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Welcome to Gnosticism
Welcome to Gnosticism.
In December 1945, an Egyptian farmer digging for fertile soil near the town of Nag Hammadi found a sealed clay jar. Inside were thirteen ancient books containing more than fifty texts, among them gospels attributed to Thomas, Philip, and others that had been lost for some sixteen hundred years. The discovery changed how scholars understand early Christianity.
This course explores those texts and the movements scholars call Gnostic: early Christians and others who taught that salvation comes through gnosis, a direct, inner knowledge of the divine. You will meet their myths of the divine Wisdom, Sophia; the honored place of Mary Magdalene in their gospels; the debates that led the church to reject them; and the Gnostic religions that survive today. You will also learn to separate the real history from the many legends and novels the texts have inspired.
How This Course Works
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite | None. Titles and degrees begin with ordination through the Ordination Orientation. |
| Pace | Self-paced. Most students finish in four to six weeks, studying about four to five hours a week. There are no deadlines. |
| Structure | Eight modules. Each module has a lesson, a reading assignment, and a ten-question quiz. |
| Book report | Read one of the books offered, pass its ten-question quiz, and write a one-paragraph summary, after Module 8. |
| Final exam | Fifteen multiple-choice questions and one essay of 1,500 to 2,000 words, taken after Module 8. |
| Credit | 3 credit hours toward further titles and degrees. |
Grading
| Part | To pass |
|---|---|
| Module quizzes (8) | Pass each with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report quiz (10 questions) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report summary (one paragraph) | Approved by the school |
| Final exam, Part 1 (multiple choice) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Final exam, Part 2 (one essay, 1,500 to 2,000 words) | Approved by the school |
Required texts
- The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, Marvin Meyer, editor
- The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels
- What Is Gnosticism?, Karen L. King
Many of these books are available from public libraries, used bookstores, and as ebooks.
What you will study
Module 1: What Is Gnosticism? Module 2: Lost and Found: The Discoveries Module 3: The Gnostic Myth: Sophia and the Divine Spark Module 4: The Hidden Gospels Module 5: Mary Magdalene and the Women of Gnosis Module 6: Gnostics, Bishops, and the Making of the Bible Module 7: Living Gnostic Religions: Manichaeans, Mandaeans, and Cathars Module 8: Gnosticism Today
Book report choices
The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels; What Is Gnosticism?, Karen L. King
Academic honesty
All written work must be your own. You may quote and discuss the course readings and other sources, but you must say where the words and ideas came from. Submitting work written by someone else, including work generated entirely by AI tools, is not permitted.