Part of the series on Gnosticism

History of Gnosticism An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of knowledge, technique, or skill whose judgment is accorded authority and status by the public or their peers. ... A image of a Gnostic cross. ... The History of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation. ...

Persian Gnosticism Mandaeism Manichaeism Mandaeism or Mandaeanism (Mandaic: mandaiuta) is a blanket term for the religion of the Mandaeans (Classical Mandaic mandaiia, Neo-Mandaic Mandeyānā) who are the followers of Mendā d-Heyyi (Mandaic manda Knowledge of Life). Mandaeism is a monotheistic religion practiced primarily in southern Iraq and the Iranian province of... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ...

Syrian-Egyptic Gnosticism Sethians Thomasines Valentinians Basilideans Syrian-Egyptian Gnostic Schools were ancient Gnostic sects from around the middle east, with some Judaic influences. ... The Sethian were a group of ancient Gnostics, that date their existence before christianity. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ... Valentianism was a relgious doctrine named after Valentine, a Roman theologist who lived circa 2nd century A.D., and abandoned Christian Orthodoxy, in order to follow Gnosticism. ... The Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. ...

Fathers of Christian Gnosticism Simon Magus Cerinthus Marcion Valentinius Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by the ancient Christian Orthodoxy to refer to someone they identified as a Samaritan (Proto-)Gnostic, and, also according to ancient Christian Orthodoxy, founder of his own religious sect. ... Cerinthus was the leader of a late first-century or early 2nd century sect, an offshot of the Ebionites yet similar to Gnosticism in some respects, interesting in that it demonstrates the wide range of conclusions that could be drawn from the life and teachings of Jesus. ... Marcion of Sinope (ca. ... -Quevedo Valentinius, also called Valentinus (c. ...

Early Gnosticism Ophites Cainites Carpocratians Borborites The Ophites is a blanket term for numerous gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt about 100 A.D. The common trait was that these sects would give great importance to the serpent of the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, connecting the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) to... The Cainites were a Gnostic and Antinomian sect who were known to worship Cain as the first victim of the Demiurge Jehovah, the Old Testament God, who was identified by many groups of gnostics as evil. ... Carpocrates was an early Gnostic from sometime in the second century A.D. who was mentioned by Clement of Alexandria in the Mar Saba letter discovered in 1958 by ancient historian Morton Smith. ... According to Epiphanius of Salamis book Panarion/Adversus Haereses chapter xxv, xxvi and Theodorets Haereticarum Fabularum Compendium the borborites (or barbelos, barbelites, phibionites, stratiotici, coddians etc) were a extraordinarily filthy and evil Gnostic ophite sect. ...

Mediaeval Gnosticism Paulicianism Bogomils Cathars Paulicianism was a Gnostic and Manichaean Christian sect that florished between 650 and 872 in Anatolia, outgoing from Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire. ... Bogomilism is the Gnostic dualistic sect, the synthesis of Armenian Paulicianism and the local Slavonic Church reform movement in Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina between 950 and 1396. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ...

Gnosticism in modern times Gnosticism in popular culture Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century CE. Prior to the 20th century, little was known about the various Gnostic movements, due to paucity of original material available to scholars and the public. ... // Literature Harold Bloom explores Gnosticism in his novel The Flight to Lucifer: A Gnostic Fantasy, and, with William Golding, traces Gnosticism in American beliefs in The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation. ...

Gnostic texts Nag Hammadi Library Gnosticism and the New Testament The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. ... This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. ...

Related Articles Gnosis Pythagoreanism Neoplatonism and Gnosticism Esoteric Christianity Theosophy Look up gnosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were much influenced by mathematics and probably a main inspirational source for Plato and platonism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Winged Self: The purpose of The Winged Self Symbol is to focus thought in the inner Divine perfection of each individual. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ...

The Flammarion Woodcut can be taken to illustrate the Gnostics' search for spiritual worlds by circumventing the constraints of materiality.

Gnosticism is a historical term for various mystical initiatory religions, sects and knowledge schools that were most active in the first few centuries C.E. around the Mediterranean and extending into central Asia. Image File history File links Camille Flammarion, LAtmosphere: Météorologie Populaire (Paris, 1888), p. ... Image File history File links Camille Flammarion, LAtmosphere: Météorologie Populaire (Paris, 1888), p. ... Image and text from page 163 of Latmosphère: météorologie populaire, by Camille Flammarion, 1888. ... A mystery religion is any religion with an arcanum, or secret wisdom. ... A sect is generally a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

These systems typically recommend the pursuit of mysticism or "special knowledge" (gnosis) as the central goal of life. They also commonly depict creation as a mythological struggle between competing forces of light and dark, and posit a marked division between the material realm, typically depicted as under the governance of malevolent forces (such as the demiurge), and the higher spiritual realm from which it is divided, governed by God (the Monad) and the Aeons. The Flammarion Woodcut can be taken to illustrate the Gnostics mystical search for spiritual worlds by circumventing the constraints of materialism. ... Look up gnosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The word mythology (Greek: μυθολογία, from μυθος mythos, a story or legend, and λογος logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Image:Http://www. ... Within certain variations of Gnosticism, especially those inspired by Monoimus, the Monad was the highest God which created lesser gods, or elements (similar to aeons). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

As a result of these common traits, allegations of dualism, anticosmism and body-hatred are often raised against Gnosticism as a whole; this, however, fails to acknowledge the variety, subtlety and complexity of the traditions involved. It has been suggested that Combative dualism be merged into this article or section. ... Acosmism, in contrast to pantheism, denies the reality of the universe, seeing it as ultimately illusory, (the prefix a- in Greek meaning negation; like un- in English), and only the infinite unmanifest Absolute as real. ...

The terms 'Gnosticism' and 'Gnostic' are most properly applied to modern revivals of these groups. Recently their meanings have grown to include any religious movement incorporating a doctrine of special initiatory knowledge, which may lead to confusion. It is also a common topic in Sinology, as it was the first Christianity introduced to China since 7th Century. Sinology is the study of China, which usually requires a foreign scholar to have command of the Chinese language. ...

Nature and structure of Gnosticism

A typological model: the main features of gnosticism

Though difficulties have arisen in offering a definitive, categorical definition of Gnosticism (see below), various strategies have been employed in overcoming the problem, with varying degrees of success. It is therefore appropriate to offer a typological model of those ancient philosophical movements typically called Gnostic; the model offered is adapted from Christoph Markschies' version, as described in 'Gnosis: An Introduction'.

Gnostic systems are typically marked by:

1. The notion of a remote, supreme and unknowable monadic divinity - this figure is known under a variety of names, including 'Pleroma' and 'Bythos' (Greek 'deep');
2. The introduction by emanation of further divine beings, which are nevertheless identifiable as aspects of the God from which they proceeded; the progressive emanations are often conceived metaphorically as a gradual and progressive distancing from the ultimate source, which brings about an instability in the fabric of the divine nature;
3. The subsequent identification of the Fall of Man as an occurrence within divinity itself, rather than as occurring partially through human agency; this stage in the divine emanation is usually enacted through the recurrent Gnostic figure of Sophia (Greek 'Wisdom'), whose presence in a wide variety of Gnostic texts is indicative of her central importance;
4. The introduction of a distinct creator god, who is named as in the Platonist tradition demiurgos.
   Evidence exists that the conception of the demiurge has derivation from figures in Plato's Timaeus and Republic. In the former, the demiurge is the benevolent creator of the universe from pre-existent matter, to whose limitations he is enthralled in creating the cosmos; in the latter, the description of the leontomorphic 'desire' in Socrates' model of the psyche bears a strong resemblance to descriptions of the demiurge as being in the shape of the lion.
   Elsewhere this figure is called 'Ialdabaoth', 'Samael' (Aramaic sæmʕa-ʔel, 'blind god') or 'Saklas' (Syriac sækla, 'the foolish one'), who is sometimes ignorant of the superior God, and sometimes opposed to it; thus in the latter case he is correspondingly malevolent.
   The demiurge typically creates a group of coactors named 'Archons', who preside over the material realm and, in some cases, present obstacles to the soul seeking ascent from it;
5. The estimation of the world, owing to the above, as flawed or a production of 'error' but nevertheless as good as its constituent material might allow. This world is typically an inferior simulacrum of a higher-level reality or consciousness. The inferiority may be compared to the technical inferiority of a painting, sculpture, or other handicraft to the thing(s) those crafts are supposed to be a representation of. In certain other cases it is also perceived as evil and constrictive, a deliberate prison for its inhabitants;
6. The explanation of this state through the use of a complex mythological-cosmological drama in which a divine element 'falls' into the material realm and lodges itself within certain human beings; from here, it may be returned to the divine realm through a process of awakening. It may be noted that the salvation of the individual thus mirrors a concurrent restoration of the divine nature; a central Gnostic innovation was to elevate individual redemption to the level of a cosmically significant event;
7. Knowledge of a specific kind as a central factor in this process of restoration, achieved through the mediation of a redeemer figure (Christ, or, in other cases, Seth or Sophia).

