gnostic handbook

The Gnostic Handbook Page 116
food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the
teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:12.
The importance of these multiple levels cannot be underestimated, for inherent within them is
the way in which the Lord of Wisdom reveals himself to man. Jesus certainly acknowledged
these triple levels in the way in which he taught his message. There is clear evidence within the
New Testament that Jesus used Parables to reveal certain teachings to different classes of disciples.
In this structure of teaching there is wisdom for the Multitudes (the people of Israel), the
Seventy and for the Twelve Disciples and these levels clearly refer to the three degrees of truth.
The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables"
He replied, The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been
given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have
an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
Matthew 13:10-12
The Bible is a part of ancient religion which was both exoteric and esoteric.
Theologians fail to recognise that they have but the outer shell, although Jesus
made the existence of an inner teaching very clear. Anciently, religion was divided
into three degrees and man spent his life mastering them.
Dr.R.S.Clymer
Traditionally, deeper levels of meaning are understood as occurring in three different degrees,
now, that doesn't mean a verse cannot have seven or ten different meanings (some definitely
do), but that generally the Bible is focused on a triple level of interpretation. To help explain
this I will give you a range of different examples showing how different Biblical verses and
concepts can have multiple meanings and that even some of these multiple meanings can lead
to other multiple meanings !
For example, the Seven Churches may be studied on multiple levels.
Level One
Level Two
Seven Churches of Revelation as literal historical Churches.
Seven Churches as seven periods in development of the Ecclesia (Church) on
Earth.