conflict in the Church after AD 70 and the decline of Judaic influence within Christianity. As more and more pagans came into Christianity, they found the Judaic influence offensive. Some even went so far as to reject the Old Testament

The Babylonians, in their popular religion, supremely worshipped a Goddess Mother and a Son, who was represented in pictures and in images as an infant or child in his mother's arms. From Babylon, this worship of the Mother and the Child spread to the ends of the earth. In Egypt, the Mother and the Child were worshipped under the names of Isis and Osiris. * In India, even to this day, as Isi and Iswara; ** in Asia, as Cybele and Deoius; in Pagan Rome, as Fortuna and Jupiter-puer, or Jupiter, the boy; in Greece, as Ceres, the Great Mother, with the babe at her breast, or as Irene, the goddess of Peace, with the boy Plutus in her arms; and even in Thibet, in China, and Japan, the Jesuit missionaries were astronished to find the counterpart of Madonna and her child as devoutly worshipped as in Papal Rome itself; Shing Moo, the Holy Mother in China, being represented with a child in her arms, and a glory around her, exactly as if a Roman Catholic artist had been employed to set her up.

The Egyptian goddess Isis played an important role in the development of modern religions, although her influence has been largely forgotten. She was worshipped throughout the Greco-Roman world. During the fourth century when Christianity was making its foothold in the Roman Empire, her worshippers founded the first Madonna cults in order to keep her influence alive.

Some early Christians even called themselves Pastophori, meaning the shepherds or servants of Isis. The influence of Isis is still seen in the Christian ikons of the faithful wife and loving mother.


Although the Divine Sophia is central to so many Gnostic movements she is by no means a figure unique to Gnosticism. Sophia as 'the Wisdom of God' appears in the Bible in the Book Of Proverbs - in particular 8.22-31 in which the Sophia speaks as if an entity in her own right - as well as in the Psalms and New Testament. In Judiasm the Sophia appears alongside the Shekinah, 'the Glory of God', a figure who plays a key role in the cosmology of the Kaballists as an expression of the feminine aspect of God. Like the Gnostic Sophia, the Shekinah has a double role as placed side by side with God while also exiled to the world of matter, the Malkuth.

This coincided with a gradual paradigm shift in which Satan was increasingly seen as the antagonist of God, instead of the prosecuting ‘dark’ angel of the ( E-lo-im ), or divine beings of early Hebrew mythologies. During the decline of the Roman empire, it was Babylon again from which emanated Mithraism, and hence, Manicheanism, the last form of Idolatry received in the Latin world. At this time, the early Christian church was culturally influenced by way of its chief competitor during the final age of the Roman Empire. This competitor was the Persian religion, Mithraism. Of all Oriental religions the Persian cult was the last to reach the Romans. Through this Persia introduced dualism or ‘polar opposites’ as a fundamental principle in religion. Perhaps this came into being from the fact that the Babylonians were astronomers and recognized the basic physical premise of Newton’s ‘equal and opposite reaction’ principle. It was this dualism incorporation that distinguished Mithraism from other sects and inspired its dogmatic theology and ethics. To be sure there were influences of dualism at a considerably earlier period in Greek philosophy, but what distinguished the doctrine of Babylon’s Mithra religion from earlier ideas was the fact that it deified the ‘Evil Principle’, set it up as a rival to the supreme deity, and taught that both had to be worshipped.

At the time, this system offered an apparently simple solution to the problem and mystery of evil, the stumbling block of theologies, and it attracted the masses, to whom it offered an explanation of their sufferings. From that time dates the appearance in literature of the anti-gods, under the command of the powers of darkness. At about this same time in Jewish literature, a collection of ‘culturally based’ angelic fables known as ‘The Watchers” was published in which human corruption was metaphorically associated with ‘fallen angels’. The Book of the Watchers may date from the third century BCE. Parts of its text have been identified on several copies from Qumran cave 4; the earliest fragmentary manuscript. Hence, it is the result of Judaism, endorsing Persian demonology and dualism that resulted in the confused but elaborate theology of Satan as a vying adversary of God. And it began from the alliance of certain Jewish doctrines with the mysteries of Mithra that the early Christian church shortly thereafter, was regretfully influenced.