It may be noted that the model limits itself to describing characteristics of the Syrian-Egyptian school of Gnosticism. This is for the reason that the greatest expressions of the Persian gnostic school - Manicheanism and Mandaeanism - are typically conceived of as religious traditions in their own right (extensive articles exist for both on Wikipedia); indeed, the typical usage of 'Gnosticism' is to refer to the Syrian-Egyptian schools alone, while 'Manichean' describes the movements of the Persia school. Within certain variations of Gnosticism, especially those inspired by Monoimus, the Monad was the highest God which created lesser gods, or elements (similar to aeons). ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ... Bythos was the name given by some Gnostics to the monadic first being and originator of the spiritual world of the Pleroma. ... The fall refers to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, as recorded in the biblical book of Genesis, and the consequences of that expulsion. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Timaeus (c. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... This article is about the ancient Greek philosopher, for all other uses see: Socrates (disambiguation) Socrates ca. ... Psyche can refer to: In psychology and related fields, the psyche is the entirety of the non-physical aspects of a person. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Aramaic is a Semitic language with a four-thousand year history. ... Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ... For other uses, see Archon (disambiguation). ... Simulacrum (plural: simulacra), from the Latin simulare, to make like, to put on an appearance of, originally meaning a material object representing something (such as a cult image representing a deity, or a painted still-life of a bowl of fruit). ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... An Italian Futurist sculpture by Umberto Boccioni at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MoMA). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Arts and crafts. ... This page is about the title. ... Seth or Shet (שֵׁת Placed; appointed, Standard Hebrew Šet, Tiberian Hebrew Šēṯ, Arabic ÔíË), in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, is the third son of Adam and Eve mentioned by name, and brother of Cain and Abel. ... Look up Sophia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Sophia is a common name that comes from the Greek word σοφία (wisdom), that may refer to: // Spiritual Sophia (goddess), wisdom Sophia (gnosticism), a gnostic deity The Sophia of Jesus Christ, gnostic tractate from Nag Hammadi Pistis Sophia Women named Sophia Sophia Kang... Manichaeism was one of the major ancient religions. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mandaeism. ...

It should be noted also that the conception of Gnosticism offered above has recently been challenged by Michael Allen William's groundbreaking work 'Rethinking Gnosticism', which re-examines the common conception of categorical 'Gnosticism' in an effort to demonstrate the somewhat nebulous nature of the term (see below). Despite this, the understanding presented above remains in common usage, and retains at least some usefulness in aiding meaningful discussion of the phenomena that compose Gnosticism, even if the extent of that usefulness is in doubt.

Dualism and monism

Typically, Gnostic systems are loosely described as being 'dualistic' in nature. Within this definition, they run the gamut from the 'extreme' or 'radical dualist' systems of Manicheanism to the 'weak' or 'mediated dualism' of classic gnostic movements; Valentinian developments arguably approach a form of monism, expressed in terms previously used in a dualistic manner. Monism is the metaphysical and theological view that all is of one essential essence, principle, substance or energy. ...

• Radical dualism - Manichaeism conceives of two previously coexistent realms of light and darkness which become embroiled in conflict, owing to the chaotic actions of the latter. Subsequently, certain elements of the light became entrapped within darkness; the purpose of material creation is to enact the slow process of extraction of these individual elements, at the end of which the kingdom of light will prevail over darkness. Manicheanism likely inherits this dualistic mythology from Zoroastrianism, in which the eternal spirit Ahura Mazda is opposed by his antithesis, Angra Mainyu; the two are engaged in a cosmic struggle, the conclusion of which will likewise see Ahura Mazda triumphant.
  The Mandaean creation myth witnesses the progressive emanations of Supreme Being of Light, with each emanation bringing about a progressive corruption resulting in the eventual emergence of Ptahil, the god of darkness who had a hand in creating and henceforward rules the material realm.
  Additionally, general Gnostic thought (specifically to be found in Iranian sects. For instance see 'The Hymn of the Pearl') commonly included the belief that the material world corresponds to some sort of malevolent intoxication brought about by the powers of darkness to keep elements of the light trapped inside it, or literally to keep them 'in the dark', or ignorant; in a state of drunken distraction.
• Mediated dualism - such classical Gnostic movements as the Sethians conceived of the material world as being created by a lesser divinity than the true God that was the object of their devotion. The spiritual world is conceived of as being radically different from the material world, co-extensive with the true God, and the true home of certain enlightened members of humanity; thus, these systems were expressive of a feeling of acute alienation within the world, and their resultant aim was to allow the soul to escape the constraints presented by the physical realm.
• Monism - elements of Valentinian versions of Gnostic myth suggest that its understanding of the universe was a monistic rather than a dualistic one: 'Valentinian gnosticism [...] differs essentially from dualism' (Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospel, 1978); 'a standard element in the interpretation of Valentinianism and similar forms of Gnosticism is the recognition that they are fundamentally monistic' (William Schoedel, 'Gnostic Monism and the Gospel of Truth' in The Rediscovery of Gnosticism, Vol.1: The School of Valentinus, edited by Bentley Layton, E.J.Brill, Leiden, 1980). In these myths, the malevolence of the demiurge is mitigated; his creation of a flawed materiality is not due to any moral failing on his part, but due to his honest ignorance of the superior spiritual world above him. As such, Valentinians already have more cause to treat physical reality with less contempt than might a Sethian Gnostic.
  Perhaps for this reason Valentinus appears to conceive of materiality, rather than as being a separate substance from the divine, as attributable to an error of perception; the physical universe is not characterised as being distinct from the Pleroma, but as being contained within it. Thus it follows that the Valentinian conception of the universe is of a fundamentally monistic nature, in which all things are aspects of the divine; our apprehension of a distinct material realm is owing to our errors of perception, which become symbolized mythopoetically as the demiurge's act of creation.

Zoroastrianism, in Persian: آيين زرتشت , Ain-e Zærtosht (in Kurdish: Zerdeştî ) was once the state religion of Sassanid Persia, and played an important role during the preceding Median, Achaemenid and Parthian eras, while it is considered, by some, to be the oldest monotheistic religion. ... Faravahar (or Ferohar), the depiction of the human soul before birth and after death. ... For the Final Fantasy monsters of Ahriman, go to Ahriman (Final Fantasy) Angra Mainyu (Avestan) or Ahriman (Middle Persian اهريمن) is the Evil Spirit of the god Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism. ... The Hymn of the Pearl (also The Hymn of the Soul or The Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage of the apocryphal Acts of Thomas. ... Elaine Pagels (née Hiesey, born February 13, 1943), is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Moral and ritual practice

Evidence in the source texts indicates Gnostic moral behaviour as being overwhelmingly ascetic in basis, expressed most fluently in their sexual and dietary practice. This presented a problem for the heresiologists writing on gnostic movements: as this mode of behaviour was one which they themselves favoured and supported, the Church Fathers, it seemed, would be required perforce to offer support to the practices of their theological opponents. In order to avoid this, a common heresiological approach was to avoid the issue completely by resorting to slanderous (and, in some cases, excessive) allegations of libertinism, or to explain Gnostic asceticism as being based on incorrect interpretations of scripture, or simply duplicitous in nature. Epiphanius provides an example when he writes of the 'Archontics' 'Some of them ruin their bodies by dissipation, but others feign ostensible fasts and deceive simple people while they pride themselves with a sort of abstinence, under the disguise of monks' (Panarion, 40.1.4). Thus it might be noted that moral asceticism provides a point of cohesion and co-development between orthodox Christianity and Gnostic Christianity which the Church Fathers sought to downplay. Asceticism denotes a life which is characterized by refraining from worldly pleasures (austerity). ... Libertine is the name given to certain political or social groups active in Europe in the 17th century. ... Categories: Religious biography stubs ... Abstinence is a voluntary forbearance from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. ...

In other areas of morality Gnostics were less rigorously ascetic, and took a more moderate approach to correct behaviour. Ptolemy's Epistle to Flora lays out a project of general asceticism in which the basis of action is the moral inclination of the individual:

External physical fasting is observed even among our followers, for it can be of some benefit to the soul if it is engaged on with reason (logos), whenever it is done neither by way of limiting others, nor out of habit, nor because of the day, as if it had been specially appointed for that purpose. The Greek word λόγος or logos is a word with various meanings. ...

— Ptolemy, Letter to Flora Ptolemy the Gnostic (not the same person as the astronomer and geographer, nor the Egyptian ruler) was a disciple of the Gnostic Valentinius, known to us for writing a letter to a wealthy non-Gnostic lady named Flora. ...

This extract marks a definite shift away from the position of orthodoxy, that the correct behaviour for Christians is best administered and prescribed by the central authority of the church, as transmitted through the apostles. Instead, the internalised inclination of the individual assumes paramount importance; there is the recognition that ritualistic behaviour, though well-intentioned, possesses no significance or effectiveness unless its external prescription is matched by a personal, internal motivation.

