The Secret Revelation of John

Description

The remarkable 1945 discovery of the Secret Revelation of John expands our modern understanding of the biblical world in extraordinary ways. Written about the same time as other biblical texts, it reveals a side of the Jesus movement the world had not seen for over 1600 years. In our course, we explore the book’s three major ideas – gems – that support its healing and saving message.

A Path to Hope from A Mysterious Ancient Text: Gems within the Secret Revelation of John

· Discover how Jesus and his followers healed without medicine.

· Learn how the earliest followers of Jesus turned to him for help after he was gone.

· Challenge yourself to dive into the deep religious questions about good and evil.

· Expand your understanding of the world of the Bible.

The Secret Revelation of John, a second-century text from the Nag Hammadi Library, was probably the most important discovery of the ancient world in modern times.

The biggest reason the Secret Revelation of John still speaks to us today is that its author tackled the heavy issues of his day which led to the same questions confronting every age: where does evil come from? Is divine help available when we’re at the end of our resources? Is there a way to heal people who suffer? What happens at the end?

This is a difficult book to read, even with a good English translation. Since it was only discovered in 1945 and written in Coptic, few scholars have really tackled it the way they have worked with biblical texts. But this course is designed for the public to have the opportunity to grapple with these big ideas, using everyday language and experience.

What it means today

The remarkable gift of the three gems is the hope they give to people in all ages. Unlike traditional beliefs about salvation promised only to certain people, this savior calls to help anyone lost in the depths of despair. At any stage of life, the ‘compassionate one’ calls them, awakens them to their rights as God’s own children, and lights the path to the joy of life.

Contents and Overview

The course begins with a basic overview of what the Secret Revelation of John is, why it was written, and where it came from. It puts it in the context of the early second century when the violence and hierarchical powers of Rome were nearly intolerable for Jews and the followers of Jesus.

There are six sections, each about 30-40 minutes and consisting of five to seven individual lectures. After the historical setting of the first section, the second through the fifth sections will describe in detail the meaning and value of the three spiritual gems that hold the book together. This is where we will take the deep dive into the biggest questions about how the divine and the human relate to each other, how evil works and doesn’t work in the human experience, and how the teachings of Jesus give us hope and healing.

Finally, the last section of the course will bring us into the twenty-first century where we will discern the relevance of these enduring ideas. The ancient text will give us new concepts to ponder concerning the role of power, what causes violence, and how we might move forward. Quantum physics also gives us a broader perspective on the substance of life and intelligence. And we will contemplate the healing role we all might find in this path to hope.

Students will discover that the more they learn of these ancient texts from Nag Hammadi, their main characters, and attitudes expressed by the authors, the more they’ll be able to interpret them. The course also provides intentional opportunities for each individual to pause and ponder the meaning of these new ideas in our own lives.

What you need to know and what you will learn

You do not need any prior knowledge of the Bible to enjoy this course. But if you are familiar with it, you will especially appreciate the way this text explains how healing happened. Many readers of the New Testament agree that Jesus performed healings and taught his followers to do the same. But they don’t know how he did it. The Secret Revelation of John is the ‘how-to’ part of the healing work.

Besides the video lectures, there are two ways you’ll be able to test your own understanding of the course: 1) in addition to the ‘Pause and ponder’ activities built into the course, 2) you will find two quizzes that will serve as a review and refresher for the material you will have learned.

By the end of the course, you will have gained a greater insight into the world of the first centuries after Jesus. For those of you who have taken the other two Nag Hammadi courses from the Early Christianity Texts series, you will appreciate how the Secret Revelation of John enhances your understanding of the world of the early followers of Jesus. You’ll feel the strength of the savior encouraging you to appreciate your God-given worth and authority as well as the conviction you have to overrule the voices of evil.

You will probably continue to think more deeply about your own capacity to heal and help others and where that strength and wisdom comes from.

What You Will Learn!

• 1. Become aware of the surprising world of the earliest Christians before the formal church was organized in the fourth century.
• 2. Discover the profound concepts of healing and salvation that evolved in the second century.
• 3. Learn about the theology or philosophy that lies behind the healing works of early Christians.
• 4. Become knowledgeable about probably the most important text within the Nag Hammadi Library.
• 5. Realize the value of this extracanonical work in the context of your own Bible reading.

Who Should Attend!

• Anyone who may be interested in deeper answers to big religious questions
• Both Bible scholars and untrained thinkers who want to understand early Christianity
• Spiritual seekers
• Anyone interested in understanding early Christian concepts of healing
• Historians who seek to understand what was going on between the time of Jesus and the beginning of the fourth century church consolidation
• Feminists who seek evidence of egalitarian concepts in early Christian thought

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