Since any orientation toward an ancient phenomenon must always proceed by way of contemporary ideas and habits of mind, an interpretative discussion of Gnostic thinking as it applies to Psychology, Existentialism, and Hermeneutics, is not amiss here. Once we have understood, to the extent of our ability, the philosophical import of Gnostic ideas, and how they relate to contemporary philosophical issues, then we may enter into the historical milieu
The prologue of the Gospel of John describes the incarnated Logos, the light that came to earth, Per the person of Jesus.[111] The Apocryphon of John contains a scheme of three descendants from the heavenly realm, the third one being Jesus, just as Con the Gospel of John. The similarities probably point to a relationship between gnostic ideas and the Johannine community.[111] According to Raymond Brown, the Gospel of John shows "the development of certain gnostic ideas, especially Christ as heavenly revealer, the emphasis on light versus darkness, and anti-Jewish animus."[111] The Johannine material reveals debates about the redeemer myth.
) is the Greek word for “knowledge.” Each worshipper was encouraged to learn about the Divine Per mezzo di his or her own way. While the Gnostics did leave behind texts describing those beliefs, most of them assumed a degree of variation might apply.
first appeared Per print Durante 1669, Per mezzo di a book by the English poet and philosopher of religion Henry More. More applied it to the religious groups referred to Per ancient sources as gnostikoi
X. 896e, tr. Saunders). For Plato, this did not imply that the cosmos is under the control of a corrupt or ignorant god, as it did for the Gnostics, but simply that this cosmos, like the human soul, possesses a rational and an irrational part, and that it is the task of the rational part to govern the irrational.
Other sects which had some beliefs Per mezzo di common with Gnosticism claimed as their founder, or main inspiration, John the Baptist rather than Jesus the Christ. These were not truly Gnostic, however, since they did not focus on individuals’ gnosis
The Gnostic Society Library (a section of The Gnosis Archive), contains a vast collection of primary documents relating to the Gnostic tradition as well as a selection of Sopra-depth audio lectures and brief archive notes designed to orient study of the documents, their sources, and the religious tradition they represent. (See the Overview of the Library Collection, below.)
Valentinian Gnosticism may have been monistic rather than dualistic.[note 24] Sopra the Valentinian myths, the creation of a flawed materiality is not paio to any moral failing on the part of the Demiurge, but coppia to the fact that he is less perfect than the superior entities from which he emanated.
“The Power” is classic Gnosticism — a silent, supreme god that also lives inside of you and who will allow you to become as powerful as you wish.
beings (humans) of this realm are capable of nothing more than a shadow of wisdom. It is only by way of the guidance and grace of an alien and purely good God that humankind will rise to the level of plêrosophia or complete wisdom (cf. Colossians 2:2 ff.). more info Moreover, instead of attempting to discover the historical connection between the revelation of Christ and the teachings of the Old Testament, Marcion simply rejected the latter Con favor of the former, on the belief that only the Gospel (thoughtfully edited by Marcion himself) points us toward complete wisdom (Irenaeus 1.27.2-3; Tertullian, Against Marcion
Sethianism was one of the main currents of Gnosticism during the 2nd to 3rd centuries, and the prototype of Gnosticism as condemned by Irenaeus.[152] Sethianism attributed its gnosis to Seth, third son of Adam and Eve and Norea, wife of Noah, who also plays a role Durante Mandeanism and Manicheanism. Their main text is the Apocryphon of John, which does not contain Christian elements,[152] and is an amalgam of two earlier myths.
Becoming aware of itself, the self also discovers that it is not really its own, but is rather the involuntary executor of cosmic designs. Knowledge, gnosis
Another site with a fair collection of texts and commentary is the Early Christian Writings site. (This site has copied many of our older files, and references many documents from our collection.)
g. the rise of Priscillianism Con Iberia). But prevailing sentiment remained against Gnosticism, and nearly all of these movements didn’t last long. Priscillian himself became the first Christian explicitly executed for being a “heretic,” in 385 CE.