An Integral Overview of The Lost Gospels

(musings this Holiday Season)

INSTITUTE FOR ANTIQUITY AND CHRISTIANITY, CLAREMONT, CA
WORDS FROM THE PAST: The 46 Scriptures dug up near Nag Hammadi
in Egypt in 1945 changed views of early Christianity. - from Time Online

Prologue

TIME magazine’s December 22, 2003 cover story about The Lost Gospels[1] caught my attention while I was sorting through our mails. I consumed the story like a pint of rocky road—in less than 15 minutes. TIME was my stimulus, below is my reaction.

This essay is a very high level AQAL (all quadrants, all levels, all lines, all states, all types) analysis of the “theological kaleidoscope” of Christianity, with emphasis on the “lost” ones. I hope that this humble effort sparks an integral awareness in Christians and non-Christians alike, and drive a deeper meaning to this holiday season.

AQAL and the Colorful Lens of Spiral Dynamics integral (SDi)

"Integral" means comprehensive, inclusive, balanced, not leaving anything out.

In this essay I will propose one possible analysis of the different belief systems of the Lost Gospels, albeit in a summarized orienting generalizations fashion, using a simplified version of Integral Theory’s AQAL and Spiral Dynamics integral (SDi). Integral Theory and SDi are elegant yet complex conceptual models. It is impractical to reiterate the details here. Readers who are not yet familiar with Integral theory or SDi are encouraged to follow the hyperlinks below. These hyperlinks should be enough to get the gist of these elegant “maps of reality.”

Introduction to Integral Theory and Practice - IOS Basic and the AQAL Map by The Integral Institute

A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality by Ken Wilber

Waves, Streams, States, and Self--A Summary of My Psychological Model (Or, Outline of An Integral Psychology) by Ken Wilber

A Flash presentation of Spiral Dynamics by What is Enlightenment

What is Spiral Dynamics integral? from Integral Naked

Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change (Developmental Management) by Don Edward Beck, Christopher C. Cowan

www.SpiralDynamics.com

I don’t claim expertise on Integral Theory, SDi, or Christian theology (even if I grew up in a Christian tradition). I simply want to encourage the readers to exercise critical thinking, follow the hyperlinks, form their own conclusions, and let the ideas here stand or fall apart on their own.

There, I’m done with my disclaimers. I can now proceed with courage.

The Belief Systems of Early Christianity

Using Bart Ehrman’s book, Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew, the cover story of TIME (Dec. 22, 2003) categorized The Lost Gospels into the four belief systems of early Christianity[2].

Image scanned from TIME Magazine (Dec. 22, 2003 Issue).

A quick scan of the belief systems enabled me to recognize that the form of Christianity I grew up with—Catholicism—is more closely tied to the Marcionites (with faint traces of Ebionites) than with any other belief systems of early Christianity. But due to the blending of Eastern philosophy, New Age popularity, and rediscovery of scrolls near the Dead Sea, Gnostics and Thomasines flavors are seeping back into Sunday sermons and contemporary Christian books like chicken soup.

However, instead of viewing these old belief systems as mutually exclusive, I suggest that we view these belief systems as if they were born of out psychological development, or evolution of worldviews. Simply put, these belief systems were but mirrors that reflected the psychological development of the collective based on the life conditions (such as prominent belief systems, form of government, techno-economic base) during their time. Each of these belief systems had their purpose: to serve as steppingstones for the emergence of more embracing belief systems.

For all schools of developmental psychology, this equation is true: increasing development = increasing interiorization = decreasing narcissism (or decreasing egocentrism). “In other words, the more one can go within, or the more one can introspect and reflect on one’s self, then the more detached from that self one can become, the more one can rise above that self’s limited perspective, and so the less narcissistic or less egocentric one becomes (or the more decentered one becomes).”[3].

Integral Theory simplifies the levels of psychological development using the following three-tier levels: from egocentric, to ethnocentric, to worldcentric; from pre-conventional, to conventional, to post-conventional; from pre-personal, to personal, to transpersonal; and/or from pre-rational, to rational, to trans-rational. For simplicity, I’ll use the model from egocentric (or narcissistic), to ethnocentric, to worldcentric ("me," "us" and "all of us") when referring to psychological development of individuals and collective. Integral theory summed this up with the formula: going within = going beyond = greater embrace[4].

