Looking beyond the Bible

Nadya Hinson always believed there was more to the story – that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John alone did not add up to the Gospel truth.

“Even from a child’s point of view, it just didn’t make sense,” said the Spokane resident, recalling the Bible stories she learned from her Russian Orthodox grandmother. “I knew there was something missing.”

On a quest to learn more about the life of Jesus, Hinson said, she discovered a piece of the puzzle in the 1980s – the first time she picked up a book on the Nag Hammadi texts and opened it to the Gospel of Thomas.

Long before the recent hype surrounding “The Da Vinci Code,” Hinson and other spiritual seekers in the region have looked for answers in the non-canonical gospels – the writings that didn’t become part of the New Testament.

Hinson doesn’t think these texts alone explain everything about Jesus and his teachings, she said, but along with the Bible and other books, they’ve provided her with a broader perspective on Christianity’s early development. They’ve also shaped her spirituality.

“I’m open to healthy inquiry,” said Hinson, a member of Ancient Traditions Community Church, a congregation of self-described “healthy skeptics” in north Spokane. “I don’t know all the facts, but I’m not afraid to ask questions.”

Friday’s theater opening of “The Da Vinci Code” – coupled by the recent National Geographic translation of the Gospel of Judas, a text that claims the disciple did not betray Jesus and was simply carrying out his orders – has sparked a wave of renewed interest in the “lost” gospels. While some Christians are up in arms over what they perceive as slander and blasphemy, fans of the Dan Brown book and others welcome the dialogue that’s taking place among churchgoers and the general public.

Many of these conversations and study sessions revolve around Gnosticism, an esoteric system of mystical religious and philosophical doctrines promoted by many of the non-canonical gospel writers. Considered a heresy during Christianity’s early days, Gnosticism stressed the divinity of Jesus and that salvation can be attained through secret knowledge. According to many experts, these gospels were written after the accounts found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

“The Bible is not the only source,” said Kamori Cattadoris of Spokane, another member of Ancient Traditions.

Like others who have found meaning in the Gnostic gospels, Cattadoris thinks the Bible is a product of historical and political forces. The numerous gospels that didn’t make the cut show that there was much diversity among the followers of Jesus, she said.

“Who decided what was official?” asked Cattadoris, who was raised Roman Catholic. “Jesus’ teachings consisted of more than this narrow slot that we’ve been allowed to see. The more perspectives we can get the better for us because so many forms of Christianity were suppressed.”

Ten years ago, the average person in America wasn’t familiar with the term “gnostic,” said Jim Edwards, a religion professor at Whitworth College. Although most people don’t fully understand the background behind these writings, the Gnostic gospels have been successfully introduced into mainstream culture by thrillers like “The Da Vinci Code” and authors such as Princeton professor Elaine Pagels, who has championed the cause.

In the Gnostic gospels, “Jesus is just a talking head,” said Edwards, who assigns his students to read the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas and even chapters from “The Da Vinci Code.”

“He doesn’t travel anywhere and performs no miracles. There’s no suffering on the cross or resurrection. … He’s simply an idea because the Gnostics didn’t want a real person. They weren’t interested in history.”

Although Edwards doesn’t think the Gnostic gospels provide insight into Jesus’ life, he believes there’s still value in reading them – not only to appreciate the Gospels in the New Testament, he said, but to understand how and why so many groups were claiming Jesus as their own.

“The Gospels that we have in Scripture are the most reliable from a historical perspective,” said the Rev. Craig Goodwin, pastor of Millwood Community Presbyterian Church, one of several area churches that organized study groups based on the assertions made in “The Da Vinci Code.” “We have a wonderful resource of who Jesus is – it’s in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”

While she appreciates the canonical Gospels, the Rev. Marilyn Muehlbach remains open to the possibilities presented by the writings that were not included in the Bible.

“The Gnostic gospels give us more information than what we had before about early Christianity and the followers of Jesus,” said Muehlbach, the former longtime pastor of Coeur d’Alene Unity Church and an associate fellow with the nonprofit Westar Institute, sponsor of a project known as “The Jesus Seminar.”

Like Cattadoris, Hinson and others, Muehlbach is drawn to the Gnostic belief that one can discover God by searching within.

“They’ve rejuvenated my faith,” she said. “Not that I take them at face value, but they’ve given me a new way to look at things, a new way to look at Jesus’ teachings.”