The Gospels of Thomas and Philip
This is the first of eight lectures recorded last spring for a Maybe Logic Academy course called Gnosis Now! I will post one a week for the next eight weeks, along with the readings for the week. On October 26, I will be starting a six-week online course for MLA on the work and influence of H.P. Lovecraft.
The first few recordings are kinda crappy; they improve by week three but the completist in me urged posting nonetheless.
Week 1 readings:
(Unless otherwise mentioned, all readings from W. Barnstone’s necessary collection The Other Bible, now known as The Gnostic Bible.
• Excerpts from “The Gospel of Thomas” (verses 1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 13, 19, 24, 28, 29, 37, 39, 42, 49, 50, 51, 55, 56, 61, 62, 70, 777, 89, 91, 108, 113);
• Richard Smoley: “Who Were the Gnostics?”, from his great survey Forbidden Faith.
• Excerpts from “The Gospel of Philip” (“Names,” “Rulers,” “Jesus Tricked Everyone,” “The Lost,” “Seeing,” “God is a Man-Eater,” “Leaving the World,” “Joseph and the Wooden Cross,” “Superiority of Chrism to Baptism,” “Laughing Christ,” “Knowledge of Self,” “Slaves and Freedom,” “Root of Evil,” “The Perfect Light”)
