Abstract
The article examines the approach of the Gnostic interpreters towards the Hebrew Bible, especially to the book of Genesis. It focuses on the Gnostics' selection of Old Testament passages and on their specific ways and methods of "reworking" them.
The Gnostics used the book of Genesis and other biblical texts as an authoritative source in a highly specific way. They were convinced that once the readers' attention is drawn to the various inaccuracies and contradictions contained in the narrative, they will understand that biblical texts were written from the perspective of the archons by their rather slow-witted servant Moses.
If the readers then take the next step and find the right interpretation key in the form of the gnostic 'Ur-story', they will be able to read, so to say, between the lines what really happened at the beginning. Genesis was thus for the Gnostics a truly key text, one that under the surface speaks not only of the Demiurge but also about the true God and his Sophia.
Perhaps no other religion approaches its sacred or key text in such a radical manner and treats it with such suspicion, constantly questioning its rendition of the story. At the same time, the significance of Genesis for the Gnostic commentators is absolutely crucial.
The story it tells is seen as deeply true and of essential importance for understanding not only the human situation in the world but also human salvation.