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Part XIII: The Valentinian Way Today
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| PART XIII |
| THE VALENTINIAN WAY TODAY |
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You do not need anyone's permission to walk this path. You never did. But a path is easier with a map. Here is one.
A note of honesty first: we do not have a complete Valentinian prayer book or a step-by-step manual of their rites. Much was lost. What follows is built from what survives -- their texts, their teachers, and the reports of their opponents -- and is offered as a living practice, not a claim that this is exactly what was done in Rome in 150 CE.
STEP 1: THE READING PLAN -- SIX WEEKS #
WEEK READ FOCUS
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1 Gospel of John, ch. 1-17 the Logos; "know
thee" (17:3)
2 1 Corinthians, esp. ch. 2, 12-15 pneumatic and
psychic; the body of
Christ; resurrection
3 GOSPEL OF TRUTH (NHC I,3) -- whole, twice ignorance, error,
awakening
4 GOSPEL OF PHILIP (NHC II,3) sacraments, bridal
chamber, names
5 Treatise on the Resurrection (NHC I,4); resurrection now;
Ptolemy's Letter to Flora (Panarion 33) the Law read wisely
6 Interpretation of Knowledge (NHC XI,1); community; gifts;
Valentinian Exposition (NHC XI,2); the whole story
Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.1-8 (the retold
system, read through enemy eyes)
After six weeks, go deeper: the Tripartite Tractate (NHC I,5), Heracleon's fragments on John, and the Excerpts from Theodotus. Then read Thomassen's "The Spiritual Seed" to see how it all fits together.
Read with a Bible open beside you. The Valentinians were Bible readers. Every page of the Gospel of Truth echoes John, Paul, Hebrews and Revelation. Find the echoes.
STEP 2: MEDITATION ON THE GOSPEL OF TRUTH #
The Gospel of Truth is not meant to be skimmed. It is meant to be breathed. Try this practice, once a day, fifteen minutes:
1. SILENCE ...... Sit still. Remember Sige -- Silence -- the partner
of the Depth. Let your thoughts settle.
(3 minutes)
2. READ ......... Read one short passage of the Gospel of Truth
slowly, aloud if you can. Example: I,3 22:13-15,
"He who is to have knowledge in this manner knows
where he comes from and where he is going."
3. REST ......... Read it again. Notice the one phrase that catches.
Stay with that phrase. Do not analyze. Let it
work on you. (5 minutes)
4. ASK .......... Ask the questions of Theodotus (Excerpts 78.2):
Who was I? What have I become? Where was I?
Where have I been cast? Where am I hastening?
From what am I redeemed?
5. RETURN ....... End in silence. Give thanks to the Father for the
grace of knowing him. (2 minutes)
Over weeks, something happens. The text stops being words about awakening and becomes the awakening.
STEP 3: THE FIVE SACRAMENTS #
"The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber." -- Gospel of Philip, NHC II,3 67:27-30 (Robinson)
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| 1. BAPTISM entering the water: dying to the old |
| 2. CHRISM anointing with oil: receiving the |
| Spirit and the name of Christ |
| 3. EUCHARIST bread and cup: the body of the Logos |
| 4. REDEMPTION (apolytrosis) release from the powers |
| 5. BRIDAL CHAMBER union of the spark with its angelic |
| counterpart; the soul made whole |
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each one a step closer to the Fullness
What the texts say about them:
- BAPTISM. Valentinians baptized in water, like all Christians, but taught that the water was only the outward sign; the inner event was receiving the Spirit. Clement records Theodotus teaching that it is not the washing alone that frees, but the knowledge (Excerpts from Theodotus 78.2).
- CHRISM. "The chrism is superior to baptism, for it is from the word 'chrism' that we have been called 'Christians,' certainly not because of the word 'baptism.'" (Gospel of Philip, NHC II,3 74:12-15, Robinson). Anointing was central.
- EUCHARIST. The Valentinian Exposition preserves eucharistic prayers (NHC XI,2, PARAPHRASE). The Gospel of Philip calls the eucharist Jesus and speaks of the "cup of prayer" with wine and water (NHC II,3 75:14-15, PARAPHRASE).
- REDEMPTION. Irenaeus describes several forms of the Valentinian (Marcosian) "redemption" rite, including formulas spoken over the dying, so that the soul could pass the powers and return home (Against Heresies 1.21, a hostile report).
- BRIDAL CHAMBER. The highest mystery. The Gospel of Philip speaks of it often and never fully explains it -- it was meant to be experienced, not described. Do not let anyone tell you it was a sex rite. That accusation comes from enemies; the text speaks of a "pure" and "undefiled" marriage that is "not fleshly" (NHC II,3 82:4-10, PARAPHRASE).
How to practice today: if you belong to a church, receive its baptism and eucharist with this inner understanding. They are doorways, not toll gates. If you practice alone or in a small group, mark each with prayer and the reading of the relevant passages. There are a handful of modern Gnostic churches; seek them out if you want community, and test everything.
STEP 4: COMMUNITY #
The Valentinians were never solitary mystics. They were congregations. The Interpretation of Knowledge (NHC XI,1) is a sermon to a church fighting over gifts -- proof that they met, argued, forgave, and stayed together.
So: - Find two or three others. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). - Read together. Share what each person sees. No one is the master; the Spirit is the teacher. - Honor every gift. No one's insight is greater because they speak louder (compare 1 Corinthians 12:21: "the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee"). - Welcome women as teachers and celebrants, as the Valentinians did.
STEP 5: ETHICS -- HOW AN AWAKENED PERSON LIVES #
Gnosis is not a license. It is a calling.
- SERVE. "Make firm the foot of those who have stumbled and stretch out your hands to those who are ill. Feed those who are hungry and give repose to those who are weary, and raise up those who wish to rise, and awaken those who sleep." (Gospel of Truth, NHC I,3 33:1-8, Robinson)
- BE FREE, AND DO NOT SIN. "He who has knowledge of the truth is a free man, but the free man does not sin." (Gospel of Philip, NHC II,3 77:15-18, Robinson)
- LIVE THE RESURRECTION NOW. "Do not think in part... already you have the resurrection." (Treatise on the Resurrection, NHC I,4 49:9-16, Robinson)
- LOVE. Paul's hymn is the Valentinian hymn too: "though I... understand all mysteries, and all knowledge... and have not charity, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2). Knowledge without love is the false gnosis 1 Timothy 6:20 warns about.
- DO NOT HATE. Not Catholics. Not Baptists. Not your pastor. Not your family. They are sleepers, as you were. You do not wake a sleeper by beating him. You wake him by calling his name.
STEP 6: STAY OR LEAVE? #
This is the question everyone asks. The Valentinian answer may surprise you.
The original Valentinians STAYED. They worshipped in the same churches, took the same sacraments, and read the same scriptures -- understanding them more deeply (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.15.2). They left only when they were forced out.
STAY, IF... LEAVE, IF...
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your church lets you ask questions are punished
questions
you can receive the sacraments you are told to stop reading,
as doorways, with understanding stop thinking, or obey blindly
you are a light to others there the community is abusive or
controlling
your family and friends are you can no longer say the
there and you can love them words without lying
without lying
Either way: you carry the Fullness with you. "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). No building can contain it and no excommunication can take it.
THE DAILY PRACTICE ON ONE CARD #
+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORNING Silence. One passage. One question of Theodotus. | | DAY Serve someone. Speak truth. Do not hate. | | WEEK Gather with two or three. Read. Share. Pray. | | ALWAYS Remember where you came from and where you are | | going. | +--------------------------------------------------------------+