Pistis Sophia: Faith-Wisdom

When one approaches a tradition or school of Gnostic Christianity one must bear in mind that frequently exoteric terms and symbols are used with esoteric meaning. Likewise, although Gnosticism focuses on the inner and mystical teachings and secret wisdom, nevertheless that does not mean that Gnostics outright reject the outer level of teachings. In many older schools of Gnostic Christianity words such as “faith,” “grace,” “savior,” “salvation,” and such do appear, but with a deeper and more mystical meaning than what one would find among orthodox and fundamental Christians.

For example, salvation in Gnosticism actually means Self-realization or Enlightenment; hence the attainment of a state of Christ Consciousness. The Savior is the one who embodied this Higher Consciousness and taught the keys of the mysteries of how to attain it; hence taught secrets of True Gnosis. We could carry this example much further, for there are all manner of inner and secret teachings associated with these terms that go far beyond any exoteric teaching of the orthodox churches on them. This is equally true of all such words that appear in Scriptures, whether in the Bible or in the sacred texts which appear in the Nag Hammadi library and elsewhere. Essentially, one must seek the inner and secret levels of meaning and join them to the outer level, as though uniting the spirit and soul with its body. When orthodox and fundamental forms of Christianity are referred to as the outer and unspiritual church it is because they lack the spirit and soul of the teachings and cling only to the outer level – thus to a body that has neither soul nor spirit.

Orthodox and fundamental Christianity teach of salvation by way of grace through faith in Yeshua Messiah as the Son of God, and propose that one is “saved” only through the confession of faith in him – the whole of the Gospel being taken in a literal and linear fashion. Gnosticism also speaks of the necessity of faith, and even of grace, but understanding salvation as a state of Enlightenment and Liberation, ultimately it is gnosis not faith through which this salvation is attained. Thus, faith assumes a different place and meaning, yet is clearly integral to the Gnostic Path. After all, if one does not have faith in Master Yeshua as an embodiment of Christ Consciousness and the potential for Christ Consciousness in oneself, how can one attain this Higher Consciousness? Likewise, unless one has faith in spiritual practice and the spiritual life to bring about higher states of consciousness, why would one take up spiritual practice and spiritual living? Faith is completely essential to any actual Self-realization in Christ Consciousness, for without it no one has ever attained an actual state of Divine Illumination. The question becomes, however, what is meant by faith among Gnostics and how might faith be acquired which leads to True Gnosis?

The Epistle to the Hebrews is among the books of the New Testament highly favored among Sophian Gnostics, and in it the apostle who wrote it says this of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) St. Paul in the First Epistle to the Corinthians also speaks of faith, placing it in conjunction with spiritual hope and love. He writes: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part, then I will be fully known, even as I have been known. And now abide faith, hope and love, these three; the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13) These three verses taken together from a Gnostic perspective are a good foundation for the contemplation of faith. In the context of which St. Paul is speaking of faith in these verses it is addressed as a “spiritual gift” which comes from the Holy Spirit, as well as a key principle leading to True Gnosis – this is a great clue to the Gnostic understanding of faith.

First, let us consider the definition of faith from Hebrews, “…the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In this light we may consider faith as a sense of the Mystery, and as an intuition of an experience not yet had, which itself is a yearning or aspiration that invokes the experience or revelation of the Mystery. What is significant is that this sense or intuition is not merely a mental belief or vital sentiment, but is something deeper, something that comes from the deeper part of oneself. Given St. Paul’s insistence in faith as a spiritual gift acquired from the Holy Spirit, there is the suggestion of some sort of Awareness sparking within a person or some gift of a Fiery-Intelligence, faith being akin to the first sign of this Awareness or Fiery-Intelligence in a person.

The idea of faith itself as a spiritual gift is a response to an age old question: Why do some individuals naturally seem inclined to faith, while others do not seem inclined to it at all, and yet others must struggle before faith comes? In Gnostic Christianity the answer to this comes by understanding the teachings on the Divine Election, which speaks of an evolution of souls through various gradations and the awakening of the faculties and powers of the Soul of Light in a person. In these teachings it is said that at a certain point in the development and evolution of the soul-being there is reception of a gift of Fiery-Intelligence from “above” that awakens or activates a latent Divine Power in us which is itself this Fiery-Intelligence; hence the Power of the Holy Spirit. Faith, as a sense of the Mystery or an intuition of potential experience, is said to be the initial phase of the sparking of this Fiery-Intelligence which inspires our spiritual quest. Basically speaking, one cannot conjure faith, but one either has faith or does not, and the presence of faith is an indication of a soul approaching its fruition; hence a soul ripe for the Mystical Journey to Christ Consciousness.

