From: "James Wynn" 
Subject: RE: (urth) Gnostic Wolfe vs CE Wolfe
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 10:59:02 -0600

First of all, thanks for the recommended readings on Gnosticism.

Tom said:
Given the article's (necessary) paucity of details concerning the
various Gnostic doctrines, Wolfe certainly had other sources.

Crush responds:
Perhaps he did. But the CE strikes me as a touchstone of his. He has other
sources for Greek mythology as well, but he returns to Graves' works again
and again for how to view them.

Tom said:
Gnostics had a variety of beliefs about the material world, ranging from
it being evil to simply irrelevant.  A common thread is the idea that the
material world is not as important as the spiritual one, an idea they
shared with Christianity.

Crush responds:
I'm certain you're more qualified on this issue than I am. I presume you are
correct about the variety of view points in Gnosticism regarding the created
world. Still, J.P. ARENDZEN's view of Gnosticism does not strike me as at
odds with view of it by the Gospel of John, with Revelation, with Jude, or
the letters of Paul. I realize, of course, these are the *non-gnostic*
Christian texts, yet I presume they are Wolfe's as well.

Tom said:
Maybe I'm missing the meaning of pessimism, but salvation through gnosis
seems a lot less pessimistic than predestination.

Crush responds:
Hmmm. It seems to me you are confusing "predestination" with "fatalism." An
easy mistake, but they're not the same thing.





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