The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of thirteen ancient codices containing over fifty texts, was discovered in upper Egypt in 1945. Includes a large number of primary Gnostic scriptures -- texts once thought to have been entirely destroyed during the early Christian struggle to define "orthodoxy" -- scriptures such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth

Because of the cultural association of Judaism with Babylon’s mystery religions, it can be seen that beginning in the later books of the Hebrew Bible and continuing through the New Testament, there is a general decline in the value of sexuality and a tendency for preoccupation with its sinfulness. And this coincided with the developing notion that ‘Evil’ rivals ‘God’.

The Devil has been used throughout the distant past to justify the most incredible cruelty including the execution of the women of Salem, Mass. as witches. It is an idea that entered Judaism during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.E.

Again, this was largely the result of living within middle-eastern culture at that time. However, this same theological error was made a classic of western culture in the middle ages, in Milton’s epic poem, ‘Paradise Lost’. In contrast, the Gospels as well as the Paradise myth declare that evil is not in a position to rival God, That marriage is to be prized, and suffering is the result of separation from the Divine.

The word “gnosis” derives from a concept that originally meant ‘insight’; however, became associated with all manner of theological theories.

The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge, and is perhaps directly alluded to only one time in 1 Timothy 6:20-21: "O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge"—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith." The doctrine of gnosticism had many variations and involved widely diversified sects. The main emphasis, however, as the name implies, was a claim to knowledge that ordinary believers did not have. They regarded their special knowledge and enlightenment as superior to the faith of others and the result of rituals and secret societies.

The majority of Gnostics, because they associated matter with evil, sought a way to create a philosophical system in which God as Spirit could be freed form association with evil and in which man could be related on the spiritual side of his nature to the Deity. One way it sought to do this was by synthesizing Christianity and Hellenistic dualism. This was the beginning of the theological error of opposition of God and Nature in Christianity.

 

Clement of Alexandria (c.150-220) was from the 'Catechetical School' of Alexandria. His views were influenced by Gnosticism Clement insists that philosophy came from God and was given to the Greeks as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ as the law was a schoolmaster for the Hebrews' Clement considered 'God the Father revealed in the Old Testament' separate and distinct from the 'Son of God incarnate in Christ,' with whom he identified the Logos. Wwith Clement the philosophic spirit enters into the service of Christian doctrine, and with it begins... the theological science of the future'  However, it was his student, Origen, who 'achieved the union of Greek philosophy and Christianity' Origen (c.185-253) is  the 'founder of theology', one of the greatest scholars of the early church and the greatest theologian of the East. With [Origen]
Christianity became a full-fledged philosophy, buttressed with scripture but proudly resting on reason. Origen was a brilliant man. At 18 he succeeded Clement as president of the Alexandrian school. Over 800 titles were attributed to him by Jerome. He traveled extensively and started a new school in Cesarea. In Origen we find an important link in the changing view of God.
 Origen was the 'teacher of such orthodox stalwarts as the Cappadocian Fathers' but also the 'teacher of Arius' and the 'originator of many heresies. Centuries after his death, he was condemned by councils at least five times; however, both Athanasius and Eusebius had great respect for him. As he tried to reckon the 'incomprehensible God' with both Stoic and
Platonic philosophy, Origen presented views that could support both sides of the Trinity argument. He believed the Father and Son were separate 'in respect of hypostasis' (substance), but 'one by harmony and concord and identity of will'  He claimed
the Son was the image of God. In the way in which, according to the bible story, we say that Seth is the image of his father, Adam. For thus it is written: 'And Adam begot Seth according to his own image and likeness.' Image, in this
sense, implies that the Father and the Son have the same nature and substance. As Greek influence and Gnosticism became introduced into the Eastern church, it became more mystical and philosophical. The simple doctrines that Jesus taught to the uneducated gave way to the complex and sophisticated arguments of Origen. As Clement and Origen represented theological development in the East, so Tertullian had tremendous influence in the West. The West, centered in Rome, gave greater credence to the traditional role of faith than to philosophy, and was more apt to expound on scripture.

