The Sethians--The Original Gnostics: Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio

Recent scholarship elevates the issue on who really were the Classic Gnostics to new levels. It takes a penetrating, middle path in between those insisting Gnosticism was an independent religion and those who are convinced it was just another Christian offshoot. It keenly modifies and refines accepted theories and viewpoints, revealing that it's time to look with a fresh eye at limiting terms such as 'heresy', 'Orthodoxy', 'alternative Christianity', 'Gnosticism' and many others. The Gnostics did indeed exist, but not as most have believed. The real Gnostics thrived beyond but influenced The Valentinians, Sethians, Carpocrateans, Ophites and other schools of thought. They also influenced much of nascent Christendom and Paganism across the Greco-Roman world. And they were never truly at odds with 'Orthodoxy', but actually worked hand in hand with it as main architects of Roman Christianity. Who were the real Gnostics and what were their core theologies, mythologies and values? What were their origins and what became of them once the Roman Emperors became followers of Jesus Christ? You will find out! And also take an intriguing factory tour of the formation of early Christianity, from the truth that some of the most orthodox Church Fathers were Gnostics at heart to how the real Gnostics injected themselves into the Neoplatonic and Manichaean movements with permanently altering results. Astral Guest-- David Brakke, author of The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual and Diversity in Early Christianity and Demons & The Making of the Monk: Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity , as well as Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University.