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Gnostic writings of Jesus portray him as a heavenly redeemer made less of
flesh than of spirit. The emphasis of Jesus' importance is not on his physical
humanness but rather, on his ability to show people the way to the kingdom.
Jesus put on flesh in order to give people gnosis and reveal to them where they
come from and where they will eventually return. When it is time for Jesus to
return to his heavenly home, he is crucified and resurrected before he finally
ascends. His body's lack of importance in some Gnostic texts gives this series
of events a different connotation than other versions of the story more common
today. The Gnostic understanding of Jesus gives us better knowledge of what will
happen to us when we leave the body and world in which we are currently trapped.
This understanding also gives us insights into the realm in which we belong.
The lack of concern for the body is also connected with the Gnostic view that
anything that happens on this earth or in this realm is irrelevant. I will argue
that the issue of flesh is very significant in some Gnostic views of Jesus,
citing examples from selected Gnostic texts including, the Gospel of Thomas, the
Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Hypostasis of the Archons, the Gospel of
Mary, the Gospel of Truth, the Treatise on the Resurrection and the Hymn of the
Pearl. Most Gnostic books show Christ to be of heavenly origin. The books either
explicitly say that he is from the father and heaven above or imply it by saying
that he descended into earth. He is part of the …heavenly triad with the Father
and the Mother…(Franzmann, 39).
In the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, the author who is supposedly Christ
says, I am from above the heavens (Ehrman, 231). He is also sometimes described
as a heavenly light, I am the light which is above all of them: I am All. The
All came forth from me and the All reached me (G of Th., v.77). Many people,
however, look at Christ's incarnation in different ways. According to some
Gnostic thought Christ comes to our earth and puts on Jesus' human body so that
he may walk among us. I visited a bodily dwelling (Ehrman, 231). Some of the
Gnostic writings show Jesus as an earthly being with a heavenly nature, while
others show Jesus as a purely heavenly being with a lack of earthly context.
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