Civilization #24: Resurrecting the Gnostic Jesus

Who was the historical Jesus, and what did he believe? In this talk to his Chinese high school students, Jiang Xueqin argues that Jesus was a unique religious genius who synthesized the major global religions of his day to create a new religion, which we today refer to as Gnosticism. Like other great religious leaders, Jesus had a three-tier gospel. To the public, he taught that true faith demanded compassion. To his disciples, he taught that true faith demanded self-sacrifice. Then there were the secret teachings that he shared with his proteges. Jesus believed that we lived in a false reality, and it was only by seeking truth that we could escape from the darkness into the light. How did the New Testament diverge so sharply from Jesus’ true teachings? This is a topic that will be examined next class.