[st uriel's] Living Gnosticism Reading Group and Fwd: The Soul in The Hymn Of The Pearl

[Fr Tim Mansfield]

Hi Folks,

Sister Trish facilitated last week's discussion about The Hymn of the Pearl
while I was off in New Zealand running a retreat. I've attached her account
of what she discovered in the conversation.

This Sunday, we'll meet to begin our reading of Father Jordan Stratford's
"Living Gnosticism". This reading group which will continue up to Christmas,
take a brief pause and then continue in January will be a golden opportunity
to engage directly with a modern gnostic theology and with the key ideas our
church think are important in your spiritual journey.

Each week we'll have a set reading and meet on Sunday evening to discuss the
week's assignment. We will join with other groups in the church network who
are reading the book via online discussion as the programme rolls on.

Come along and join in. Copies of the book will be available in person for
$25.

6pm, Sun 7 Dec (and weekly from then)
Unitarian Centre
15 Francis St
Darlinghurst

Reverend Father Tim Mansfield
Rector, Parish of Saint Uriel the Archangel <http://www.saint-uriels.org>,
Sydney, Australia
Apostolic Johannite Church <http://www.johannite.org>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Trisha Nowland <nowlandtr at gmail.com>
Date: 2008/12/3

Blessings at Advent to all,

Last Sunday we had the second of our reading group meetings dedicated to
exploring the soul. This time we sampled a hero's journey in 'The Hymn of
the Pearl'. The Hymn comes from the Acts of Thomas (ch 108-113).

In the poem we see the hero(or 'soul') as a young child living with his
Father in Parthia, from whence as an adult he is sent, leaving behind his
glorious robe 'which in their love they had wrought me'. He is given a load
of precious stones and instructions to fetch home the Pearl, which is
guarded by a drakon, or serpent in the sea, in Egypt. Upon arriving in
Egypt, he clothes himself in the somewhat grungy dress of the Egyptians,
partakes of their heavy and intoxicating victuals, falls into a deep sleep,
and consequently forgets about his mission. A letter is sent to him from
home, on the wings of an eagle, which he both hears and reads, reminding him
of his task. He successfully charms the serpent that guards the pearl, and
returns with the pearl to his father, receiving, in return, the robe 'of his
real nature'.

Different versions of this same story come to us in the parable of the
Prodigal Son in the Bible, Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat in the
story of Genesis, and in several other places:

Version of this parable is in the Gospel of Thomas (1:76):

"The Kingdom of the Father is like the man, a merchant, who possessed
merchandise and discovered a pearl. The merchant was prudent. He sold the
merchandise and bought 'the one pearl' for himself.

Version of this parable from Syrian mystic Makarios:

The man receives again the garment of glory that he had lost when the soul
fell from it's height and became the slave of the true Pharaoh. Scripture is
a letter written by a King, and the Christians are sons whom a father sent
to foreign countries with drugs to soothe the dragons that attack them.

Version of this parable in Gospel of Phillip (12):

'One single Name they do not utter in the world, the single Name which the
Father gave to the Son, which is above all things, which is the Name of the
Father. For the son would not become the Father except he clothe himself
with the name of the Father.


Version of this parable from the Odes of Solomon (39:8):

Put on, therefore, the Name of the Most High and know Him,

And you shall cross without danger,

While the rivers shall be subject to you.


Version of this parable from the Old Testament (Judges 6:34):

The Spirit of God 'invests' man, so that he is clad with the Spirit.

Version of this parable in a Samaritan Moses hymn:

Mighty is the great prophet who clad himself in the name of the Godhead.

So the soul, born in heavenly paradise, must be reminded of it's task in the
body, so it can return to paradise and receive the original garment of
Spirit. There is a split in this hymn, but it is not between the forces of
good and evil, it is the split between fallen Man incarnate and his
remembrance of his divinity. Gnosticism itself seems to me to be in many
ways structured around the phenomenological remembrance of 'what we are,
where we come from and whither we go'. Our sense of soul then includes both
an inner awareness of the light of the absolute pearl of Spirit that we
already always are, and also the relative inner engagement with the
colourful 'gems' of the different personas and characters that we fleetingly
robe ourselves in as we make our way through the everyday world. Collecting
sparks, or dare I say pearls, of wisdom on the way.

It was an inordinate amount of fun on Sunday, and I'm looking forward to
seeing all who can come along this week for our first peek at Fr. Jordan
Stratford's+ 'Living Gnosticism'.

Peace be with you,

Trish





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