Charges of Gnostic libertinism arguably find their source in the works of Irenaeus. According to this writer, Simon Magus (whom he has identified as the prototypical source of Gnosticism) founded the school of moral freedom ('amoralism'). Irenaeus reports that Simon's argument, that those who put their trust in him and his consort Helen, need trouble themselves no further with the biblical prophets or their moral exhortations and are free 'to do what they wish', as men are saved by his (Simon's) grace, and not by their 'righteous works' (adapted from Adversus Haereses, I.23.3). An engraving of Saint Irenaeus (ca. ... Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by the ancient Christian Orthodoxy to refer to someone they identified as a Samaritan (Proto-)Gnostic, and, also according to ancient Christian Orthodoxy, founder of his own religious sect. ... Amorality is the quality of having no concept of right or wrong. ...

It should be noted that Simon is not known for any libertinistic practice, save for his curious attachment to Helen, typically reputed to be a prostitute. There is, however, clear evidence in the Testimony of Truth that followers of Simon did, in fact, get married and beget children, so a general tendency to asceticism can likewise be ruled out. Irenaeus reports of the Valentinians, whom he characterizes as eventual inheritors of Simon, that they are lax in their dietary habits (eating food that has been 'offered to idols'), sexually promiscuous ('immoderately given over to the desires of the flesh') and guilty of taking wives under the pretence of living with them as adopted 'sisters'. In the latter case, Michael Allen Williams has argued plausibly that Irenaeus was here broadly correct in the behaviour described, but not in his apprehension of its causes. Williams argues that members of a cult might live together as 'brother' and 'sister': intimate, yet not sexually active. Over time, however, the self-denial required of such an endeavour becomes harder and harder to maintain, leading to the state of affairs Irenaeus criticizes. Irenaeus also makes reference to the Valentinian practise of Bridal Chamber, a ritualistic sacrament in which sexual union is seen as analogous to the activities of the paired syzygies that constitute the Valentinian Pleroma; though it is known that Valentinus had a more relaxed approach to sexuality than much of the orthodox church (he allowed women to hold positions of ordination in his community), it is not known whether the Bridal Chamber was a ritual involving actual intercourse, or whether human sexuality is here simply being used in a metaphorical sense. A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy mystery. ... Syzygy may refer to any one of several different concepts or things, many of which ultimately derive their meaning from the Greek σύζῠγος (syzygos), yoked together. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ...

Of the Carpocratians Irenaeus makes much the same report: they 'are so abandoned in their recklessness that they claim to have in their power and be able to practise anything whatsoever that is ungodly (irreligious) and impious ... they say that conduct is only good or evil in the eyes of man' (Adversus Haereses, I.25.4). Once again a differentiation might be detected between a man's actions and the grace he has received through his adherence to a system of gnosis; whether this is due to a common sharing of such an attitude amongst Gnostic circles, or whether this is simply a blanket-charge used by Irenaeus is open to conjecture. Carpocrates was an early Gnostic from sometime in the second century A.D. who was mentioned by Clement of Alexandria in the Mar Saba letter discovered in 1958 by ancient historian Morton Smith. ...

On the whole, it would seem that Gnostic behaviour tended towards the ascetic. This said, the heresiological accusation of duplicity in such practises should not be taken at face value; nor should similar accusations of amoral libertinism. The Nag Hammadi library itself is full of passages which appear to encourage abstinence over indulgence. Fundamentally, however, gnostic movements appear to take the 'ancient schema of the two ways, which leaves the decision to do what is right to human endeavour and promises a reward for those who make the effort, and punishment for those who are negligent' (Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis: The Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, 262).

Major Gnostic schools and their texts

As noted above, schools of Gnosticism are defined as being a member of one of two broad categories. These are the 'Eastern' or 'Persian' school, and a 'Syrian-Egyptic' school. The former possesses more demonstrably dualist tendencies; their myths display a more definitive division between light and darkness; creation is typically witnessed as being the result of an interaction between the realms of light and darkness; finally, though the two competing forces are seen somewhat as equivalent in capacity, the ultimate object of the process of creation is to assure the victory of the forces of light (see Dualism and monism).

The Syrian-Egyptian school, by contrast, derives its nature from its Platonist influences. Typically, it depicts creation in a series of emanations from a primal monadic source, finally resulting in the creation of the material universe; as a result, there is a tendency in these schools to view material 'evil', rather than as a force equal to immaterial 'goodness', as something markedly inferior to it. Indeed, these schools of gnosticism may be said to use the terms 'evil' and 'good' as being relative descriptive terms, with the former indicating the extremes of distance from the principle and source of goodness, without necessitating its inherent negativity. Platonic idealism is the theory that the substantive reality around us is only a reflection of a higher truth. ...

• Persian Gnostics
  • Mandaeanism which is still practised in small numbers, in parts of southern Iraq and the Iranian province of Khuzestan;
  • Manichaeism which represented an entire independent religious heritage, but is now extinct. Both of these traditions differ from the Syrian-Egyptian schools in that they contain no overt Christian elements.

• Syrian-Egyptic Gnostics
  • Classical Gnostic Scripture, sometimes referred to as Sethian gnosticism, for its common reference to Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, as being possessor and disseminator of special knowledge. Many texts have been attributed to this school, including those following:
    • The Apocryphon of John
    • The Apocalypse of Adam
    • The Reality of the Rulers
    • The Thunder-Perfect Mind
    • The Three-fold First Thought
    • The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit (also known as the (Coptic) Gospel of the Egyptians)
    • Zostrianos
    • Allogenes
    • The Three Steles of Seth
  • The Thomasines, or the School of St. Thomas the Apostle; once again, many gnostic texts are attributable to this school:
    • The Hymn of the Pearl, or, the Hymn of Jude Thomas the Apostle in the Country of Indians
    • The Gospel of Thomas
    • The Book of Thomas: The Contender Writing to the Perfect
  • The Valentinians, in reference to the Christian teacher Valentinius (ca. 100–ca. 153 AD/CE), better known as 'Valentinus', who developed one of the complex cosmologies to be found in gnosticism, outside the Sethian tradition. Valentinus was, for a time, the most successful Christian gnostic thinker. Several texts are attributable to him, and to his followers (texts written by Valentinus himself are, in the main, fragmentary; here they are marked with an '*'):
    • The Divine Word Present in the Infant (Fragment A) *
    • On the Three Natures (Fragment B) *
    • Adam's Faculty of Speech (Fragment C) *
    • To Agathopous: Jesus' Digestive System (Fragment D) *
    • Annihilation of the Realm of Death (Fragment F) *
    • On Friends: The Source of Common Wisdom (Fragment G) *
    • Epistle on Attachments (Fragment H) *
    • Summer Harvest*
    • The Gospel of Truth*
    • Ptolemy's Version of the Gnostic Myth
    • A Prayer of Paul the Apostle
    • Ptolemy's Epistle to Flora
    • Treatise on Resurrection (Epistle to Rheginus)
    • Gospel of Philip
  • The Basilidians, named for the founder of their school, Basiledes (132–? AD), are mainly known through the summaries of Irenaeus' Adversus Haereses (see above), and through a series of fragments, found in the work of Clement of Alexandria:
    • The Octet of Subsistent Entities (Fragment A)
    • The Uniqueness of the World (Fragment B)
    • Election Naturally Entails Faith and Virtue (Fragment C)
    • The State of Virtue (Fragment D)
    • The Elect Transcend the World (Fragment E)
    • Reincarnation (Fragment F)
    • Human Suffering and the Goodness of Providence (Fragment G)
    • Forgivable Sins (Fragment H)

• Other schools and related movements; these are presented in chronological order:
  

  The circular, harmonic cross was an emblem used most notably by the Cathars, a medieval heresy that related to Gnosticism
  • Simon Magus and Marcion of Sinope both had Gnostic tendencies, but such familiar ideas that they presented were as-yet unformed; they might thus be described as pseudo- or proto-Gnostics. Both developed a sizeable following. Simon Magus' pupil Menander could potentially be included within this grouping.
  • Cerinthus, the leader of a late first century or early second century cult; though he believed in the existence of a lesser, creator deity who governs the world, Cerinthus apparently sets great store against observation of ceremonies as a redemptive observance, rather than the gnosis that is naturally the emphasis of gnostic schools.
  • The Ophites, so-named because they worshipped the serpent of Genesis as the bestower of knowledge.
  • The Cainites, as the term implies, worshipped Cain, as well as Esau, Korah, and the Sodomites. There is little evidence concerning the nature of this group; however, it is surmisable that they believed that indulgence in sin was the key to salvation because since the body is evil, one must defile it through immoral activity (see libertinism).
  • The Carpocratians
  • The Borborites
  • The Bogomils
  • The Cathars (Cathari, Albigenses or Albigensians) are typically seen as being imitative of Gnosticism; whether or not the Cathari possessed direct historical influence from ancient Gnosticism is disputed. Though the basic conceptions of Gnostic cosmology are to be found in Cathar beliefs (most distinctly in their notion of a lesser, Satanic, creator god), they did not apparently place any special relevance upon knowledge (gnosis) as an effective salvific force. For the relationship between these medieval heresies and earlier Gnostic forms, see historical discussion above.