Another way of looking at the psychological development (or worldviews) of the collective is through the colorful lens of SDi. Using SDi concepts we could do a preliminary sketch of the center of gravity of each belief systems by analyzing their corresponding “tenets,” “requirements,” and “appeal” as listed in the above table.

The notion of development inevitably results in “hierarchy.” However, Integral Theory uses a more appropriate term called “holarchy”[5] to describe this increasing embrace. Yes, it is a form of ranking, but it is not a closed-system comprised of rigid levels. Think of it as having the fluidity of waves. In SDi these waves are conceptualized as colorful spirals of ever-increasing depth in which the prime directive is to maintain the health of the "entire" spiral.

An AQAL look into the Belief Systems of Early Christianity

Using the high-level summary of the chart above, below is my AQAL and SDi analysis of the center of gravity (prominent meme colors) in each belief system. Note that “memes” are not types of people but forms of adaptive intelligences in people. (For more details on the meme colors, see this Flash presentation of Spiral Dynamics).

Ebionites (175 CE) = highly ethnocentric (you must be a Jew to be a follower of Jesus); more on the exterior practices (ritual baths, men had to be circumcised); dualistic (Jesus was a Jewish Messiah from the Jewish God in fulfillment of the Jewish Scripture); BLUE (belief in higher power which could redeem humanity’s sin; more adherence to the law).

Marcionites (144 CE) = ethnocentric (those who accept Jesus would be relieved of sin); more on the exterior practices (salvation is outside of oneself); dualistic (belief in two gods—Old Testament’s God of Wrath and New Testament’s God of Grace and Love); BLUE (those who accept Jesus would be relieved of sin and would triumph over death, those who would not will go to hell; believers could replace the old admonitions about judgment and damnation with a new message of love and salvation).

Gnostics (date of succession unclear) = ethnocentric (elitist, most only felt that a fraction of humans were capable of their kind of salvation); more on the interior (salvation through “gnosis”); dualistic (belief in different gods that emanated from the One); BLUE (ascenders; safety and salvation is somewhere else and not of this world); ORANGE-to-GREEN (autonomous; seeks truth and knowledge in individualistic terms; highly democratic but only amongst themselves; as Tertullian observed, “they pray equally… they share the kiss of peace with all, for they do not care how differently they treat topics. All are arrogant. All offer you gnosis!"); light shades of YELLOW (independence; knowledge of transcendence arrived at by way of interior, intuitive means, knowing or “gnosis” which is the "knowledge of the heart" or "insight" about the spiritual nature of the cosmos); light shades of TURQUOISE (mystical forces, transpersonal, spiritual)

Thomasines (dated between 130 - 250 CE) = shift to worldcentric ("Since creation, we have all shared in divinity. Jesus teaches us to rediscover it in us"; “teaching the peoples of various castes about the glorious good news of salvation available through Christ Jesus” without abandoning “their rich heritage”); shift to nondual (the dual-world thesis fades back into the background); embraced both interior and exterior; GREEN (rejection of hierarchy, greater freedom of personal expression, an openness to the role of women); light shades of YELLOW (independence; salvation through self-knowledge; knowing or “gnosis” which is the "knowledge of the heart" or "insight" about the spiritual nature of the cosmos; “When he finds he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled he will be astonished and he will rule over the all” #2; “That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from yourselves.” #70); light shades of TURQUOISE (mystical forces, transpersonal, spiritual; “Jesus was a being like us in which the knowledge of the infinite was passing through.”)

As you’ll notice above, the belief systems can be arranged following the patterns of psychological development: decreasing of narcissism (or egocentrism); from egocentric, to ethnocentric, to worldcentric. You’ll also notice that psychological development does not necessarily follow historical sequence. This illustrates the wave or “spiraling” characteristic of psychological development (everybody starts from zero at birth). So it is possible: 1) for different societies at different points in time to have “higher” or “lower” psychological development, or evolution of worldviews, depending on the awakening of adaptive intelligences as a response to the life conditions during that time, and 2) for those societies to co-exist, whether in a mutual, or chaotic relationship with each other (which often resulted in warfare).

As tempting as it is to generalize that Thomasines were more psychologically evolved, this is not exactly the case. Remember that what we’re analyzing here are “generalized” belief systems, not the believers themselves. If we are to go into detail with our analysis then we must look at all the AQAL components such as all quadrants (interiors and exteriors of individuals and collectives), all levels (stages, waves, structures), all lines (multiple intelligences), all states (spiritual practices, states of consciousness), and all types (male, female) of individuals as well as the collective. A daunting work indeed but only then we could make a more definite, more detailed, and a more integral observation.

