What is the Treatise on the Resurrection?

The Treatise on the Resurrection is a second-century letter written by an unknown Gnostic teacher to a man named Rheginos. It is a short but difficult letter that presents a Gnostic view of the Christian faith. In 1945, scholars discovered the letter with many other Gnostic writings near the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi. The Gnostics taught that God revealed secret knowledge beyond Scripture to a select group of believers.

In the treatise, the author urges Rheginos to believe that the resurrection promised to Christians had already taken place in a spiritual sense. He argued that this understanding would help believers overcome sin and grow closer to God. This view differs from the Bible's teaching that the future resurrection will include the physical body.

The author of the letter was familiar with the Bible. Rheginos had written to him with questions about the resurrection described in 1 Corinthians 15. In response, he quoted Paul's letters and referred to Mark's account of Jesus' transfiguration with Moses and Elijah. He appears to have known the Scriptures, the teachings of Jesus, and Christian theology well.

Unlike many Gnostic teachers, the author acknowledged that Jesus truly became human. Even so, he continued to reflect the Gnostic belief that the physical world was inferior to the spiritual. As a result, the author interpreted the resurrection differently from the New Testament. He argued that Jesus' resurrection made it possible for believers to overcome the body's weaknesses, including sin and ignorance. According to the Treatise on the Resurrection, spiritual growth happens mainly within the soul.

Because of this, the author viewed the body as a barrier to knowing God more fully. This reflects the Gnostic belief that the spiritual is good while the material world is inferior. Scripture, however, teaches that God created the physical world and declared it good (Genesis 1:31).

The letter also criticizes Christians who believed God would one day raise believers in glorified physical bodies. Instead, he claimed that the resurrection referred to a spiritual change that gave believers greater knowledge. This view replaces the future bodily resurrection with an inward spiritual experience.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus rose from the dead in a physical body. He ate with His disciples and invited them to touch Him after His resurrection (Luke 24:39–43). Scripture also teaches that God will redeem His creation and raise believers physically when Christ returns (Revelation 21:1).

The treatise also reflects Gnostic theology in other ways. One of its key terms is pleroma, a Greek word meaning "fullness." Paul used this word in Colossians 2:9 to describe the fullness of God dwelling in Christ. Gnostic teachers gave the word a different meaning. The author taught that believers could receive the pleroma as they gained spiritual maturity and secret knowledge. In contrast, Paul taught that the fullness belongs to Christ alone. Rather than following Paul's teaching, the treatise redefines the term to fit Gnostic beliefs.

The treatise is a flawed interpretation of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The early Christians in the second and third centuries rejected the letter for its promise of secret knowledge and the fullness of God to Christians who followed Gnostic teachings. Jesus’ death and resurrection save people from their sins when they repent (Romans 10:9–10). He does not give special knowledge to a select few of His followers. His grace is open to all who believe. Jesus’ resurrection into a perfect physical body also foreshadows the resurrection of all Christians (Revelation 20).

Christians can study the Treatise on the Resurrection to better understand Gnosticism and the controversies of the early church, but it does not carry the authority of Scripture.