• • The Gospel of Judas is the newest gnostic text. National Geographic is promoting it into mainstream awareness

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mandaeism. ... Map showing Khuzestan in Iran Domes like this are quite common in Khuzestan province. ... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ... The Sethian were a group of ancient Gnostics, that date their existence before christianity. ... Seth or Shet (שֵׁת Placed; appointed, Standard Hebrew Å et, Tiberian Hebrew Šēṯ, Arabic ÔíË), in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, is the third son of Adam and Eve mentioned by name, and brother of Cain and Abel. ... The Secret Book of John (Apocryphon of John) is a 2nd century gnostic text of secret teachings, given a Christian context: the teaching of the savior, and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, even these things which he taught John, his disciple, are its opening... The Apocalypse of Adam discovered in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi Library is a Gnostic work written in Coptic. ... The Thunder, Perfect Mind is a poem discovered among the Gnostic manuscripts at Nag Hammadi in 1945. ... The Trimorphic Protennoia is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... Two versions of the suppressed Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians (which is quite distinct from the Greek Gospel of the Egyptians), were among the codices in the Nag Hammadi library, discovered in 1945. ... Zostrianos is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... Allogenes is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... The Three Steles of Seth is a sethian gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ... The Hymn of the Pearl (also The Hymn of the Soul or The Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage of the apocryphal Acts of Thomas. ... The Hymn of the Pearl (also The Hymn of the Soul or The Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage of the apocryphal Acts of Thomas. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Book of Thomas the Contender, also known more simply as the Book of Thomas (though this must not be confused with the quite different Gospel of Thomas), is one of the books of the New Testament apocrypha. ... Valentinius more usually called Valentinus (c. ... -Quevedo Valentinius, also called Valentinus (c. ... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... -1... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... For other uses, see number 153. ... The Gospel of Truth is one of the texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices. ... The Gospel of Philip is one of the texts of the New Testament apocrypha. ... Basilides redirects here. ... Events The messianic, charismatic leader Simon bar Kokhba starts a war of liberation against the Romans, which is crushed by emperor Hadrian. ... Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies) is the standard name of two books on Gnosticism and other Christian heresies. ... A image of a Gnostic cross. ... A Caddo solar cross, to Southeastern Native Americans a symbol of both the sun and fire. ... An emblem consists of a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept - often a concept of a moral truth or an allegory. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by the ancient Christian Orthodoxy to refer to someone they identified as a Samaritan (Proto-)Gnostic, and, also according to ancient Christian Orthodoxy, founder of his own religious sect. ... Marcion of Sinope (ca. ... For the Indo-Greek king (160–135 BC) see Menander the Just. ... Cerinthus was the leader of a late first-century or early 2nd century sect, an offshot of the Ebionites yet similar to Gnosticism in some respects, interesting in that it demonstrates the wide range of conclusions that could be drawn from the life and teachings of Jesus. ... The Ophites is a blanket term for numerous gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt about 100 A.D. The common trait was that these sects would give great importance to the serpent of the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, connecting the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) to... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin), also called The First Book of Moses, is the first book of Torah (five books of Moses), and is the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of... The Cainites were a Gnostic and Antinomian sect who were known to worship Cain as the first victim of the Demiurge Jehovah, the Old Testament God, who was identified by many groups of gnostics as evil. ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן spear Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قايين QāyÄ«n in the Arabic Bible; قابيل QābÄ«l in Islam) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation... Esau (Hebrew עֵשָׂו, Standard Hebrew Ê¿Esav, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĒśāw) is the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the older twin brother of Jacob in the biblical Book of Genesis, who, in the Torah, was tricked by Jacob into giving up his birthright (leadership of Israel) for a mess of pottage (meal... People named Korah or Kórach (קֹרַח Baldness; ice; hail; frost, Standard Hebrew Qóraḥ Tiberian Hebrew Qōraḥ) in the Bible: One of Esaus sons. ... Sodom can refer to: Sodom, a Biblical city that was said to be destroyed by God for the sins of its inhabitants. ... Libertine is the name given to certain political or social groups active in Europe in the 17th century. ... Carpocrates was an early Gnostic from sometime in the second century A.D. who was mentioned by Clement of Alexandria in the Mar Saba letter discovered in 1958 by ancient historian Morton Smith. ... According to Epiphanius of Salamis book Panarion/Adversus Haereses chapter xxv, xxvi and Theodorets Haereticarum Fabularum Compendium the borborites (or barbelos, barbelites, phibionites, stratiotici, coddians etc) were a extraordinarily filthy and evil Gnostic ophite sect. ... Bogomils was the name of a defunct Gnostic social-religious movement and doctrine which originated in Macedonia in X century at the time of Peter I of Bulgaria (927-969) as a reaction of the state and clerical oppression. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassonne in 1209. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Important terms and concepts

Aeons

In many Gnostic systems, the various emanations of the God, who is also known by such names as the One, the Monad, Aion teleos (The Perfect Aeon), Bythos (Depth or profundity, Greek Βυθος), Proarkhe (Before the Beginning, Greek προαρχη), E Arkhe (The Beginning, Greek ἡ ἀρχή), are called aeons. This first being is also an æon and has an inner being within itself, known as Ennoia (Thought), Charis (Grace), or Sige (Greek Σιγη, Silence). The split perfect being conceives the second aeon, Caen (Power), within itself. Along with the male Caen comes the female æon Akhana (Truth, Love). Emanationism is a component in the cosmology of certain religious or philosophical systems that argue a Supreme Being did not directly create the physical universe, but instead emanated into different spiritual powers that created the world. ... Image:Http://www. ... Within certain variations of Gnosticism, especially those inspired by Monoimus, the Monad was the highest God which created lesser gods, or elements (similar to aeons). ... Bythos was the name given by some Gnostics to the monadic first being and originator of the spiritual world of the Pleroma. ... The Latin word æon means forever. ...

The aeons often came in male/female pairs called syzygies, and were frequently numerous (20-30). Two of the most commonly listed æons were Jesus and Sophia. The aeons constitute the pleroma, the "region of light". The lowest regions of the pleroma are closest to the darkness; that is, the physical world. Jesus (8-2 BC/BCE– 29-36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ...

When an æon named Sophia emanated without her partner aeon, the result was the Demiurge, or half-creator (Occasionally referred to as Ialdaboth in Gnostic texts), a creature that should never have come into existence. This creature does not belong to the pleroma, and the One emanates two savior æons, Christ and the Holy Spirit to save man from the Demiurge. Christ then took the form of the man, Jesus, in order to be able to teach man how to achieve gnosis; that is, return to the pleroma. It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ... This page is about the title. ... In various religions, most notably Trinitarian Christianity, the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost; in Hebrew רוח הקודש Ruah haqodesh) is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. ... Look up gnosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

These systems, however, are only a sample of the various interpretations that exist. The roles of familiar beings suchs as Jesus, Christ, Sophia, and the Demiurge usually share the same general themes between systems but may have somewhat different functions or identities ascribed to them.

Archon

Engraving from an Abraxas stone.

In late antiquity some variants of Gnosticism used the term Archon to refer to several servants of the Demiurge, the "creator god" that stood between the human race and a transcendent God that could only be reached through gnosis. In this context they have the role of the angels and demons of the Old Testament. Image from Nordisk Familjebok at Project Runeberg depicting Abraxas. ... ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... God is the divine being that created the omniverse. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ...

The Egyptian Gnostic Basilideans accepted the existence of an archon called Abraxas who was the prince of 365 spiritual beings (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, I.24). The Orphics accepted the existence of seven archons: Iadabaoth or Ialdabaoth (who created the six others), Iao, Sabaoth, Adonaios, Elaios, Astaphanos and Horaios (Origen, Contra Celsum, VI.31). Ialdabaoth had a head of a lion, just like Mithraic Kronos (Chronos), Persian Zervan (Zurvan) and Vedic Narasimha, a form of Vishnu. Their wrathful nature was mistaken as evil. The snake wrapped around them is Ananta (Sesha) Naga (mythology). The Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... An engraving of Saint Irenaeus (ca. ... Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies) is the standard name of two books on Gnosticism and other Christian heresies. ... The head of Orpheus, from an 1865 painting by Gustave Moreau. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Alternate spelling of Polynesian god Kiho As Īao meaning cloud supreme in Hawaiian, the place name of a popular tourist attraction on Maui; see Iao Valley. ... At the bottom of the hands, the two letters on each hand combine to form יהוה (YHWH), the name of God. ... Origen (ca. ... Mithraism was an ancient Iranic religion, based on worship of a god called Mehr who apparently derives from the Persian god Mithra and other Zoroastrian deities. ... In Greek mythology, Chronos (often mythologically confused with the Titan Cronus), properly spelled Kronos, was the father of Zeus, and in pre-Socratic philosophical works he is said to be the personification of time as Chronos. ... The beliefs and practices of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian Plateau and its borderlands, as well as areas of Central Asia from the Black Sea to Khotan (modern Ho-tien, China), form Persian mythology. ... Zurvan is the Persian god of infinite time, space and fate. ... The religion of the Vedic civilization is the predecessor of classical Hinduism, usually included in the term. ... A monolithic statue of Narasimha at Vijayanagara. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... Evil is a term describing that which is regarded as morally bad, intrinsically corrupt, wantonly destructive, inhumane, or wicked. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sesha Naga. ... The nagas ( snake) are an ancient race of snake-humanoid beings first depicted in ancient Vedic Hindu mythology and oral folklore from at least 5000 B.C.E. Stories involving the Nagas are still very much a part of contemporary cultural traditions in predominantly Hindu (India, Nepal, and the island...

