Second-century theologian Irenaeus of Lyon, in Against Heresies, argues against the Gnosticism of Valentinus. @PhiloofAlexandria

The Christian Conspiracy: The Orthodox Suppression of Original Gnostic Christianity, by Ralph Macchio, Part Two.
(chapters 6 - 10)
This book chronicles the replacement of an original Christianity which was diverse and Gnostic in character by an orthodox pseudo-theology defined by a narrow set of doctrines quite different in scope and spirit. If it shatters any image, it is the myth that there was an "original" Christianity, somewhat in the image of modern fundamentalism, where all held to the four Gospels, the concept of Jesus as God, His death for our sins, the resurrection of the body at the last day, etc. Rather it lifts the curtain on a profoundly different "original" Christianity--a rich set of doctrines in the Gnostic tradition defined across many sects existing at Christianity's very earliest beginnings including even the communities and teachings of St. Paul and the Nazorean community at Jerusalem, and including doctrines of reincarnation, the origins of evil in a class of beings called "archons," the preexistence of souls, the divine spark in each, therefore the divinity of each--all befitting the universalist character Jesus in fact had. And it chronicles the grim, often political and ultimately violent destruction of this diversity and these doctrines by the end of the fourth century, their replacement by a stark orthodoxy of distorted and narrowed dogmas, the destruction or suppression of the many gospels by an arbitrary and edited canon of four, and the concomitant establishment of a power structure set in a hierarchy which moved increasingly to the denial of freedom of belief and its final alliance with the power of the state.

Contents:

VI. The Emergence of Orthodoxy

The Misuse of the Old Testament-Clement of Rome
Ignatius of Antioch
The Power Politics of Orthodoxy
The Emergence of Creed
Ignatius Attacks Sectarian Christian Communities
Marcion-Marcion Formulates the First New Testament Canon

VII. The Great Schools of Christian Gnosis

Basilides
Basilides' Doctrine of Reincarnation
Valentinus
The Doctrine of the Three Natures
The School of Valentinus
Valentinian Literature-The Gospel Of Truth
The Valentinian Sacraments
The Doctrine of the Resurrection

VIII. The Orthodox Movement Formulates "Anti-Christian-Gnostic" Theology"

Justin Martyr
The Doctrine of the Incarnation of the Word
The Resurrection of the Body

IX. Irenaeus and the Formulation of Orthodox Pseudo-Theology

Irenaeus
The Doctrine of Deity
Origins Of Christianity
The Doctrine of the Logos and Christ
The Doctrine of Salvation
Irenaeus Fabricates His Own Apostolic Succession
The Myth of the Orthodox Apostolic Succession
Tertullian
Cyprian of Carthage

X. Origen of Alexandria and the Golden Age of Christian Theology

The Catechetical School at Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria
Origen-The Synthesis of Christian Orthodoxy and Christian Gnosis
The Theology of Origen
The Trinity
Origen on the Doctrine of Christ
Origen on the Fall of Souls
Origen on the Fallen Angels
Origen's Doctrine of Salvation
Origen and Reincarnation
The Golden Age of Christian Theology
The Attack on Origen

A quick overview of the canon of the New Testament manuscripts and why the gnostic gospels are not considered legitimate.

The Christian Conspiracy: The Orthodox Suppression of Original Gnostic Christianity, by Ralph Macchio, Part One.
(chapters 1 - 5)
This book chronicles the replacement of an original Christianity which was diverse and Gnostic in character by an orthodox pseudo-theology defined by a narrow set of doctrines quite different in scope and spirit. If it shatters any image, it is the myth that there was an "original" Christianity, somewhat in the image of modern fundamentalism, where all held to the four Gospels, the concept of Jesus as God, His death for our sins, the resurrection of the body at the last day, etc. Rather it lifts the curtain on a profoundly different "original" Christianity--a rich set of doctrines in the Gnostic tradition defined across many sects existing at Christianity's very earliest beginnings including even the communities and teachings of St. Paul and the Nazorean community at Jerusalem, and including doctrines of reincarnation, the origins of evil in a class of beings called "archons," the preexistence of souls, the divine spark in each, therefore the divinity of each--all befitting the universalist character Jesus in fact had. And it chronicles the grim, often political and ultimately violent destruction of this diversity and these doctrines by the end of the fourth century, their replacement by a stark orthodoxy of distorted and narrowed dogmas, the destruction or suppression of the many gospels by an arbitrary and edited canon of four, and the concomitant establishment of a power structure set in a hierarchy which moved increasingly to the denial of freedom of belief and its final alliance with the power of the state.

