More on Gnosticism

The Vox Nova series of articles demonstrates how gnosticism surfaces again and again in religious, philosophical, and political thinking.

This dualism between spirit and matter, so important to Gnosticism, will become, in turn, important to the development of modern philosophy, and from philosophy, modern society. It should therefore come to no surprise that modern theology follow through with this dualistic turn, and its influences can be felt throughout the theological world, such as when theologians tried to develop and understand the distinction between the supernatural with the natural world and how grace relates to nature. The idea of a pure nature completely outside of the influence of the supernatural existential, while it would never have been understood by in the patristic world, makes some sense when put within this framework.

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Marx, in his utopian vision, believed that once the problems were understood, and the political powers which created those problems were overthrown, humanity would move forward and create the idealized paradise we all have been looking for here on earth. “He showed precisely how to overthrow the existing order, but he did not say how matters should proceed thereafter. He simply presumed that with the expropriation of the ruling class, with the fall of political power and the socialization of means of production, the new Jerusalem would be realized. Then, indeed, all contradictions would be resolved, man and the world would finally sort themselves out. Then everything would be able to proceed by itself along the right path, because everything would belong to everyone and all would desire the best for one another,” Pope Benedict, Spe Salvi, 21. Of course, this failure was easily seen by anyone who watched the results of the revolutions, from America and France, to Russia and China.

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