Why are Christians so quick to disregard the "Secret Teachings of Jesus"?

Question

In the bible, it saysJesus had one set of parables and stories for the masses, and private teachings for His inner circle. Some of these are known but rebuffed by Christians as the "gnostic gospels". The Dead Sea scrolls and the gospel of Judas, Mary Magdalene and Thomas are good examples.

Jesus referred to his parables as a sort of "secret teaching". Only those with great spiritual insight could interpret them properly.

Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Mat 13:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Mat 13:10 ¶ And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Jhn 18:20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

Answer 1

God works in mysterious ways.

Answer 2

You have misunderstood the verses you quoted. He did not give different teachings to the disciples than he gave to the crowds, nor did he give different parables to them; he explained them to his disciples, as further reading in Matthew 13 clearly indicates. That's why Jesus could say to His accusers, "in secret have I said nothing", which surely contradicts the whole concept of secret teachings that you're advocating.



However, the reason we disregard the gnostic gospels you've mentioned is because they are so transparently attempts to impose the language and concepts of the Greek philosophy that was current at the time onto the person of Jesus. We don't believe that a Jewish peasant who spoke like a Jewish peasant (albeit one who was knowledgeable about the Jewish scriptures) turned around and spoke like a run-of-the-mill Greek philosopher to His disciples. Even if He had passed on a set of secret teachings (and the very passages you quote provide no evidence that He had), the kind of regurgitated Greek thought you see in the gnostic gospels is extremely unlikely to be it. On the other hand, it is just the sort of stuff you would expect from people who could not accept the Gospel in its original form and felt driven to change it into something more comfortable for them--heretics, in other words.

Answer 3

Wrong'O ace.... there are no "secret" teachings of Christ.... and there are no secret codes in The Bible.........any one who claims there are is being led by a spirit other than from God..... The Word and Will of God is clear to ALL who come to it open to God's leading through His Holy Spirit.......The fact that man's mucking about with translations and interpretations influenced by man's ego, pride, and greed, does not alter the simplicity of The Truth..... and that is all that Christ taught.... The Truth of The Word and Will of God for man-kind..... in language the hearers would understand..... that is also why the four Gospels were written... each to a different group but each the same message.. just worded differently...



Those not open to The Truth will find nothing of honest understanding in any reading of The Bible.... but that does not make it a secret.... it only proves they are not yet open to God



and...btw... one need never have read one word in any bible to receive God's free, and eternal, gift of Salvation

Answer 4

Those of us Christians who are serious students of the Bible don't disregard them. I would never trust anything written by Judas who betrayed Him or even of Thomas who doubted Him. Mary Magdalene perhaps. Never saw anything written by her. The book of Enoch is full of information about angels and what part they played in the downfall of humanity.





http://www.carm.org/lost/enoch.htm Book of Enoch (prints out to 42 pages)

Answer 5

Using your provided scriptures to empower extra-Biblical material as divine, once begun has no end.



God has promised us to safeguard his holy scriptures for us. This clearly has to be a cornerstone of our faith. Thus in them we are told to use the provided information to verify all other extraneous material.

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While I have read some translations of such ancient codec that clearly was written by ancient Christians which all agreed 100% with what we have, this is probably rare. Most material has either no relevance or is in opposition to what we do have.



I just read the 'Mary Magdaline' that you included. It did not seem to contain anything that I found of use. Fortunately, our NT have all we need.



If you are familiar with something you find should be scrutinized, please provide reference.

Answer 6

There are no secret teachings in the Bible. Using one or a few verses in the Bible mean nothing because the Bible is a whole book not individual verses. Peace

Answer 7

You mean you do,and to your own demise,you can follow hitchens into hell all you want,But that was your choice.-Jesus Christ

For all of your dreams and wishes to come true, pray the Holy Rosary for world peace and for all of Gods children to pray the Holy Rosary

For your own spiritual enrichment and guidance, study the many gifts of APPARITIONS and practice the heaven sent devotions in the Pieta Prayer Book and great will be your rewards in heaven.

Merry Christmas and here is a loving hug for you all,

The Holy Family.

Answer 8

thats why science cant explain god. everything kept secret away from the wise