The Simple Gnostic Gospel Answers "Why is there suffering in the world?"

A trove of ancient papyrus manuscripts was discovered buried in an earthen jar by a farmer in the Egyptian desert in 1945. These codices were named for the location near where they were found, Nag Hammadi. The Nag Hammadi scriptures are among other "Gnostic Gospels" that were edited out of the Holy Bible during the 4th Century in a move to restrict orthodox belief. In Simple terms, early church fathers purposefully detached the Gnostic memes from inclusion in their Christian meme bundle. 

The Simple Explanation has been carefully illuminating one of these rediscovered books in particular--the Tripartite Tractate--in an effort to demystify the Gnostic Gospel by applying principles of the Simple Explanation to its interpretation. This new Simple illumination answers many of our most basic theological conundrums, such as "Why is there death?" "Why does God allow evil in the world?" and the subject of this article: "Why is there suffering in the world?"

Over the course of illuminating the Gnostic Gospel, the Simple Explanation has designed a series of visual metaphors representing facets of Gnostic and Christian belief. For the fullest understanding of this article, you may wish to read the entire Gnostic Gospel Illuminated series from the beginning.  If you would prefer to first read the "Simple Gnostic Gospel, Part One: The Father, The Son, and the Birth of The ALL," click here.

The Aeons of the Fullness dream of a Paradise we have yet to inherit.

The chief aeon, Logos, mistakenly overreached and Fell as he attempted to reunite with the Father without the agreement of the Fullness or the will of the Father.

Logos shattered when he Fell and broke into shadowy chaos down below.

Logos retreated back to the Fullness, leaving the misbegotten shadows behind. A Boundary was drawn around the Deficiency created from the Fall. 

Logos and the Fullness created a new type of creature, the Second Order of Powers, to occupy the walled-off Deficiency and dispel the shadows left from the Fall. These new Powers are also called the Remembrance, because they have a small memory of the Fullness, Paradise, and the Father.

Those of the Remembrance fight against the Shadows of the Imitation in a never-ending War for dominance. Due to the delusion of the  Law of Mutual Combat, the Second Order of Powers forgets their true nature as they strive for power and dominion in the bounded space and time of our world.

The Fullness prays to their Father and the ALL for a Champion to break the stalemate and lead the Second Order of Powers out of Endless War. The Fruit of that union is called Savior and Redeemer, Advocate, Christ, and the Light.

Those of the Remembrance "with eyes to see" recognize the coming of their Champion from above with great joy and expectant hope. Those who recognize and accept help from above are called "Redeemed."

The 2nd Order of Powers is poised between a vision of joy and Paradise above in the Fullness and the turmoils of Endless War with the Deficiency below.

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This world in which we dwell is a temporary home. We are born into it, and we die out of it. Our time here is limited.

The Tripartite Tractate refers to our world as an "Economy," meaning a closed operational system of value and exchange. The resources of this world's economy are limited because we live in a bounded space. Those of us who live in this economy find ourselves in continual struggle with others over limited resources. Our continual struggle to "get what's coming to us" feels like an Endless War. We fight this battle against others and within our own egos.

The entities that came before us and live in the place called the Fullness are known as "aeons" and also the "First Order of Powers." The "Second Order of Powers" (us) were fashioned after the traits of the aeons. Whereas the Father and Son are immutable and indescribable, the aeons of the Fullness have awakened to themselves and, taken as a whole, are no more and no less than the sum of all the traits of the Father of ALL, broken out and individually named. 

As their descendants, we are naturally attracted upward, yet because we live in the Deficiency and struggle against the shadows of the Imitation, we are unprepared to "go home." We were given a desire for the things of this world,

"with the intention that it should draw them into a communion with the material. This was in order to provide them with a structure and a dwelling place, but also in order that by being drawn toward evil they should acquire a weak basis for their existence, so that instead of rejoicing unduly in the glory of their own environment and thereby remaining exiled, they might rather perceive the sickness they were suffering from and so acquire a consistent longing and seeking after the One who is able to heal them from this weakness" [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 98, 99].

Our progenitors in the Fullness dream of the day when we are all Redeemed by the Christ and a new Economy comes to the world, bringing an end to the Endless War. In that day, Paradise will replace the Deficiency, light will drive out darkness, and love will be the only Power remaining.