It was Tertullian (c.160-230) who first coined the term trinitas from which the English word 'trinity' is derived. He clarifies thus the 'mystery of the divine economy... which of the unity makes a trinity, placing the three in order not of quality but of sequence, different not in substance but in aspect, not in power but in manifestation' (qtd. in Lonergan 46). At other times he used other images to show his point, such as the monarchy: '... If he who is the monarch has a son, and if the son is given a share in the monarchy, this does not mean that the monarchy is automatically divided, ceasing to be a monarchy. Again, Tertullian explains the concept of being brought forth: 'As the root brings forth the shoot, as the spring brings forth the stream, as the sun brings forth the beam'. Tertullian did not consider the Father and Son co-eternal: 'There was a time when there was neither sin to make God a judge, nor a son to make God a Father; nor did he consider them co-equal: 'For the Father is the whole substance, whereas the Son is something derived from it. In Tertullian we find a groundwork upon which a trinity concept can be founded, but it has not yet evolved into that trinity of the Nicene Creed.

The world around the early Church was changing. The Roman empire began to crumble and Constantine came to power. He wished to unify the Empire, and chose Christianity to do so. But Christianity was far from unified. Constantine invited the bishops from East and West to join him in the small seaside village of Nicea for a council to unify the church. Three main groups were present at this council: Eusebius of Nicomedia presenting the Arian view of the Trinity, Alexander of Alexandria presenting the Athanasian version, and a very large 'middle party' led by Eusebius of Cesarea whose various theological opinions did not interfere with their desire for peace. Eusebius of Nicomedia submitted the Arian creed first and it was rejected. Then Eusebius of Cesarea submitted the Cesarean baptismal creed. Instead of submitting a creed of their own, the
anti-Arians modified Eusebius', thereby compelling him to sign it and completely shutting the Arians out. Those Arians who did not sign were deposed and exiled.

Thus Constantine had his unified Church which was not very unified. Eusebius of Cesarea was not altogether
satisfied with the creed because it was too close to Sabellianism  (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three aspects of one God). Eusebius was uncomfortable enough with the Nicene creed that he felt it expedient to justify himself to his own people in a long letter in which he states that he 'resisted even to the last minute' until the words were examined and it was explained that the words 'did not mean all they seemed to mean but were intended simply to assert the real deity of the Son...' a 'double interpretation [was authorized by the leaders] in order to win Eusebius and his followers.

Eusebius took exception to as the words were explained. 'Out of the Father's substance' was now interpreted to show that the Son is 'out of the Father', but 'not part of the Father's substance.' 'Born not made' because 'made' refers to all other creatures 'which come into being through the Son', and 'consubstantial' really means that the Son comes out of the Father and is like him. It is clear that the council strongly lacked unity of thought. The language of debate on the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son has made many people think that the 'Church at Nicea had abandoned the genuine Christian doctrine, which was religious through and through, in order to embrace some sort of hellenistic ontology' (128). He concludes that the Nicene dogma marked the 'transition from the prophetic Oracle of Yahweh... to Catholic dogma.