The word Abraxas was engraved on certain antique stones, called on that account Abraxas stones, which were used as amulets or charms by Gnostic sects. It was believed that Abraxas was the name of a god who incorporated both Good and Evil (God and Demiurge) in one entity, and therefore representing the monotheistic God, singular, but (unlike, for example, the Christian God) not omni-benevolent. Abraxas has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon, sometimes even being associated with the dual nature of Satan/Lucifer. This is possibly the origin of the word abracadabra, although other explanations exist. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Antiquity means different things: Generally it means ancient history, and may be used of any period before the Middle Ages. ... An amulet from the Black Pullet grimoire An amulet (from Latin amuletum, meaning A means of protection) consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner. ... God, as a male deity, contrasts with female deities, or goddesses. While the term goddess specifically refers to a female deity, words like gods and deities can be applied to all gods collectively, regardless of gender. ... Good may mean: Look up good in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Evil is a term describing that which is regarded as morally bad, intrinsically corrupt, wantonly destructive, inhumane, or wicked. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... This article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God. ... ... St. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the star or fallen angel. ... Abracadabra is a word used as an incantation, considered by some to be the phrase that is pronounced most universally in other languages without translation. ...

Demiurge

A lion-faced deity found on a Gnostic gem in Bernard de Montfaucon's L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures may be a depiction of the Demiurge.

The term Demiurge refers to an entity (usually seen as evil) responsible for the creation of the physical universe and the physical aspect of humanity. Image File history File links Lion-faced_deity. ... Image File history File links Lion-faced_deity. ... Bernard de Montfaucon (1655 - 1741) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... In religion the term physical universe or material universe is used to distinguish the physical matter of the universe from its spiritual essence. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ...

The term occurs in a number of other religious and philosophical systems, most notably Platonism. While always suggestive of a creator god, the moral judgements regarding the demiurge vary wildly, from a benign grand architect to an evil subvertor of God's will. Platonic idealism is the theory that the substantive reality around us is only a reflection of a higher truth. ... God is the divine being that created the omniverse. ... Great Architect of the Universe (GAOTU) is a term used within Freemasonry to denominate the Supreme Being which each member individually holds an adherence to. ...

Like Plato, Gnosticism presents a distinction between the highest, unknowable "alien God" and the demiurgic "creator" of the material. However, in contrast to Plato, several systems of Gnostic thought present the Demiurge as antagonistic to the will of the Supreme Creator: his act of creation either in unconscious imitation of the divine model, and thus is fundamentally flawed, or else formed with the malevolent intention of entrapping aspects of the divine in materiality. Thus, in such systems, the Demiurge acts as a solution to the problem of evil. In the Apocryphon of John (several versions of which are found in the Nag Hammadi library), the Demiurge has the name "Yaltabaoth", and proclaims himself as God: Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, wide, broad-shouldered) (c. ... In the philosophy of religion and theology, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent god. ... The Secret Book of John (Apocryphon of John) is a 2nd century gnostic text of secret teachings, given a Christian context: the teaching of the savior, and the revelation of the mysteries and the things hidden in silence, even these things which he taught John, his disciple, are its opening... The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. ... The term Demiurge (or Yaldabaoth, Yao, Bythos and several other variants, such as Ptahil used in Mandaeanism) refers in some belief systems to a deity responsible for the creation of the physical universe and the physical aspect of humanity. ...

"Now the archon who is weak has three names. The first name is Yaltabaoth, the second is Saklas, and the third is Samael. And he is impious in his arrogance which is in him. For he said, 'I am God and there is no other God beside me,' for he is ignorant of his strength, the place from which he had come."

Gnostic myth recounts that Sophia (Greek, literally meaning "wisdom"), the Demiurge's mother and a partial aspect of the divine Pleroma or "Fullness", desired to create something apart from the divine totality, and without the receipt of divine assent. In this abortive act of separate creation, she gave birth to the monstrous Demiurge and, being ashamed of her deed, she wrapped him in a cloud and created a throne for him within it. The Demiurge, isolated, did not behold his mother, nor anyone else, and thus concluded that only he himself existed, being ignorant of the superior levels of reality that were his birth-place. ... Samael is an important figure in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer, and destroyer. ... Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D. General characteristics The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνῶσις), referring to the idea that there is special, hidden mysticism (esoteric knowledge) that only a few possess. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ...

The Gnostic myths describing these events are full of intricate nuances portraying the declination of aspects of the divine into human form; this process occurs through the agency of the Demiurge who, having stolen a portion of power from his mother, sets about a work of creation in unconscious imitation of the superior Pleromatic realm. Thus Sophia's power becomes enclosed within the material forms of humanity, themselves entrapped within the material universe: the goal of Gnostic movements was typically the awakening of this spark, which permitted a return by the subject to the superior, non-material realities which were its primal source. (See Sethian Gnosticism.) The Sethian were a group of ancient Gnostics, that date their existence before christianity. ...

"Samael" may equate to the Judaic Angel of Death, and corresponds to the Christian demon of that name, as well as Satan. Literally, it can mean "Blind God" or "God of the Blind" in Aramaic (Syriac sæmʕa-ʔel). Another alternative title for Yaldabaoth, "Saklas", is Aramaic for "fool" (Syriac sækla "the foolish one"). Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006 [1]. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ... St. ... Samael is an important figure in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer, and destroyer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Aramaic is a Semitic language with a four-thousand year history. ... Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ...

Some Gnostic philosophers (notably Marcion of Sinope) identify the Demiurge with Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, in opposition and contrast to the God of the New Testament. Still others equated the being with Satan. Catharism apparently inherited their idea of Satan as the creator of the evil world directly or indirectly from Gnosticism. Marcion of Sinope (ca. ... The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to 300 CE), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... Image:Http://www. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ... See New Covenant for the concept translated as New Testament in the KJV. The New Testament (Καινή Διαθήκη), sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and sometimes also New Covenant, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written by various authors c. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ...

Gnosis

The word 'Gnosticism' is a modern construction, though based on an antiquated linguistic expression: it comes from the Greek word meaning 'knowledge', gnosis (γνῶσις). However, gnosis itself refers to a very specialised form of knowledge, deriving both from the exact meaning of the original Greek term and its usage in Platonist philosophy. Look up gnosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, wide, broad-shouldered) (c. ... The Philosopher (detail), by Rembrandt Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, in which people ask questions such as whether God exists, whether knowledge is possible, and what makes actions right or wrong. ...

Unlike modern English, ancient Greek was capable of discerning between several different forms of knowing. These different forms may be described in English as being propositional knowledge, indicative of knowledge acquired indirectly through the reports of others or otherwise by inference (such as "I know of George Bush" or "I know Berlin is in Germany"), and knowledge acquired by direct participation or acquaintance (such as "I know George Bush personally" or "I know Berlin, having visited"). The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Propositional knowledge or declarative knowledge is knowledge that some proposition is either true or false. ...

Gnosis (γνῶσις) refers to knowledge of the second kind. Therefore, in a religious context, to be 'Gnostic' should be understood as being reliant not on knowledge in a general sense, but as being specially receptive to mystical or esoteric experiences of direct participation with the divine. Indeed, in most Gnostic systems the sufficient cause of salvation is this 'knowledge of' ('acquaintance with') the divine. This is commonly identified with a process of inward 'knowing' or self-exploration, comparable to that encouraged by Plotinus (ca. 205–270 AD). However, as may be seen, the term 'gnostic' also had precedent usage in several ancient philosophical traditions, which must also be weighed in considering the very subtle implications of its appellation to a set of ancient religious groups. Look up gnosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Knowledge is information of which someone is aware. ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ... For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation). ... Plotinus Plotinus ( Greek: Πλωτίνος)(ca. ... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... Events Births Plotinus, according to his student Porphyry. ... Events Quintillus briefly holds power over the Roman Empire, and is succeeded by Aurelian Vandals and Sarmatians driven out of Roman territory Romans leave Utrecht after regular invasions of Germanic people. ... The Philosopher (detail), by Rembrandt Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, in which people ask questions such as whether God exists, whether knowledge is possible, and what makes actions right or wrong. ...

Monad

In many Gnostic systems (and heresiologies), God is known as the Monad, the One, The Absolute, Aion teleos (The Perfect Æon), Bythos (Depth or Profundity, Βυθος), Proarkhe (Before the Beginning, προαρχη), and E Arkhe (The Beginning, η αρχη). God is the high source of the pleroma, the region of light. The various emanations of God are called æons. Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D. General characteristics The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνῶσις), referring to the idea that there is special, hidden mysticism (esoteric knowledge) that only a few possess. ... Image:Http://www. ... Within certain variations of Gnosticism, especially those inspired by Monoimus, the Monad was the highest God which created lesser gods, or elements (similar to aeons). ... The One can refer to several things: The Absolute The Downbeat is the first beat in the bar. ... The Absolute is the totality of things, all that is, whether it has been discovered or not. ... ÆON Co. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ... ÆON Co. ...

