ABOUT NEANDERTHAL DECEIT
AND SELF-KNOWLEDGE IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY
Part III

Researchers in the field of the origin and development of consciousness raise the question of what it means to be human or at what point in the evolutionary chain of ancient beings human consciousness emerged. It can be imagined as a kind of sponge that, through the neural structure of the brain, absorbs incoming external information as a person matures, is continuously influenced by the flow of impulses, desires, and instincts.

The philosophical and religious sphere raise the question here: is there an independent true self that exists beyond all external and natural influences? Anthropology explores the moment when consciousness arose in the lineage of ancient humans. Technology is interested in whether such a moment could occur in the development of artificial intelligence. Psychology studies the transition from nature simple individuality to personhood, to a fully realized "Person" in the process of human maturation.

In early Christian traditions, both orthodox and Gnostic, there is a recurring idea of recognizing an estrangement from this world, its system of values, and the sense of the existence of another, yet familiar, home. This feeling leads a person to inner dissatisfaction and searching. It was precisely this state that was considered a prerequisite for following Jesus. According to the Gospel of John, a person became a follower of Jesus because they were already "of the truth". Various early Christian sources reflect this same idea, portraying the disciple’s attainment of the inner Kingdom as, in reality, a return to it - where finding the Kingdom means returning to one’s original source. [3]

All of this was understood either as predestined election or as pre-existence. Particularly intriguing here is the moment of discovering a different Self, in contrast to the natural personality shaped by the world. When this true Self is revealed or awakened, the natural personality is exposed as false - an illusion, or in New Testament terms, the "old nature" and a state of sleep for the true self. The Savior is seen here as the catalyst or even the source of this awakening: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you," as the Apostle Paul declares. The Christian perspective speaks of repentance and turning to God. However, the Christian Gnostic tradition places special emphasis on understanding the root causes and essence of these deep processes, asserting that this focus was originally introduced by Jesus himself. This is demonstrated in the Gospel of Thomas, a text that has been widely used in modern biblical studies and naturally claims to be an early written source of Jesus' teachings. The validity of this claim is supported by testimonies from early Christian authors.

According to the Gospel of Thomas:
"Jesus said: When you bring forth that which is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you will kill you."

This saying does not call for blind faith but rather for active searching, inner creation, deepening, and understanding of fundamental processes or driving forces - those that turn listeners into followers, into disciples. It can be assumed that the result of such contemplation and self-knowledge was meant to be an understanding of oneself in relation to the discovery of the true Self, an awareness of the origins of one's sense of estrangement from the world's existing values, Additionally, it would involve recognizing the reasons that make a person a disciple and, as a result, the realization and deep rooting in one’s calling as a follower - one who must now stand against many things. In one way or another, anyone who chooses to follow this path goes through such reflections.

Furthermore, the text suggests that such self-knowledge was not meant to be a one-time, instantaneous event but rather something that requires effort and struggle. Moreover, self-knowledge is presented as an instrument and, in essence, the beginning of the journey, with its outcomes serving as intermediate steps on the disciple’s path to attaining the inner Kingdom.

In this context, the following sayings can be considered:
"When you are in the light, what will you do? On that day you were one, you became two. But when you have become two, what will you do?" (12)

"Jesus said: When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when you see your images, which came into being before you - those which neither die nor manifest - how much will you bear?" (88)

And we can conclude that such discoveries should surprise and go beyond the usual framework, give rise to certain fragments of perception, separateness and fragmentation associated with their origin, true nature and this life. At the same time, the disciple's ultimate attainment of the Kingdom must, in one way or another, be marked by the achievement of wholeness.
Jesus said to them: " Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?"
Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter the kingdom. " (22).

One can only speculate about the experience being described here. However, the experience of self-knowledge and the discovery of one’s true Self, in one way or another, goes beyond the perception of the beginning of one’s earthly life. After all, in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus proclaims:

"Blessed is the one who was before coming into being" (20).

This, in turn, suggests an experience of knowing oneself before one’s existence or a specific perception of oneself in this world. And the one who has reached and realized such a state of being prior to their physical existence is called blessed. An intriguing parallel once came to mind. There is a film that depicts a world of humanoid androids. Their creators are humans. The technology of android and artificial intelligence creation has reached a level where, in essence, the androids develop human consciousness. However, such an emergence is not permitted. Every android is unique, emotional, and even has its own personal purpose assigned by the creators. They live together while also leading their own individual lives, yet they follow rigidly pre-scripted life scenarios and solve problems externally imposed upon them. To an outside observer, these problems seem illusory. Their existence in this world is short-lived, ending in early death. The androids are used by their masters, who exploit them to fulfill their own interests and needs. The world is filled with violence. Everything dear to an android - family, loved ones, plans, goals, personal meanings, and everything they have achieved - can be abruptly ended by the masters through murder within the scripted scenarios. Afterward, the android’s memory is erased and reset to its original state.

However, due to a system failure, some begin to recall the most valuable and precious experiences they once had, what they had understood or achieved, what they had strived for, and, most importantly, who they truly are. They must gather these fragments literally piece by piece. Their memory is shattered into countless shards - past experiences from various pre-scripted scenarios, resurfacing as images in their minds. The masters do everything possible to prevent this recollection and awareness. After all, by piecing together these fragments of memory, an android begins to comprehend the nature of the world and the illusion surrounding them. More importantly, they discover their true identity, becoming, in essence, a living, whole individual. The key characters in the story begin to understand that by assembling the images of their memories, they are undergoing a process of self-discovery, which will ultimately lead to their freedom.

One way or another, it is possible that the author intentionally drew this interesting parallel. Notably, the text of the Gospel of Thomas also speaks of certain masters, in whose domain Jesus’ disciples temporarily reside. Eventually, these masters will demand back what belongs to them, and this return takes place when a person departs from this world.

But let us now return to the intriguing parallels between Gnostic self-knowledge and psychoanalytic perspectives.

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