Jesus was a Jew from the tribe of Judah. He called himself the Son of God and acknowledged his role as the Christ, {#Mt 16:15-17} and the Messiah. {#Joh 4:25-26} His message was one of love, righteousness, and salvation, and he despised the religious dogma of tradition. What a contrast from the proceedings of the Council of Nicea and the murders that followed! He gave the good news of his coming kingdom to the poor and meek: the lowly of this world. He did not require dogmatic creeds that had to be believed to the word, but rather said, 'Follow me'.{# Mt 9:9} There can be no doubt: Jesus was a stranger to all sides of the political proceedings in Nicea. He never claimed to be God, but was content to be God's son. His creed was not of words that must be followed to the letter, but rather of spirit: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'.{# Mt 4:8} He did not require wealthy and learned bishops to mingle philosophy and pagan polytheism with his simple truth, but blessed the 'poor' and the 'meek'.{# Mt 4:1-12

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life" (I John 1:1). In other words, John is establishing that he was an eyewitness to the fact that Jesus truly did come in the flesh. He did this to convince the Gnostics that Jesus was not an illusion.

There is an unfortunate side to the whole Athanasian/Arian debate. There no parallel in medieval nor modern times in the intensity of debate. Historically, this 'doctrine of God' has proved to be a bloody doctrine that has no relation to the true God
of love, nor His Son Jesus Christ.  'Probably more Christians were slaughtered by Christians in these two years (342-3) than by all the persecutions of Christians by pagans in the history of Rome. Thus they perverted the teachings of Christ: 'Love thy neighbor as thyself',{# Mt 19:19} and of his apostles: 'If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us'.{# 1Jo 4:12}

As each of the creeds became more wordy and convoluted, the simple, pure faith of the Apostolic church became lost in a haze. Even more interesting is the fact that as the creeds became more specific (and less scriptural) the adherence to them became stricter, and the penalty for disbelief harsher.


In tracing the roots of Roman Catholic (Western Christian ) mythology, it can be seen that a considerable part or the more or less orthodox beliefs and visions that gave the middle ages their nightmare of hell and the devil; came from Persia by two channels through the decaying Roman Empire: on the one hand was the tainted Judeo-Christian literature, (non-biblical) and on the other, the remnants of the Mithra cult and the various sects of Manicheism that continued to preach the doctrines of dualism and demonology. It was from these religions that nature began to be viewed as entirely corrupt. Moreover, Mithra, the ancient spirit of light, became the God of truth and justice in the religion of Zoroaster. This religion is governed throughout by ideas of purity and impurity. Indeed, no religion on earth has ever been so completely dominated by an ideal of purification. This perfect purity distinguishes the mysteries of Mithra from all other Oriental gods. Where all other Syrian gods are coupled with a spouse; Mithra lives alone. Mithra is chaste, and for the veneration of fertility he substitutes a reverence for self-restraint From this followed the practice of asceticism, The rejection of the world and bodily pleasures through sustained self-denial and self-mortification. And although asceticism was not uncommon in Judaism, it was considered, sacred, by Zoroastrians and Manicheanism.

n the ancient world this was in stark contrast to earlier Syrian religions; and was largely a relief from devastating rioting and excess. For in no other country was sacred prostitution so developed as it was in Syria, and immorality was nowhere so flagrant as in the temples of Astarte, ‘also originally a principle of ( E-lo-im )’ whose female servants were continuously compelled into sexual activities. Also, these Semitic religions practiced human sacrifice longer than any other known religion, sacrificing children as well as grown men in order to please the gods. No doubt sexuality was seen to be associated with a total lack of moral character due to this behavior.

 

