Hi Poppies,

I actually read your earlier link about this in full yesterday (about the texts found in 1945) and thought it would make a nice starter for a new thread!! Then today I see you've entered these posts :-)

What struck me was the amount of similarities between what is being said here, and the teachings of the ancient Vedic texts of India. I guess that might tie in with the Matrix references you refer to? See below:

1) Reincarnation: 'These writings affirmed the existence of the doctrine of reincarnation being taught among the early Jews and Christians.' - Both texts propose the idea of reincarnation, a wheel of rebirth for the soul ended by one re-awakening a state of pure love with God.

'Christian Gnostics held the view that if spiritual resurrection was not attained in one lifetime, then the soul would be subjected to as many reincarnations as it takes until spiritual rebirth is attained.'

2) Holy Names being important: 'An important Christian Gnostic teaching was the "Logos" which in Greek is translated as "the image of the Word." It is an important concept found in the gospel of John:
"In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)'
I've heard it said that here John is actually QUOTING the Rig Veda, which reads as follows: "In the beginning was Brahman, with whom was the Word, and the Word was truly the Brahman." Brahman translates to 'Supreme', and is often used to describe 'God' or 'God's Energy' in Vedic scripture.
Many followers of the Vedic scriptures believe that mantras including the word of God, when chanted will release one from the cycle of re-birth. For example that is why the great saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked everyone to say the Hare Krishna mantra:

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare"

3) Spiritual Knowledge: 'The Christian Gnostics emphasized spiritual knowledge rather blind faith as the road to salvation.' This sounds philosophically similar to the path of Yoga as outlined in Vedic scripture were one undergoes a path of purification.

4) Becoming a Servant of the servant of God: "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God." (1 Cor. 4:1)

"A Krishna Consciousness person thinks always about himself as the lowest creature in the world, and the more one thinks like that he becomes elevated more and more. A Krishna Conscious person is never falsely puffed-up; he is satisfied with his humble position as the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna." (Srila Prabhupada letter, June 1, 1968)

5) The Aim - Returning to God:
'According to Gnostic theology, a series of "falling away" from the Whole that is God occurred in eternity which resulted in all that there is today. After the first "fall", the divine consciousness descended to the level of the divided consciousness; now after another "fall", it has fallen even further, into the depths of the unconscious; it has been "forgotten."

'Once souls fell into the lower levels of consciousness, they became enamored of it and burned with the desire to experience the pleasures of matter. The souls then no longer wanted to disengage itself from these lower levels. Thus the world was born. From that moment souls forgot themselves. They forgot they original habitation, their true center and eternal being.'

Compare these to the below text by Srila Prabhupada:

After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual world. Just like Jaya-Vijaya. There is possibility, if you do not stick to the spiritual principle, even if you are in Vaikuntha (Heaven), you will fall down, what to speak of this material world? Because in the Vaikuntha or in the spiritual world, no contaminated soul can stay there. He will fall down.

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita you will find the statement, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate: [Bg. 7.19] "After many, many births, when one is actually wise..." Wise means in the sattva-guna platform. "Then he surrenders to Krishna (God)." Then the beginning of spiritual life is there, and he may finish this course of spiritual understanding even in this life, simply by understanding Krishna.
Honolulu, July 4, 1974

There's definitely more than one similar thread between the two ;-)

Hare Krishna,

Your servant,

Das