where is gnosis condemned in the bible?
flipping heck
Jesus openly spoke of the Single Eye which ive quoted many times
that IS gnosis
just because you don't know what gnosis is doesn't mean you can get away with creating your own rules as you go along.
About the "single eye":
Any hypothesis needs to be re-evaluated in light of new evidence, and one scholar suggests that Jesus may actually be using a slightly different phrase than "good eye," even though he is still contrasting it with a "bad eye." The Greek of the passage does not say "good"
(kalos) but "single, simple"
(haplous). But, the idea of "
singleness of eye" as a virtue is also found in other documents from Jesus' time, and "singleness"
(haplotes) as a virtue is used several other places in the New Testament.6 This can also give us insight on Jesus' meaning in this passage. One document reads:
"I never slandered anyone, nor did I censure the life of any man, walking as I did in
singleness of eye" (3:4)... "And now hearken to me, my children, and walk in
singleness of heart…
The single [minded] man covets not gold… There is no envy in his thoughts, nor [does he] worry with insatiable desire in his mind. For he walks in
singleness, and beholds all things in uprightness of heart… Keep, therefore, my children, the law of God, and
attain singleness...7
Here the idea of "singleness of eye" means sincerity, simplicity, and a freedom from envy for money. It is the opposite of having a "double heart" as in Psalm 12:2:
"They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak." A person with a "single eye" is one of integrity who does not have a secret agenda of self-advancement. Along with sincerity of spirit, he also has an integrity toward money that keeps him from covetousness and greed. Another passage from about the same time also gives insight:
The good man has not an
eye of darkness that cannot see; for he shows mercy to all men, sinners though they may be, and though they may plot his ruin … His good mind will not let him speak with two tongues, one of blessing and one of cursing, one of insult and one of compliment, one of sorrow and one of joy, one of hypocrisy and one of truth, one of poverty and one of wealth; but it has a
single disposition only, simple and pure, that says the same thing to everyone. 8
Interestingly this passage talks about a man's "eye" in terms of his caring for the needs of others, and contrasts an "eye of darkness" to a disposition of "singleness." The contrast is between pretending to care about others with an inward attitude of self-advancement, compared to having a genuine concern for others, without hidden motives. Some phrases here are very similar to the book of James. 9
Reading Jesus' Words Again
In light of the idioms of a "single eye" meaning integrity and a sincere attitude toward others, and "bad eye" meaning a greedy and self-centered outlook, now Jesus' words have much more clarity in their context. Here is my dynamic translation of Matthew 6:21-24, incorporating the idiomatic language he appears to be using:
So give generously to the poor and invest your energy and resources in eternal things, because when you do, your priorities and outlook will change. Your outlook toward others shows your true inner self. If you have a sincere, un-envious heart that wants to help others, your whole personality will shine because of it. But if you blind to the needs of others and are self-centered and greedy, your soul will be dark indeed. You cannot be a slave to your own greed and try to serve God — you have to choose.
In this entire passage, Jesus seems to be equating how we use our money with our basic attitude on life, and says that our generosity is the true measure of us as persons. When you get right down to it, if money rules us, God doesn't. It is one of Jesus' many teachings on money and what our attitude should be about it. In our materialistic culture, his words hit home.
This cultural study of the phrase "single eye" and "bad eye" can shed a lot of light on Jesus' teachings. It should make us eager to learn more when we see that the strange phrases that we sometimes find in the Bible had parallels in other ancient texts that can help explain them. Our interpretation of Jesus' words can be much more solid, so that we have confidence that we are hearing Jesus' ideas and not just our own. Otherwise, our interpretations are based on speculation from personal experience that can lead us down all sorts of strange paths, as some have gone on in understanding Jesus' words about "the single eye."
But, as important as it is to read the Bible accurately, it is even more important that once we understand Jesus' teaching, we take it to heart and change our lives because of it. Are we people of sincerity and integrity? Do we use our money to help others, and find ways to meet their needs? Or, in our hearts, is our own comfort and wealth our number one priority? Jesus is saying that we can't be both greedy and self-centered, and followers of him. We need to choose who we will serve — God or ourselves.