Contents:

Introduction: Why a "Conspiracy"?

I. The Lost and Hidden Years in the Life of Jesus

The Hidden Years of Jesus
The Secret Facts about the Crucifixion.
Did Jesus Spend His Heaven Doing Good on Earth?
The Final Mahasamadhi.

II. The Oldest Christian Sects

Part I: The Gnostic Theology of Paul

Christ as Archtypal Man
Christ as Indwelling Presence
Paul's Teaching on the Resurrection and Preexistence of Souls
The Hidden Wisdom of Paul - "Christ in You, the Hope of Glory"
Paul's Teaching on the Vicarious Atonement

III. The Oldest Christian Sects, Communities and Their Teachings

Part II: Nazorean or Jewish Christianity

The Nazoreans
The Virgin Birth and the Sonship of Jesus
Preexistence and Reincarnation in Early Christian Teachings
The Qumran Essenes and the Nazorean-Christians
The Fall of the Rebel Angels and Watchers The Doctrine of Embodied Evil
The Nephilim

IV. Brief Scenario of Early Christian History Introduction

V. The Lost Christianity of the Original Sects
30 A.D. - 120 A.D.

Christian Sects in Samaria
The Seth Connection
The School of Simon Menander and Satornilos
Christian-Gnostic Sects on Evil
The Ophite Christian Sect
Lost Christianity's Most Suppressed Teaching - A Usurper Deity as the Cause of Evil
The God Called "Man"
Strategies of Light and Darkness
The Origin of the Doctrine of Original Sin
The Naassenes - Christ as Unveiler of the Mysteries
Did Jesus Die on the Cross - the Docetists
The Teaching of Cerinthus - A "Secret Doctrine" of Matthew?
Carpocrates and the Secret Gospel of Mark

Presentation of powerpoints
2:40 Gnostic Thought - overview, Demiurge
8:18 Theological underpinnings
18:30 Gnosticism, Gnostic Christ, and the Gnostic Gospels
24:50 Christian History: Greek, Roman & Jewish context

History of Christian Doctrine:
38:30 Introduction, Gnostics
53:35 Post-Apostolic Writers, Early Heresies, Greek Apologists
1:16:45 Old Catholic Age, Origins of the Trinity, Monarchianism, Arianism
2:01:10 Council of Nicea
2:19:00 Post-Nicene Developments
2:34:30 Great Reformation
2:43:30 Pentecostalism

2:52:15 Nag Hammadi, Gospel of Thomas, Gnosticism revisited, development of Bible Canon

3:45:15 Conclusion

7E - Church History - The Menace of Gnosticism, 1st - 3rd centuries

- Birth of the Gnostic Cult
- The Gnostic Theology
- The Gnostic Christology
- Gnostic schisms and groupings
- Marcion, Valentinus and other Gnostic Cult Leaders
- The Gnostic Scriptural Canon and Writings
- Reaction of the Holy Church against the Gnostic Cult

Preparation and Presentation, Father Serop Azarian
Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church
All rights reserved - © 2015
Uploading of this video is forbidden on other channels.

At the 2018 G3 Conference, Michael Kruger and James White discussed issues related to the biblical canon and it was quite practical and theologically rich at the same time.

Lecture «What is Gnosticism?» was given by the Messenger Elizabeth Clare Prophet on July 6, 1986, during the «Freedom 1986», at The Heart of the Inner Retreat, Royal Teton Ranch, Montana.
(The amazing story of the Christian Gnostics, who claimed to possess a secret tradition passed on by Jesus’ closest disciples. Prophet discusses their emphasis on a personal quest for self-knowledge (“gnosis”), their views of Jesus and the feminine aspect of God, how their teachings parallel ancient Buddhist traditions and why Church Fathers condemned the Gnostics as heretics).

Enoch leaks into the discussion of the Canon with a few early church fathers. But at the end of the day, even its defenders reached the point where they said stuff like this; "hey, you know, I'm the only one still alive here that thinks this book ought to be included. But it looks like the Holy Spirit has moved to the mass of the church, the mass of the believing community to take this position, and so I'm good with that. I'm not gonna worry about it." Check this out!