However, since we’re only dealing with generalized belief systems here, then yes, in my opinion, the Thomasines belief system is “more integral” and is the most compatible belief system (out of the four belief systems) with the available psychological development models to date and with other nondual Eastern traditions, such as Zen, Tibetan Buddhism / Dzogchen, and Vedanta. Of the four belief systems, the Thomasines belief system satisfies the formula: going within = going beyond = greater embrace (of both the interior and the exterior; of both the otherworldly, and of this world).

Enter the Ecumenical Councils.

Integration, Ecumenical Council Style

Christianity (in its various forms) as we know today is a by-product of a series of Ecumenical councils—meeting of bishops to settle matters of Church doctrines and practices. The Ecumenical councils were grand attempts to reach consensus and resolve divisive issues that plagued Christianity. They were noble but crude attempts at “integration”. Integration was done from the point of view of BLUE, RED, ORANGE—for the unity, power, and wealth of the Empire.

Instead of being “comprehensive, inclusive, balanced, not leaving anything out,” ideas/concepts that were incompatible with the dominant worldviews of the councils were tossed out due to biases, politics, beliefs, and polemical writings and debates. Instead of true integration what happened was marginalization—hence, the Lost Gospels.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the resurgence of The Lost Gospels is a proof that the Ecumenical Councils did not do their job “well.” This is debatable of course, for one can argue that the Ecumenical councils were instrumental in strengthening the Empire and spreading of Western “civilization”—a move that stabilized a great part of world population into BLUE and ORANGE. However, what I mean by “not doing their job well” was that they had made most various forms of Christianity into a closed system in which the majority of followers are only bound by performing exoteric (exterior) practices with little or no stress on esoteric (interior) practices. The result was that of a slowing down of psychological development of individuals and collective within the Christian tradition, not to mention the RED nightmare of the Crusades.

But the world of today is changing. In this post-modern world where ORANGE and GREEN, and specks of YELLOW, are slowly gaining ground, the discovery of The Lost Gospels is a welcome reminder that the psychological development of humanity should not stop at a certain level. And that body, mind, soul, spirit, are indivisible aspects of self, culture, and nature. True integration should be no less than this.

Epilogue

Christianity is often regarded as a religion without injunctions for psychological development, or consciousness transformation. This is not true. Countless saints and sages under the wing of Christianity had demonstrated the transformative quality of the Christian path—Saint Augustine, Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Meister Eckhart, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Florence Nightingale, Evelyn Underhill, to name a few[6].

What people generally mean when they say that Christianity has no injunctions for transformation is that mainstream Christianity is NOT openly teaching these transformative injunctions to their followers, whether through ignorance, or for whatever reason, due to the conscious choice of high-ranking leaders. But injunctions, teachings, and examples are available. One only has to look for it, sometimes between the lines of the Gospels, sometimes outside the fence of Christianity, or sometimes right in front of one’s own face.

As one American-born Zen priest jokingly said, “Had I known the Gospel of Thomas, I wouldn’t have had to become a Buddhist!” I share this sympathy, but I’ve discovered early on that when it comes to authentic spirituality, conversion is optional, not a requisite.

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Hypernotes:

1. The cover story and cover page was changed (see current online version--Dec 22 issue) in favor of a much more high-profile story--Saddam's Capture. But we got our copy of the old cover story before TIME changed it. No big deal. The story of the Lost Gospels are still featured under the Religion section.

2. The online version is presented in a list format. It is presented in a table in the published magazine.

3. Sex, Ecology, Spirituality : The Spirit of Evolution, Second Edition by Ken Wilber, p 263-264.

   “The whole course of human development can be viewed as a continuing decline in egocentrism.” - see The Quest for Mind: Piaget, Levi-Strauss, and the Structuralist Mo Vement by Howard Gardner .

4. Sex, Ecology, Spirituality : The Spirit of Evolution, Second Edition by Ken Wilber, p 263.

5. Holarchy - hierarchy of holons. See details here.

6. See also:

   The Illumined Heart: Ancient Christian Faith of Transformation by Frederica Mathewes-Green

   Shadows of the Sacred: Seeing Through Spiritual Illusions by Frances Vaughan

   Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages: Stories of Enlightenment by Robert Ullman, Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman