Gnostics were attempting to do exactly what you seem to be doing. By combining Greek philosophy (mostly Platonism), pagan dualism, and Christian Scripture, they created a religion that could comfortably accommodate its membership into the contemporary world and not piss of the pagan religious authorities.
Sure, but the Christians attempted to do exactly what I'm doing, too. Plutarch, my primary intellectual inspiration in this effort, was the one of THE most-quoted authors by the early church fathers. Patristic writing is FILLED with attempts to harmonize Pagan and Christian thought. My project is to point out that Pagan and Christian thought could be reconciled because (many of) the pagans were already monotheists.
In any case, the core beliefs are Gnosticism is that the demiurge is evil and the cosmos is a prison, and I reject those beliefs entirely. I could rightfully be accused of Arianism or Pelagianism, but definitely not of Gnosticism.
Obviously we donтАЩt live in that world, but it seems fruitless to reconcile two opposing religious traditions especially since ChristianityтАЩs theology is undoubtedly stronger.
I can assure you that I'm not a Gnostic nor going to become one! I think the Gnostics are wrong about everything.
Gnostics were attempting to do exactly what you seem to be doing. By combining Greek philosophy (mostly Platonism), pagan dualism, and Christian Scripture, they created a religion that could comfortably accommodate its membership into the contemporary world and not piss of the pagan religious authorities.
Sure, but the Christians attempted to do exactly what I'm doing, too. Plutarch, my primary intellectual inspiration in this effort, was the one of THE most-quoted authors by the early church fathers. Patristic writing is FILLED with attempts to harmonize Pagan and Christian thought. My project is to point out that Pagan and Christian thought could be reconciled because (many of) the pagans were already monotheists.
In any case, the core beliefs are Gnosticism is that the demiurge is evil and the cosmos is a prison, and I reject those beliefs entirely. I could rightfully be accused of Arianism or Pelagianism, but definitely not of Gnosticism.
Obviously we donтАЩt live in that world, but it seems fruitless to reconcile two opposing religious traditions especially since ChristianityтАЩs theology is undoubtedly stronger.
I can't believe I'm being told not to study Roman monotheism by someone named Scipio Africanus. Don't Zama me, bro! :-D