Within certain variations of Gnosticism, especially those inspired by Monoimus, the Monad was the highest God which created lesser gods, or elements (similar to æons). Monoimus (lived somewhere between 150 - 210) was an arabic gnostic (arabic name: Munim), who was known to us only from one account in Theodoret (Haereticarum Fabularum Compendium i. ... Image:Http://www. ... This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ...

According to Hippolytus, this view was inspired by the Pythagoreans, who called the first thing that came into existence the Monad, which begat the dyad, which begat the numbers, which begat the point, begetting lines, etc. Statue of Hippolytus, 3rd century. ... The Pythagoreans were a Hellenic organization of astronomers, musicians, mathematicians, and philosophers who believed that all things are, essentially, numeric. ... Etymology: Late Latin dyad-, dyas, from Greek, from dyo The word dyad has a number of uses: A dyad (general) pair, consisting of two parts. ... A number is an abstract entity that represents a count or measurement. ... Point can refer to: Look up Point in Wiktionary, the free dictionary // Mathematics In mathematics: Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space but no extent Fixed point (mathematics), a point that is mapped to itself by a mathematical function Point at infinity Point group Point charge, an... The word line derives from the Latin lingui, meaning flax plant from which linen is produced; at one time, a stretched linen thread was the most reliable way to determine a straight line. ...

This Monad is the spiritual source of everything which emanates the pleroma, and could be contrasted to the dark Demiurge (Yaldabaoth) that controls matter. The supernatural (Latin: super- exceeding + nature) refers to forces and phenomena which are beyond ordinary scientific understanding. ... Emanationism is a component in the cosmology of certain religious or philosophical systems that argue a Supreme Being did not directly create the physical universe, but instead emanated into different spiritual powers that created the world. ... Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ... It has been suggested that Nebro be merged into this article or section. ... Matter is commonly defined as the substance of which physical objects are composed. ...

The Sethian cosmogony as most famously contained in the Apocryphon ('Secret book') of John describes an unknown God, very different in nature to the orthodox conception of the divine. The latter conception defines God through a series of explicit positive statements, themselves universal but in the divine taken to their superlative degrees: as well as being explicitly male, he is omniscient, omnipotent and truly benevolent. The Sethian conception of God is, by contrast, defined through negative theology: he is immovable, invisible, intangible, ineffable; commonly, 'he' is seen as being hermaphroditic, a potent symbol for being, as it were, 'all-containing'. The Sethian were a group of ancient Gnostics, that date their existence before christianity. ... Image:Http://www. ... The word orthodoxy, from the Greek ortho (right, correct) and doxa (thought, teaching , Glorification), is typically used to refer to the correct theological or doctrinal observance of religion, as determined by some overseeing body. ... Omniscience is the capacity to know everything, or at least everything that can be known. ... Omnipotence (literally, all power) is the power to do absolutely anything. ... Negative theology - also known as the Via Negativa (Latin for Negative Way) and Apophatic theology - is a theology that attempts to describe God by negation, to speak of God only in terms of what may be said about God and to avoid what may not be said. ... In zoology, a hermaphrodite is a species that contains both male and female sexual organs at some point during their lives. ...

This mode of thinking about God is found throughout gnosticism, Vendantic hinduism, Platonic and Aristotle theology as well. It may be seen to derive from Judaic sources as well. In essence, Sethianism posits a God that may not be described in any rational sense; much like Plato and Philo had also stated but it is only possible to say what God isn't, and the experience of it remains something, again, in defiance of rational description. Orthodox descriptions of God sometimes also employ this sort of language. Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, wide, broad-shouldered) (c. ... Philo (20 BCE - 40 CE), known also as Philo of Alexandria and as Philo Judeaus, was a Hellenized Jewish philosopher born in Alexandria, Egypt. ...

Pleroma

Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of God's powers. The term means fullness, and is used in Christian theological contexts: both in Gnosticism generally, and in Colossians 2.9. Pleroma (Greek πληρωμα) generally refers to the totality of Gods powers. ... The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ...

Gnosticism holds that the world is controlled by evil archons, one of whom is the demiurge, the deity of the Old Testament who holds the human spirit captive. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ...

The heavenly pleroma is the center of divine life, a region of light "above" (the term is not to be understood spatially) our world, occupied by spiritual beings such as aeons (eternal beings) and sometimes archons. Jesus is interpreted as an intermediary aeon who was sent from the pleroma, with whose aid humanity can recover the lost knowledge of the divine origins of humanity. The term is thus a central element of Gnostic cosmology. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ... Jesus (8-2 BC/BCE– 29-36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) world + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the universe in its totality and by extension mans place in it. ...

Pleroma is also used in the general Greek language and is used by the Greek Orthodox church in this general form since the word appears under the book of Colossians. Proponents of the view that Paul was actually a gnostic, such as Elaine Pagels of Princeton University, view the reference in Colossians as something that was to be interpreted in the gnostic sense. This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. ... Elaine Pagels (née Hiesey, born February 13, 1943), is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located on an extensive campus in and around suburban Princeton, New Jersey. ...

Sophia

In Gnostic tradition, the term Sophia (Σoφíα, Greek for "wisdom") refers to the final and lowest emanation of God. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In most if not all versions of the gnostic myth, Sophia births the demiurge, who in turn brings about the creation of materiality. The positive or negative depiction of materiality thus resides a great deal on mythic depictions of Sophia's actions. She is occasionally referred to by the Hebrew equivalent of Achamoth (this is a feature of Ptolemy's version of the Valentinian gnostic myth). Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... Ptolemy the Gnostic (not the same person as the astronomer and geographer, nor the Egyptian ruler) was a disciple of the Gnostic Valentinius, known to us for writing a letter to a wealthy non-Gnostic lady named Flora. ... -Quevedo Valentinius, also called Valentinus (c. ...

Almost all gnostic systems of the Syrian or Egyptian type taught that the universe began with an original, unknowable God, referred to as the Parent or Bythos, as the Monad by Monoimus, or the first Aeon by still other traditions. From this initial unitary beginning, the One spontaneously emanated further Aeons, pairs of progressively 'lesser' beings in sequence. The lowest of these pairs were Sophia and Christ. The Aeons together made up the Pleroma, or fullness, of God, and thus should not be seen as distinct from the divine, but symbolic abstractions of the divine nature. Image:Http://www. ... Bythos was the name given by some Gnostics to the monadic first being and originator of the spiritual world of the Pleroma. ... Within certain variations of Gnosticism, especially those inspired by Monoimus, the Monad was the highest God which created lesser gods, or elements (similar to aeons). ... Monoimus (lived somewhere between 150 - 210) was an arabic gnostic (arabic name: Munim), who was known to us only from one account in Theodoret (Haereticarum Fabularum Compendium i. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Emanationism is a component in the cosmology of certain religious or philosophical systems that argue a Supreme Being did not directly create the physical universe, but instead emanated into different spiritual powers that created the world. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This page is about the title. ...

History

See "History of Gnosticism" for the full treatment.

The History of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation. ...

The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school

Bentley Layton has sketched out a relationship between the various gnostic movements in his introduction to The Gnostic Scriptures (SCM Press, London, 1987). In this model, 'Classical Gnosticism' and 'The School of Thomas' antedated and influenced the development of Valentinus, who was to found his own school of Gnosticism in both Alexandria and Rome, whom Layton called 'the great [Gnostic] reformer' and 'the focal point' of Gnostic development. While in Alexandria, where he was born, Valentinus probably would have had contact with the Gnostic teacher Basilides, and may have been influenced by him. Bentley Layton (born c. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Valentinus can refer to: Pope Valentinus Saint Valentine Basil Valentinus, a 15th century monk from Erfurt who may have described Bismuth Valentinius, a Gnostic also known as Valentinus Roman emperors - Valentinian I (364 - 375) and Valentinian II (371 - 392) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other... This article needs to be updated. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Basilides redirects here. ...

Valentinianism flourished throughout the early centuries of the common era: while Valentinus himself lived from ca. 100–175 AD/CE, a list of sectarians or heretics, composed in 388 AD/CE, against whom Emperor Constantine intended legislation includes Valentinus (and, presumably, his inheritors). The school is also known to have been extremely popular: several varieties of their central myth are known, and we know of 'reports from outsiders from which the intellectual liveliness of the group is evident' (Markschies, Gnosis: An Introduction, 94). It is known that Valentinus' students, in further evidence of their intellectual activity, elaborated upon the teachings and materials they received from him (though the exact extent of their changes remains unknown), for example, in the version of the Valentinian myth brought to us through Ptolemy. Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... -1... Events Pope Eleuterus succeeds Pope Soter (approximate date) Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats the Marcomanni. ... // Events Bahram IV becomes king of Persia. ... Ptolemy the Gnostic (not the same person as the astronomer and geographer, nor the Egyptian ruler) was a disciple of the Gnostic Valentinius, known to us for writing a letter to a wealthy non-Gnostic lady named Flora. ...

