Christian Texts and History • Excerpts from Volkmar, 'The Religion of Jesus,' 1857

387 [p.194 of the pdf https://vridar.info/xorigins/Volkmar/Vo ... fJesus.pdf]
... in the Gospel of Matthew, the great main road of Judeo-Christianity turned to recognize the indisputably beautiful and irresistibl[e] aspects of the Pauline Gospel, accepting Paulinism itself as genuinely Christian, as long as it was willing to honor the law of Israel and Peter, both in title and in righteous deeds, as well as by subordinating to the Petrine community form ...

388
The Gospel of Matthew certainly resonated with the masses. It indeed contained much that was genuinely Christian and taught against Judaism, [yet] much that was reconciliatory; the catchphrases of all parties were unified in this Gospel harmony. But the mediation was still too superficial, and Paulinism in its spiritual rights had been overly curtailed. Of course, in a genuinely Pauline manner, this could not be claimed over Jewish Christianity. In Paul's teachings, despite all its depth, there was too much that was mystically exuberant and impractical for this initial form of the new revelation of the Resurrected to be sustainable ...

The first step was to elevate the person of Jesus Christ above Judaism even more profoundly and higher than the earlier Paulinism in the Gospel of Luke had started. This had moved beyond the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel, by negating a Jewish father. It was indeed a real advancement, to assert Christ as the Lord of All, even against tangible consciousness. But there remained the Jewish mother, a Jewish mediation. This too had to be negated. The concept of the Son of God intrinsically contains infinitely more ... He is not only the firstborn among many brothers, as Paul said (Romans 8), the true man above all nations; not just the firstborn of Mary, but the firstborn of God, a being from God, before all creation ...

389
The elaboration of these fundamental thoughts was laid down by a Paulinist from the first quarter of the 2nd century in the letter addressed "to the Hebrews," a peculiar, noteworthy work. It has been attributed to Paul, both rightfully and wrongfully ... It was a new path to implement the principle of the Apostle to the Gentiles, to overcome the Old Testament through Christian appropriation ...

390
With this, a theme was given which certainly made its way, but couldn't do so immediately. Particularly on Roman ground, efforts were initially made in a practical manner to bring about the reconciliation of Jewish Christianity with Paul. It was done by Roman Paulinists writing to the Pauline sister community in Corinth around 120 (after 118).

• (this section is in the text here, but it seems a bit superfluous, so is indented here)
  This community had come into conflict with the presbytery. Following the precedent of the earliest, apostolic times, here, as everywhere, a college of presbyters led the community. Still, it had meanwhile been placed under the higher perspective of a particular rank or status (clergy) that boasted apostolic appointment. However, a party, relying on special spiritual gifts, had deposed some of these presbyters. This caused division, disorder, and scandal in the community, which was even more upsetting for the Pauline faction in Rome, as the Jewish-Christianity in such occurrences of a community founded by Paul himself found new grounds to suspect Paul's essence. Hence, the Roman Paulinists took it upon themselves, in the name of the entire Roman community, to issue a letter of admonition to the divided Corinthians, urging them to submit to the legitimate presbyterial authority. This occasional letter became a presentation of genuinely Christian spirit and faith, aiming to demonstrate that Pauline principles can promote and establish order in every community. The opportunity was also taken to now group Paul with Peter under the same radiant glow of celebrated heroes and martyrs of Christianity (Chapter 5). A Pauline way of thinking, in a mild form that equally praised deeds, was presented and recommended, while also incorporating the most poignant parts from the new "Letter to the Hebrews."

391
The later period, which took everything personally and needed names for everything, attributed this Roman-Pauline letter to the Corinthians to Clement ... the dating has been miscalculated by decades ... The letter...presupposes the existence of a Jewish narrative that only emerged from this conflict of Judah's or Judith's against Nebuchadnezzar Trajan and his executioner (Cholser-Nehs), against the legate Lusius Quietus, as is evident and has become apparent both negatively and positively. The Book of Judith, already used by the Roman Christian, was written precisely around the end of 117 or the beginning of 118.

According to this, [that] letter unquestionably falls around 119-125 AD, providing a solid chronological anchor in this darkest period. The mistake of the ancient church teachers is vast here, yet all the more forgivable since that era had not yet become critically mature enough to perceive the form of the Judith narrative as a mere ancient embellishment. Nonetheless, the name, "Letter of Clement," will remain.

392
More directly, in philosophical Alexandria, Paulinism pursued the path initiated by the Letter to the Hebrews in a document that was later named after Barnabas, the supposed apostolic authority of this church, who seems to have first proclaimed the Gospel in Alexandria. This treatise argues more explicitly that only in Christianity has the Old Testament become truth, and Judaism has completely misunderstood it. Its significance is not merely literal; everything has a deeper, more spiritual meaning. With this, the allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament, which began even before the Letter to the Hebrews, fully blossoms, sometimes taking the most adventurous forms. In everything and every detail, a type pointing to Christ and the Christian community is seen.

