Submitted by Frater D on
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The Gnostics emerged as a group that saw the world very differently from the view of orthodox Christianity, and the sheer complexity of the doctrine has kept scholars and theologians engaged to this day. From the point of view of someone reading these texts now, I'd describe them as a really fascinating sequel to the Bible, complete with its own host of deities, cosmology, alternative back stories to biblical incidents, unheard of cryptic teachings by Jesus, and mystical, heavily metaphorical theology. And what about the purpose of these writings? Are they secret codes awaiting to be deciphered, or just a relic of a past doctrine that once flourished?