Often times when one listens to how faith is spoken about in orthodox and fundamental forms of Christianity, one hears something akin to a mental belief or a vital sentiment, as though one must convince oneself of the “truth” and thus “belief.” But it is not this which is meant by faith among Gnostics, rather it is spoken of as the “intelligence of the heart” or the “intelligence of the soul,” or as the intuitive faculty of the Inner or Christ Self. Thus, faith is often called Pistis Sophia in Christian Gnostic teachings, which literally means “Faith-Wisdom.” Though the outer and unspiritual church speaks of a blind faith, Gnostics speak of a seeing faith or knowing faith, hence something intuitive and something that comes from a deeper place than the ordinary surface consciousness. In this context faith is seen as a guiding principle on the spiritual path – the intuitions and inspirations of the heart. Placing faith, hope and love together, St. Paul alludes to the heart as the seat of this Intelligence or Wisdom, for spiritual hope and love are qualities of the heart center when it opens. In this sense we can speak of faith as the first glimmer of the heart center opening, which through hope or active aspiration is fully opened, giving birth to spiritual or unconditional love.

In conjunction with this one might contemplate the Epistle of St. James which teaches that good works - spiritual practice and spiritual living - are the natural expression of true faith. Though many might think of St. Paul’s and St. James’ teachings as opposed to one another, if by hope Paul means an active aspiration through spiritual practice and spiritual living, then Paul’s hope is the same as the teachings of James' on works. The natural reflection of faith is a spiritual practice and spiritual life, and the natural reflection of the spiritual life is active love and compassion. Where there is no inclination to actual spiritual practice and spiritual living, quite clearly faith is lacking, and where there is neither active love nor compassion, the spiritual life has yet to bear good fruit. All of this, of course, directly reflects the opening of the heart center, or what Sophians call the “Sacred Heart.”

For this reason in Sophian teachings faith, hope and love are called the “Threefold Flame of the Heart,” which become Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom as an initiate progresses on the Path and unfolds the realization of the Christ Self, or what is often called the “Light-Presence.” This points to another distinction that must be made, in faith among Gnostics versus faith as taught in the outer and unspiritual church, for among Gnostics our faith is not only faith in the Christ Presence embodied by Master Yeshua, but it is faith in the Christ Presence in us, and within everyone and everything. It is faith in a Truth and Light inherent in all things, and thus what one might call a “Basic Goodness” within and behind everything. Salvation comes through recognition of this Good or the Truth and Light within oneself and all things, and by bringing it forth from within oneself. Obviously, in order to bring forth the Truth and Light from within one must have faith in it; hence faith in the Christos, Logos and Sophia.

In Christian Gnosticism the fullness of faith is gnosis, which means a direct or personal experience of the Living Yeshua, and specifically the Living Yeshua within oneself; hence a recognition and realization of the Light-Presence in oneself and the embodiment of that Living Presence and Power in one’s life. One begins the Path of Gnosis as a “Christian,” which is to say by having faith in the possibility of Christ Consciousness and seeking to live in a Christ-like way, but the aim and fruition of the Gnostic Path is to become Christ; hence to experience an actual Enlightenment and Liberation. This, itself, of all things, perhaps best characterizes the nature of faith in Gnostic Christianity.

At the outset faith is likely to be a mere spark, barely perceptible and quite fragile, as with anything in its immature state. One will not begin with the fullness of faith, but rather one must recognize the sparking of faith, and then kindle it, seeking to nurture and grow faith towards its fruition in gnosis. For some the sparking of faith might be much more obvious at first, yet for many it might not be so obvious; but in any case one must look to find that golden thread and follow it, for it is akin to the voice of Spirit guiding one in the Way.

One cannot demand faith, nor can one force oneself to have faith, and as we have said one cannot conjure faith, any more than one can conjure the Holy Spirit. Rather, one can open oneself to faith, and all gifts of the Spirit, and seek to make oneself sensitive to faith. One can invite and welcome faith, and when faith comes one can surrender oneself to it and thus surrender oneself to the Spirit from which faith comes. In this way, seeking and yearning, one can acquire faith if one feels one does not have faith, or feels one’s faith is too weak. On a most basic level, faith comes by seeking to have an open mind and heart, and by the desire to have faith in one’s life.

The Gnostic text entitled Pistis Sophia is quite interesting, and though it does not play a very significant role in our Sophian lineage there is a basic message on faith in it that we do take to heart. For this Gnostic text, like most others, recounts inner and secret teachings imparted to the disciples following the resurrection; hence teachings given by the Living Yeshua or Risen Savior. As the title of the book implies, it is Faith-Wisdom that facilitates a communion with the Living Yeshua and that leads us into unification with the Light-Presence and Light-Continuum, or what exoterically is called “union with Christ in God.” Thus, faith is a very real power that allows us to connect ourselves to the inner and spiritual dimensions, and to bring forth the Divine Presence and Power in our lives. Likewise, when the Kabbalah speaks of the desire to receive which invokes the desire to give, we may understand faith as the desire to receive, according to which the Spirit imparts everything good and reveals all mysteries.

In this way perhaps you will understand what is meant by faith among Gnostics, specifically by practitioners of the Sophian Tradition of Gnostic Christianity. Faith alone certainly does not lead to Self-realization in Christ, but no one has ever become Self-realized apart from faith either. Thus, faith and gnosis go hand and hand, and in our experience, just as faith leads to gnosis, every new stage of gnosis leads to a deeper faith, so that faith and gnosis generate one another in the Way.

Blessings & shalom!