• (this section is in the text here, but it seems a bit out-of-context to what really happened, so is indented to set it aside)
  It might suffice here to recall what is most thought-provoking and universally appealing in this treatise. The bronze serpent of the Old Testament, erected for salvation from death, is considered a precursor to the Cross that saved all (Cap. 11). The Jewish Sabbath is not the true one; only in Christianity is the profound meaning of the Sabbath laws realized (Cap. 15). And the Temple, which Judaism, in its sensory obstinacy, foolishly built in Jerusalem, and in which it enshrined its God, was even constructed against God's will (Cap. 16). But God had already proclaimed that this temple should be destroyed, as it happened. However, now (119 AD), it is being rebuilt, but this only happens according to the higher will of God for the complete ruin of the Jewish people and this temple as a temple of the living God. For it is done by the enemies themselves, namely Hadrian, who believed that by the splendid reconstruction of the temple, he could bind the challenging Jewish people to himself and Rome, thus Romanizing them in the simplest way. The temple was rebuilt, but in doing so, it became Roman, and the world anticipated what occurred in 130, that it became the temple of the Capitoline Jupiter.

394
This event, that Jehovah's Temple becomes a pagan temple, that Judaism merges into paganism, left a profound impression ...

... The God of Christianity, a God of pure spirit, love, and truth, was previously completely unknown, separate; the God of the Old Testament is a lesser being, merely the creator of the sensual world and ruler of the world, who also founded paganism through his demons. The higher, benevolent God is distinct from this Demiurge (creator), distinct from Jehovah and his realm of good and evil angels. The goal now is to negate the fleshly nature of the Old Testament, and the flesh in general, as being ungodly, contrary to the higher God. Full overcoming of the flesh is brought about by the knowledge [Gnosis] of the higher God...and therein lies salvation, in this spiritual ascent to the higher God of the spirit ... resurrection ...

395
These basic traits were elaborated upon ... the essence of Pauline teaching [was] asserted in its absolute determination. One of the earliest representatives of this progression was Cerinthus from Alexandria (around 120 AD), from which the last
precursor of the Gnostic movement, the Letter of Barnabas, originated. For Cerinthus, there is a higher God above a lesser, subordinate power, which is divided into various divine forces, to which Jehovah belongs, who still holds circumcision as a lasting obligation.

Gnosis found deeper exploration through Basilides and Saturnin[us], who cannot exalt the higher God enough. For Basilides, even the category of being is an insignificant form for the Infinite. "God is not" is just as correct as "God is". Only through gradual emanation, through a nearly incalculable series of gradations that are immeasurably vast, does the sensual creation come into existence.

396
... the unique system of Valentinus...had the most significant influence on some of the writings that belong to our New Testament. There exists an infinitely profound and high primal foundation (bythos) with its self-awareness (ennoia), which is represented as female and is regarded as its delight (charis), in itself without revelation or eternal silence (sige). However, this primal foundation produces a first revelation, the spirit (nus [nous(?)]), considered the first-born son (monogenes), with the associated truth (aletheia) ...

... From it emerges...the word (logos) with the life force (zoe), and from it, the ideal of man (anthropos) and the community or congregation (ecclesia). Thus, through the self-revelation of the primal foundation, the idea of the church of the pure God of the spirit ... the desire for wisdom (sophia in Greek, achamoth in Hebrew) ... she wants to rise to them but falls ... The Aeons help her through Christ, conceived purely in the ideal sense, which they all collectively bring forth, endowing him with all divine powers ...

398
... Valentinus's system [underwent] numerous changes. One of the most significant was that of Markos ... Basilides' and Saturninus' doctrines also branched out but with the most immoral consequences ...

399
Purer in every respect, morally pure, and free from speculative fantasies, the gnostic rise to spirituality appeared in Marcion, one of the most remarkable and influential men of this Christian period ... Judaism [had supposedly] been destroyed. Jerusalem henceforth became the Aelia Capitolina, Jehovah's temple remained a pagan one. In response to this seismic event... Gnosis in Marcion reached its full dualistic sharpness. Any mediation of the higher God of spirit and grace with the earthly world was set aside, and the contrast between the God of the Jews, this world creator or Demiurge, and the God of Christianity was heightened to the extreme.

• The God of the Old Testament is not inherently evil, only the angels created by him become evil and founders of paganism, but he is "a subordinate, worse, albeit righteous, and therefore hostile, spiteful, furious, passionate, and hence inconsistent God". Not only the law of this Jehovah but also the prophets of this sensually limited God are to be dissolved, and Christ came for this purpose.

400
... There is a God of vengeance, here a God of grace; there hostility reigns against all nations, here a kingdom of peace through infinite love is promised; Moses raises his hands in curse there, Christ blesses here; enemies are hated there, Christ teaches love even for the enemy here; there, violence is preached, here forbearance and patience even against injustice; the Demiurge's prophet (Elisha) has children killed by bears, Christ blesses the children. With these antitheses, he introduced the collection of holy scriptures of the new revelation, which was first compiled as such by this 'chief heretic.'

It contained the Gospel...and the Apostolus, namely the two collections of Pauline letters, which were already in circulation in Pauline circles around 135 AD ...

https://vridar.info/xorigins/Volkmar/Vo ... fJesus.pdf