Many scholars have discussed the idea that John the Evangelist was influenced by Gnosticism when writing his Gospel. This theory has found supporters and opponents. Discussing this theory is not easy because, as one of them says, Gnosticism is “a scientific expression that does not have a widely accepted scientific definition.” But we can look for general patterns that characterize Gnosticism. For example: double dualism, the existence of intermediate beings between God and man, the mediation of these beings in bringing about humans and the material world, the soul as a divine ray imprisoned in matter, the necessity of knowledge acquired through inspiration (revelation) to liberate the soul and lead it to the light, the numerical limitation of those able to receive this inspiration, the Savior. The owner of divine revelation. None of these elements is agreed upon as the essential feature of Gnosticism.
The word Gnosticism is taken from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge. Gnosticism, which we know from the observations of the Church Fathers in their writings, is a movement that appeared in the second century in a developed form. Therefore, since the Gospel of John was written in the years 90-100, it was not influenced by this particular Gnosticism. Rather, there is a tendency among researchers to assume the existence of an earlier form of Gnosticism (Jewish and pre-Christian Gnosticism).
Comparing the Gospel of John with Christian Gnosticism: In 1953, a group of Gnostic Christian documents were discovered in Egypt written in the Coptic language dating back to the second century. Among these Gnostic works are the “Gospel of Truth” from the Gnostic school of Valentinus, and the “Gospel of Thomas.” Comparative studies between these two works and the Gospel of John have shown that there is a very large difference between them and that the expressions in them were used very differently. If there is a relationship between second-century Gnosticism and the Gospel of John, then this Gnosticism quoted the expressions of the Gospel of John (and not the other way around) and used them in a Gnostic manner.
Comparing the Gospel of John to pre-Christian GnosticismBultmann is one of the biggest supporters of the theory that John was influenced by Gnosticism. He reformulated the Gospel to reveal the Gnostic elements inherent in it. Bultmann postulated the following Gnostic elements: the duality of light and darkness, the existence of beings alongside God (angels), and the existence of the original human being, the human being of light and goodness who was divided into small particles of light that are human souls that were transplanted into the world of darkness. The mission of the demons is to make these souls forget their heavenly origin. Then God sent his Son in physical form to awaken these souls, free them from his bodies, the bodies of darkness, and return them to their heavenly home. He does this by declaring the truth and giving souls the true knowledge (gnosis) that will enable them to return to heaven. Jesus is the supposed Gnostic Redeemer who pre-existed (John 1:1) and became flesh (John 1:14) and finally returned to God. The main charge against Bultmann is that he assumes that there was Gnosticism in the background of John the Evangelist.
Bultmann then uses John as his main source for reformulating this Gnosticism. But Bultmann claims that there is further evidence of this pre-Christian Gnosticism in the Poetry of Solomon, especially in the Mandaean writings. (1) Mandean. The oldest forms of Mandean theology date back to a late period in the Christian era, and it is impossible for John to have been influenced by this Gnostic thought. But Bultmann assumes that Mandean thought represents a later development of Gnosticism that he assumed existed among the disciples of John the Baptist, and that this thought was the background for John the Evangelist in writing his Gospel. But literary criticism indicates that Mandean Gnostic thought is late. When Gnosticism appeared in the second century, it was a mixture of different intellectual currents, some of which were ancient. But the question is: Were these trends united together in the pre-Christian era? Because it was the union of these currents that produced Gnosticism. The discoveries of Gnostic manuscripts in Egypt have proven the correctness of the opinion of the Fathers that Gnosticism is a Christian heresy because the person of Christ helped to formulate primitive Gnostic positions and elements into a specific body of Gnostic thought. For example, the Gnostic savior was identified with the Son of Man in a later development after the writing of the Gospel of John. There is also another element that challenges Bultmann's theory, which is that the thought of the Qumran group does not apply to the thought of the Mandean heresy in the first century. It is true that the Qumran group had modified dualism and primitive Gnostic elements, but there was no redeemer myth and no developed Gnosticism.
Regarding the duality of light and darkness: In the Old Testament, the theme of “light” is important since the beginning of the Book of Genesis and the pillar of clouds. Matthew the Evangelist (4:16) cited a famous text from Isaiah (8:23 and 9:1): The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and on those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has shined” (Matthew 4:15). Chapter 9 of Isaiah is a prophecy about the appearance of Christ the Savior.
The elder Simeon called Jesus “a light to the nations” as in Isaiah (Luke 3:32, Isaiah 42:6, 49:6, 60:19-20). And in the Psalms: “The Lord is my light and my Savior” (26/27:1 and 35/36:10 and Micah 7:...8.). And “O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with splendor and majesty, who is clothed with light like a garment” (103:1-2). (2).
In short, the hypothesis that John the Evangelist assumed some primitive Gnostic ideas that existed before Christianity cannot be proven correct. On the other hand, it is certain that John the Evangelist was influenced by certain important elements in writing his Gospel. Jesus was explaining personal wisdom in Old Testament terms. The Pharisee thought was clearer in his two Gospels (Jesus was called my Lord in his Gospel of John more than in the Synoptics). He emphasized in the Gospel and Revelation that Jesus is Jehovah (8:24, 28, 58, 13:19, and Revelation 1:8), the Lord God Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8 and Isaiah). Focus on Jesus' sonship to the Father, and on his being the true Easter Lamb. Its themes are rooted in the Old Testament. The vision contains 508 verses, while it alludes to 516 verses from the Old Testament. Jesus is the groom and the church is the bride. Biblical topics from the Old Testament and New Testament.
Quoted from: The book You Asked Me, I Answered You
Q: 36
Dr.. Adnan Trabelsi
(1) Mandeanism and its followers Mandeans is a heresy attributed to Manda, whose name means knowledge of life. He was baptized by John the Baptist. Its theology is a mixture of Jewish traditions, Gnostic myth, Nestorian and Syriac Christianity, whose “Sabian” remnants are still in Iraq.
(2) In the Psalms: “The light of your face” (4:7, 43:4, 88:16, 67:1). And “In your light we will see the light” and “Send forth your light and your truth” (42:3). In Isaiah, “the light of the Lord” (3:5). In Chapter 13 of Father Espero Djabour’s book, “Jehovah or Jesus?” Extensive talk about the glory of Jehovah and the house of Jehovah. See also the Bible Index, the word “light.”
