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Gnostic Sermonette: The Theodotus Excerpt
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What makes us free is the knowledge
of who we were
of what we have become
of where we were
of wherein we have been cast
of whereto we are hastening
of what we are being freed
of what birth really is
of what rebirth really is.
--Excerpta de Theodoto--
This passage represents the essence of Gnosticism. Gnostics derive their name from their central tenet of gnosis, Koine Greek for ‘knowledge’. It does not mean earthly knowledge. Gnosis is direct knowledge of the Divine brought about by several means.
One of the principles means is self-knowledge. Elaine Pagels wrote in ‘The Gnostic Gospels’ that gnosis, ‘involves an intuitive process of knowing oneself. Yet to know oneself, at the deepest level is to know God; this is the secret of gnosis’.
Gnostics understand that within every person resides a divine spark that is part of the ultimate Godhead. By piercing through layers of the ego, we can awaken the divine spark and become truly godlike. We won’t just be like Jesus Christ but we will be Jesus Christ. As Saint Paul says in Colossians, “The Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Theodotus also reveals that part of gnosis is discovering how the divine spark became separated from the ultimate Godhead. “The Path of ascent is the same as the path of descent,” Jesus says in ‘The Secret Book of John’. We must understand why we fell from so high and became human beings. And we must understand that there are forces keeping us from finding out and returning to our true home. Ignorance is the greatest of sins in Gnosticism.
The passage ends with the concept of reincarnation. Some Gnostic writings speak of reincarnation, but they are not too concerned with the details like other religions. Reincarnation was seen as something to be avoided. Our becoming liberated from this illusionary world must be strived for in this lifetime.
A daily meditation of this passage can eventually bring about what Jesus promised in the Gospel of Thomas, “I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart." And that is a cosmic awakening that can never be expressed through words or understood by mundane knowledge. At the very worst, it is a beneficial tool for self-awareness in a life of constant distractions.
Theodotus was a Valentinian Gnostic who lived in the Second Century. The Valentinians were a moderate sect of Gnosticism that intermingled with Orthodox Christians in Rome. All of his writings are preserved in the writings of the Church Father, Clement of Alexandria.
Please also read 'Gnostic Sermonette: The Gospel of Thomas #18' for more on how the Gnostics viewed the human condition.
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