Valentinianism might be described as the most elaborate and philosophically 'dense' form of the Syrian-Egyptian schools of Gnosticism, though it should be acknowledged that this in no way debarred other schools from attracting followers: Basilides' own school was popular also, and survived in Egypt until the 4th century.

Simone Petrement, in A Separate God, in arguing for a Christian origin of Gnosticism, places Valentinus after Basilides, but before the Sethians. It is her assertion that Valentinus represented a moderation of the anti-Judaism of the earlier Hellenized teachers; the demiurge, widely regarded to be a mythological depiction of the Old Testament God of the Hebrews, is depicted as more ignorant than evil. (See below.)

Manichean priests writing at their desks, with panel inscription in Sogdian. Manuscript from Khocho, Tarim Basin.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (585x863, 108 KB)Manicheans. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (585x863, 108 KB)Manicheans. ... The Sogdian language is a Middle Iranian language spoken in Sogdiana (Zarafshan River Valley) in the modern day republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (chief cities: Samarkand, Panjikent, Ferghana). ... Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin. ...

The development of the Persian school

An alternate heritage is offered by Kurt Rudolph in his book Gnosis: The Nature & Structure of Gnosticism (Koehler and Amelang, Leipzig, 1977), to explain the lineage of Persian Gnostic schools. The decline of Manicheism that occurred in Persia in the 5th century AD/CE was too late to prevent the spread of the movement into the east and the west. In the west, the teachings of the school moved into Syria, Northern Arabia, Egypt and North Africa (where Augustine was a member of school from 373-382); from Syria it progressed still farther, into Palestine, Asia Minor and Armenia. There is evidence for Manicheans in Rome and Dalmatia in the 4th century, and also in Gaul and Spain. The influence of Manicheanism was attacked by imperial elects and polemical writings, but the religion remained prevalent until the 6th century, and still exerted influence in the emergence of the Paulicians, Bogomils and Cathari in the middle ages, until it was ultimately stamped out as a heresy by the Catholic Church. (help· info) [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Manichaeism was one of the major ancient religions. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Augustine may refer to: Saints: Augustine of Hippo, (354-430) theologian, author of The City of God, Confessions Augustine of Canterbury, (d. ... Events The Battle of the Tanais River near the Don where the Huns defeat the Alans. ... Events October 3 - Theodosius I commands his general Saturninus to conclude a peace treaty with the Visigoths, allowing them to settle south of the Danube. ... Palestine (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל Eretz Israel, Arabic: فلسطين FilastÄ«n or FalastÄ«n, see also Land of Israel) is one of many historical names for the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Jordan River, plus various adjoining lands to the east and south. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of Turkey. ... Map of Croatia with Dalmatia highlighted Dalmatia (Croatian: Dalmacija, Serbian Cyrillic: Далмација, Italian: Dalmazia) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, (mostly) in modern Croatia, spreading between the island of Rab in the northwest and the Gulf of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in the southeast. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Bogomils was the name of an ancient Gnostic religious community which is thought to have originated in Bulgaria. ... Bogomils was the name of an ancient Gnostic religious community which is thought to have originated in Bulgaria. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ...

In the east, Rudolph relates, Manicheanism was able to bloom, given that the religious monopoly position previously held by Christianity and Zoroastrianism had been broken by nascent Islam. In the early years of the Arab conquest, Manicheanism again found followers in Persia (mostly amongst educated circles), but flourished most in Central Asia, to which it had spread through Iran. Here, in 762, Manicheanism became the state religion of the Uigar Empire. Zoroastrianism, in Persian: آيين زرتشت , Ain-e Zærtosht (in Kurdish: Zerdeştî ) was once the state religion of Sassanid Persia, and played an important role during the preceding Median, Achaemenid and Parthian eras, while it is considered, by some, to be the oldest monotheistic religion. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Quran. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Events Abbasid caliph al-Mansur founds new capital at Baghdad, Iraq Births Deaths Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China Chinese poet Li Po, the Poet Immortal. ...

Influence in East Asia

Gnostism was the first Christianity introduced to China, under the name 'Relgion of Luciferousity' (景教). In 635, a Gnostic missionary arrived in Changan, the capital of Chinese's ppTang Dynasty]] and the Emperor assigned Fang Xuan-Ling (房玄齡), a famous Prime Minister in the Chinese History, to held the grand ceremony to welcome him, although in the following centuries, Chinese Emperors and scholars' view on Gnostism changed from time to time. Gnostism in China boomed in the late 8th Century but it was never a mainstream relgion widely practiced. In 845, Movement to Demolish Buddhism provoked in China, Gnostism was affected and missionaries was expelled. At that time, around 3000 practioners, including Manicheanism and Zoroastrian, were affected. Events Saint Aidan founds Lindisfarne in Northumbria, England Nestorian China Births Pippin of Herstal, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia (approximate date) 23 May - Chan Bahlum II, king of Palenque Deaths Categories: 635 ... For the town in the Guangdong province of China, see Changan Town Changan (Simplified Chinese: 长安; Traditional Chinese: 長安; pinyin: Chángān; Wade_Giles: Chang_an) is the ancient capital of more than 10 dynasties in China. ... Events March 28 - Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collect a huge ransom in exchange for leaving. ...

In 13th Century Mongolian conquest in Central and East Asia brought Gnostism back to China, but it declined again while Roman Catholic Missionaries in 16th to 17th Century replaced its role. Rudolph reported that despite this suppression Manichean traditions are reputed to have survived until the 17th century (based on the reports of Portuguese sailors).

'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category

In 1966 in Messina, Italy, a conference was held concerning systems of gnosis. Among its several aims were the need to incept a program to translate the recently-acquired Nag Hammadi library (see above) and the need to arrive at an agreement concerning an accurate definition of 'Gnosticism'. This was in answer to the tendency, prevalent since the eighteenth century, to use the term 'gnostic' less as its origins implied, but rather as an interpretive category for contemporary philosophical and religious movements. For example, in 1835, New Testament scholar Ferdinand Baur constructed a developmental model of Gnosticism that culminates in the religious philosophy of Hegel; one might compare literary critic Harold Bloom's recent attempts to identify Gnostic elements in contemporary American religion, or Eric Voegelin's analysis of totalitarian impulses through the interpretive lens of Gnosticism. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... See New Covenant for the concept translated as New Testament in the KJV. The New Testament (Καινή Διαθήκη), sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and sometimes also New Covenant, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written by various authors c. ... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770 - November 14, 1831) was a German philosopher born in Stuttgart, Württemberg, in present-day southwest Germany. ... Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... Harold Bloom, Literary Critic Dr. Harold Bloom (born July 11, 1930) is an American professor and prominent literary and cultural critic. ... Eric Voegelin Eric Voegelin (January 3, 1901 – January 19, 1985) was a political philosopher. ... Totalitarianism is a typology employed by political scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ...

The 'cautious proposal' reached by the conference concerning Gnosticism is described by Markschies:

In the concluding document of Messina the proposal was 'by the simultaneous application of historical and typological methods' to designate 'a particular group of systems of the second century after Christ' as 'gnosticism', and to use 'gnosis' to define a conception of knowledge transcending the times which was described as 'knowledge of divine mysteries for an élite'.

— Markschies, 'Gnosis: An Introduction, p. 13

In essence, it had been decided that 'Gnosticism' would become a historically-specific term, restricted to mean the Gnostic movements prevalent in the 3rd century, while 'gnosis' would be an universal term, denoting a system of knowledge retained 'for a privileged élite'. However, this effort towards providing clarity in fact created more conceptual confusion, as the historical term 'Gnosticism' was an entirely modern construction, while the new universal term 'gnosis' was a historical term: 'something was being called "gnosticism" that the ancient theologians had called "gnosis" ... [A] concept of gnosis had been created by Messina that was almost unusable in a historical sense' (Markschies, Gnosis: An Introduction, 14-15). In antiquity, all agreed that knowledge was centrally important to life, but few were agreed as to what exactly constituted knowledge; the unitary conception that the Messina proposal presupposed did not exist.

These flaws have meant that the problems concerning an exact definition of Gnosticism persist. It remains current convention to use 'Gnosticism' in a historical sense, and 'gnosis' universally. Leaving aside the issues with the latter noted above, the usage of 'Gnosticism' to designate a category of religions in the 3rd century has recently been questioned as well. Of note is the work of Michael Allen Williams in Rethinking Gnosticism: An Argument for the Dismantling of a Dubious Category, in which the author examines the terms by which gnosticism as a category is defined, and then closely compares these suppositions with the contents of actual Gnostic texts (the newly-recovered Nag Hammadi library was of central importance to his thesis). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Williams argues that the conceptual foundations on which the category of Gnosticism rests are the remains of the agenda of the heresiologists. Too much emphasis has been laid on perceptions of dualism, body-and-matter hatred, and anticosmism, without these suppositions being properly tested. In essence, the interpretive definition of Gnosticism that was created by the antagonistic efforts of the heresiologists has been taken up by modern scholarship and reflected in a categorical definition, even though the means now exist to verify its accuracy. Attempting to do so, Williams contests, reveals the dubious nature of categorical 'Gnosticism', and he concludes that the term needs replacing in order to more accurately reflect those movements it comprises. Williams' observations have provoked debate; however, to date his suggested replacement term 'the Biblical demiurgical tradition' has not become widely used.