As we know the Church came out of Judaism as a reform movement led by Jesus, a liberal Pharisee. The first thing to say here in the Jewish world, celibacy, the voluntary renunciation of marriage is an utterly foreign concept. This is so obvious that we need not discuss it. "Be fruitful and multiply" was a duty particularly in a world where longevity was not known. Judaism, however, like many movements of antiquity was radically affected by the dualism of Greek culture. From Pythagoras (6th c. BCE) to Plato (d. 347 BCE), the body is suspect while the soul is elevated and noble. We know Plato had a huge influence on Christianity with its distrust of matter and the body. We shall see this in the writings of the Church fathers later.  Historian Joseph Swain tells us that, "a wave of asceticism swept over the whole Greek world in the first century BCE." Philosophical schools like the Epicureans and Stoics promulgated celibacy. Stoicism, the greatest school of ancient philosophy, had its most profound impact from 300 BCE to 250 CE. Stoicism naturally lauded celibacy over marriage. A true Stoic like Seneca
(d. 65 CE) could write that one "resists the assault of passions and does not allow himself to be swept into the marital act." Pliny the Elder (d. 79 CE) praised the elephant for mating only every two years! All over the Mediterranean pagan priests observed purity laws, denying themselves sexual intercourse before the sacred ablutions were performed. The Vestal Virgins were honoured in Rome and the largest mystery cult of that time, that of Mithras, championed the unmarried state.

The negative assessment of sexual pleasure in the two centuries after Christ was further strengthened by the invasion of pessimism...which came out of the east...and would prove to be the most dangerous competition for Christianity. This we
know as gnosticism." The latter movement greatly exacerbated the distrust of the senses and the hatred of the body which so infected the new religion. The only worthy part of the human is the spark of light from another world, the soul. The body was "the grave you carry around with you." A further departure from God's good creation you could not find --and Gnosticism's
denigration of corporality had a deadly effect. Marcion, a Christian gnostic leader (c. 140 CE) identified sex with evil matter. For Marcion, Jesus could not have been born through the sex act and probably floated down from heaven. He himself was celibate and demanded the same of his followers. Though he had a large impact on the early Church, Marcion's extreme sexual asceticism got him bounced from the Church of Rome in 144 CE. In the desert area of Syria the Encratites held sway and they too deeply influenced the early Church. For them marriage was "polluted and a foul way of life."

Although the Church rejected the most extreme of these teachings, there is no doubt that she was radically influenced by them.   By the year 180 CE the powerful life-affirming and positive influence of Judaism had begun to wane, and the dualism and pessimism of the Hellenic world became dominant within Christianity especially in the areas of marriage and sexuality. Looking back we see nothing in the apostolic community which wedded celibacy to the essentials of Christianity. The earliest witness Paul says he received nothing from the Lord on this matter. The canonical Gospels do not raise the issue. The first apostles and leaders were all married. We know nothing of Jesus marital state and the fact that nothing is said in the gospels about his traditional single state probably indicates that he more than likely was married. The writers assuredly would have commented on an itinerant Jewish rabbi who was unmarried.

 

If you trace the origins of the major monotheistic organized religions back far enough, it becomes clear that they were never designed to help the individual grow and develop. They were there to control land, dictate moral and social norms and separate the common man from his divine heritage. Higher consciousness, personal freedom and spiritual communion, far from being the core elements of their basic mystical teachings, were concepts firmly discouraged by the various priest castes. In their place, the disempowering qualities of submission, victimhood, repression and guilt became the preferred tenets of worshipful compliance.

Perhaps most important, the Goddess is revealed in Eros, in that most powerful of earthly urges. For heavenly Gods and transcendent philosophies, Eros frequently appears as the great enemy. We must be rid of desire: Buddhism, Upanishadic Hinduism, and many forms of Christianity agree on that. Eros leads us into illusion, breaks up the patriarchal family, pollutes the mind. To the Goddess, however, Eros is not the enemy but her child, her driving power. The earth continues to restore and replenish itself through Eros. Eros must be ritualized and controlled, the way psychedelic drugs are, but it is finally the gift of the Goddess and must be revered as such. Most biblical scholars love to speak of the Goddess's so-called "fertility cult" as the reason for prophetic denunciation, and there may be some truth in that. Certainly, representatives of the cult of Yahweh repeatedly attacked what they saw as the erotic dimension of Goddess worship. Sacred prostitution by both sexes and seasonal orgiastic celebrations were roundly excoriated.

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