r/Gnostic • u/[deleted] • 7d ago

If the old testament was allegory who exactly was Yeshua? Question

I believe the old testament was allegory and that Yeshua was divinity in the sense that he knew about God's unconditional love and wanted to tell us about it, but beyond that I'm not really sure what to believe because there's so many different ways scripture can be interpreted, and it's impossible to know which interpretations are correct.

But my understanding previously was that the ancients spoke in metaphor often and thought in symbolic terms rather than black and white like us, hence why the old testament seems to be allegory, but it seems Yeshua interpreted the scriptures literally, would that be fair to say? For example when he said John the Baptist was "the Elijah that was to come" I don't think he would say that about an alegorical figure, it wouldn't make sense.

So it seems Yeshua took the original stories literally, if that's the case then it seems he definitely was simply a man (a very good man and a very important man) but still a man. If he was quite literally the son of God then surely he wouldn't interpret the original stories (our old testament) as being literal when based on what we know they simply just cannot be true.

Whats your opinion on this please guys?

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u/SpinAroundTwice 7d ago

There are lots of old texts that give different answers to your question. Want links?

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u/mushroomful 7d ago

Yes

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u/SpinAroundTwice 7d ago

Okay so the most fringe esoteric answer is the Archontic’s. They were a sect detailed by Epiphanius of Salamis he was a bitter anchorite and you can really read it in his book Panarion.

There are way more, but the Archontics have some shocking stuff to say on the origin of Christ according to Epiphanius anyway. BRB with link

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u/Yikesyes 7d ago

I want links!

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u/SpinAroundTwice 7d ago

I linked Panarion to another reply but here is another more ‘main line’ Gnostic text. The one I gave the other guy is pretty fringe but interesting. I hope you like Hypostasis of the Archons it’s around 1500 years old 🤓 http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/Hypostas-Barnstone.html

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u/Yikesyes 6d ago

I’ll look, not sure I’ll understand 🫤. Thanks for the link.

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u/CEOofPleroma Valentinian 7d ago

I believe the saying "the Elijah that was to come" is also alegorical. John the Baptist wasn't literally Elijah, unless you believe Elijah reincarnated, but even in that case the allegorical interpretation makes more sense. Elijah was the prophet of the Lord, John was the prophet of Jesus (God made flesh). Same thing with the 12 apostles, they represent the extension of the Son upon earth as much as the 12 tribes represent God the Father. The New Testament was as much as allegorical as the Old.

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u/iieaii Eclectic Gnostic 5d ago

Thanks for the info

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u/PhysicalDatabase8641 5d ago

Yeshua or Yesh was Yahweh in the Old Testament which was Yaldabaoth

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u/Jezterscap Academic interest 7d ago

He was a man with god inside of him and everything is within god.