This sort of denotational rigidity is acceptable within academic circles but cannot be reasonably expected to dictate common usage of the term within the vernacular, any more than attempts to restrict the use of buffalo to exclude bison in United States English have been successful. Binomial name Bison bison Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies B. b. ... Species B. bison B. bonasus B. priscus Bison is a taxonomic genus containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. ...

Gnosticism in modern times

Main article: Gnosticism in modern times

Many culturally significant movements and figures have been influenced by Gnosticism, including, for example, Carl Jung, William Blake and Eric Voegelin. This influence has apparently grown since the emergence and translation of the Nag Hammadi library. Readers are also recommended to peruse The Nag Hammadi Library in English, edited by James M. Robinson, later editions of which contain an essay on 'The Modern Relevance of Gnosticism', by Richard Smith. Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century CE. Prior to the 20th century, little was known about the various Gnostic movements, due to paucity of original material available to scholars and the public. ... Carl Jungs autobiographical work Memories , Dreams and Reflections, Fontana edition Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961) (IPA:) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. ... William Blake (1807) William Blake (November 28, 1757–August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. ... Eric Voegelin Eric Voegelin (January 3, 1901 – January 19, 1985) was a political philosopher. ... The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. ...

See also

• Antinomianism
• Apocrypha
• Agnosticism
• Christian theosophy
• Christian Meditation
• First Council of Nicaea
• Gospel
• Gnosiology
• Manicheanism
• Mandaeanism
• Ontology
• Valentinianism
• Valentinus
• Zoroastrianism

Antinomianism (Koine Greek αντι, against, νομος, law), or lawlessness, in theology is the idea that members of a particular religious group are under no obligation to obey the laws of ethics or morality as presented by religious authorities. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the truth values of certain claims—particularly theological claims regarding the existence of God, gods, or deities—are unknown, inherently unknowable, or incoherent, and therefore, (some agnostics may go as far to say) irrelevant to life. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of belief which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ... Christian meditation is a form of quiet (but not necessarily silent) contemplation often associated with prayer or scripture study. ... The First Council of Nicaea, convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in AD 325, was the first ecumenical conference of bishops of the Christian Church. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Manichaeism was one of the major ancient religions. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mandaeism. ... In philosophy, ontology (from the Greek , genitive : of being (part. ... Valentinius, more usually called Valentinus (c. ... Valentinus can refer to: Pope Valentinus Saint Valentine Basil Valentinus, a 15th century monk from Erfurt who may have described Bismuth Valentinius, a Gnostic also known as Valentinus Roman emperors - Valentinian I (364 - 375) and Valentinian II (371 - 392) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other... Zoroastrianism, in Persian: آيين زرتشت , Ain-e Zærtosht (in Kurdish: ZerdeÅŸtî ) was once the state religion of Sassanid Persia, and played an important role during the preceding Median, Achaemenid and Parthian eras, while it is considered, by some, to be the oldest monotheistic religion. ...

References

Books

Primary sources

• Layton, Bentley (1987). The Gnostic Scriptures, 526 pages, SCM Press. ISBN 0-334-02022-0.
• Robinson, James (1978). The Nag Hammadi Library in English, 549 pages. ISBN 0-06-066934-9.

A primary source is any piece of information that is used for constructing history as an artifact of its times. ... Bentley Layton (born c. ...

Secondary sources

• Aland, Barbara (1978). Festschrift für Hans Jonas. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 3-525-58111-4.
• Freke, Timothy; Gandy, Peter (1999). The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs. Tarcher. ISBN 0874779502.
• Freke, Timothy; Gandy, Peter (2002). Jesus and the Lost Goddess : The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-00-710071-X.
• Haardt, Robert (1967). Die Gnosis: Wesen und Zeugnisse, 352 pages, Otto-Müller-Verlag, Salzburg., translated as Haardt, Robert (1971). Gnosis: Character and Testimony. Brill, Leiden.
• Hoeller, Stephan A. (2002). Gnosticism - New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing, 257 pages. ISBN 0-8356-0816-6.
• Jonas, Hans. Gnosis und spätantiker Geist vol. 2:1-2, Von der Mythologie zur mystischen Philosophie. ISBN 3-525-53841-3.
• King, Karen L. (2003). What is Gnosticism?, 343 pages, Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01071-X.
• Klimkeit, Hans-Joachim (1993). Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Texts from Central Asia. Harper, San Francisco. ISBN 0-06-064586-5.
• Layton, Bentley (1995). “Prolegomena to the study of ancient gnosticism”, edited by L. Michael White, O. Larry Yarbrough The Social World of the First Christians: Essays in Honor of Wayne A. Meeks. Fortress Press, Minneapolis. ISBN 0800625854.
• Layton, Bentley (ed.) (1981). The Rediscovery of Gnosticism: Sethian Gnosticism. E.J. Brill.
• Longfellow, Ki (2005). The Secret Magdalene, 458 pages. ISBN 0-9759255-3-9.
• Markschies, Christoph (2000). Gnosis: An Introduction, 145 pages, T & T Clark. ISBN 0-567-08945-2.
• Mins, Denis (1994). Irenaeus. Geoffrey Chapman.
• Pagels, Elaine (1979). The Gnostic Gospels, 182 pages. ISBN 0679724532.
• Pagels, Elaine (1989). The Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis, 128 pages. ISBN 1555403344.
• Petrement, Simone (1990), A Separate God: The Origins and Teachings of Gnosticsim, Harper and Row ISBN 0060664215
• Plotinus (1966). The Enneads. Harvard University Press.
• Puma, Jeremy (2005). Running Towards the Bomb: Gnosticism and the End of Civilisation. Geosynchronous Lamps. ISBN 1411645235.
• Rudolph, Kurt (1987). Gnosis: The Nature & Structure of Gnosticism. Harper & Row. ISBN 0060670185.
• Williams, Michael (1996). Rethinking Gnosticism: An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691011273.

Secondary sources are texts based on primary sources, and involve generalization, analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation. ... In academia, a Festschrift is a book honouring a respected academic. ... Stephan A. Hoeller, (1931 - ) is a writer, scholar and religious leader. ... German-born philosopher Hans Jonas (May 10, 1903 - February 5, 1993) studied under Martin Heidegger and Rudolf Bultmann in the 1920s. ... Elaine Pagels (née Hiesey, born February 13, 1943), is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. ... Elaine Pagels (née Hiesey, born February 13, 1943), is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. ... Plotinus Plotinus ( Greek: Πλωτίνος)(ca. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

Audio lectures

• BC Recordings - Offers an extensive collecton of downloadable MP3 lecture by Stephan A. Hoeller on Gnosticism.

Videos

• The Naked Truth - Exposing the Deceptions About the Origins of Modern Religions (1995). ASIN: 1568890060.

External links

All external links are given in alphabetical order by page title or, where available, by author. If you wish to add to the lists, please maintain this layout. Also see the subpages, e.g. Gnosticism in modern times which have their own link lists, in order to place links in the apropriate page. Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century CE. Prior to the 20th century, little was known about the various Gnostic movements, due to paucity of original material available to scholars and the public. ...

Ancient Gnosticism

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Gnosticism
• The Cathars of the Languedoc - A medieval heretical sect, related to Gnosticism.
• Early Christian Writings - primary texts
• Gnostic Society - multiple texts on Gnosticism and a bibliography of secondary reading
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gnosticism
• Introduction to Gnosticism
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Gnosticism
• Religious Tolerance - A survey of Gnosticism
• Proto-Gnostic elements in the Gospel according to John - article in Theandros.

Gnostic version of the Bible and more on Gnostics

Gnostic blogs

• Sacred Wisdom Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Esotericism, Comparative Theology
• Ecclesia Gnostica in Nova Albion, blog of Jordan Stratford, a priest in The Apostolic Johannite Church
• Ecclesiastical Gnosis-Personal Reflections, weblog of Bishop Shaun McCann of The Apostolic Johannite Church
• Enormous Fictions: A website exploring Gnosticism, creativity, culture and various other ideas
• fantastic planet, blog featuring Gnostic philosophy on events political, fortean and otherwise interesting
• Homoplasmate, "A forum for the discussion of Gnosticism and Gnostic Christianity"
• Illuminism & Personal Reflections of Mar Didymos I, Patriarch of the Thomasine Church
• inTerjeCted, weblog of Norwegian Gnostic Terje Bergersen
• Nascent Gnosis: A former orthodox priest takes a trip down heterodox lane...
• Taognostic: Exploring the Path of the Gnostic
• The Vicars' Corner, blog of Vicar Matthew Ouroboros and Vicar James Eugnostos of the Apostolic Gnostic Church in America

Discussion groups and email lists

• eglisegnostique - Eglise Gnostique, share information, discuss issues, network
• gnosticism2 - Learn the history and ideas of Gnostics
• Gnostic discussion group at The Palm Tree Garden