Question by Рoppy Seed ♥ ♥ ♥: Can anyone explain to me the basics of gnosticism?
I don’t really know anything about it. Any helpful weblinks would be much appreciated, also.
Thank you for any and all answers.
Blessings 🙂
Best answer:
Answer by mg© – anti VT™ MG AM© Fundi4Life
a group of people who think they have special knowledge that the uninitiated dont have.
one actually contacted me and tried to convince me that the Father was evil one and Jesus is good and Satan is just a good servent.
he got 1 out of three ehh.
Add your own answer in the comments!
I have no idea but wiki does!
Isn’t it the same thing as agnosticism? It means you don’t know whether God exists. Do you know? Then you are not Agnostic.
Gnosticism (Greek: γνῶσις gnōsis, knowledge) refers to diverse, syncretistic religious movements in antiquity consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect god, the demiurge; this being is frequently identified with the Abrahamic god, and is contrasted with a superior entity, referred to by several terms including Pleroma and Godhead[1]. Depictions of the demiurge – the term originates with Plato’s Timaeus[2] – vary from being as an embodiment of evil, to being merely imperfect and as benevolent as its inadequacy permits. Thus, broadly speaking, Gnosticism was a dualistic religion, influenced by and influencing Hellenic philosophy, Judaism (see Notzrim), and Christianity;[citation needed] however, by contrast, later strands of the movement, such as the Valentinians, held a monistic world-view[3]. This, along with the varying treatments of the demiurge, may be seen as indicative of the variety of positions held within the category.
The gnōsis referred to in the term is a form of revealed, esoteric knowledge through which the spiritual elements of humanity are reminded of their true origins within the superior Godhead, being thus permitted to escape materiality[4]. Consequently, within the sects of gnosticism only the pneumatics or psychics obtain gnōsis; the hylic or Somatics, though human, being incapable of perceiving the higher reality, are unlikely to attain the gnōsis deemed by gnostic movements as necessary for salvation[5][6]. Jesus of Nazareth is identified by some Gnostic sects as an embodiment of the supreme being who became incarnate to bring gnōsis to the earth[7]. In others (e.g. the Notzrim and Mandaeans) he is considered a mšiha kdaba or “false messiah” who perverted the teachings entrusted to him by John the Baptist[8]. Still other traditions identify Mani and Seth, third son of Adam and Eve, as salvific figures[9].
Whereas formerly Gnosticism was considered by some a heretical branch of Christianity, it now seems clear that traces of Gnostic systems can be discerned some centuries before the Christian Era. [10] Gnostic sects may have existed earlier than the First Century BCE, thus predating the birth of Jesus.[11] The movement spread in areas controlled by the Roman Empire and Arian Goths (see Huneric), and the Persian Empire; it continued to develop in the Mediterranean and Middle East before and during the second and third centuries. Conversion to Islam and the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229) greatly reduced the remaining number of Gnostics throughout the Middle Ages, though a few isolated communities continue to exist to the present. Gnostic ideas became influential in the philosophies of various esoteric mystical movements of the late 19th and 20th Centuries in Europe and North America, including some that explicitly identify themselves as revivals or even continuations of earlier gnostic groups.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism is a good link
for history– http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06592a.htm
for overall– http://www.gnosis.org (home base for gnosticism)
Good luck!!
they belive that sin is only a eloustion and that jesus didnot come in the flesh. the first chapter of 1john was written to correct their teaching. the 2 chapter is written to one that are saved.
Dont have web links and would have problems if I tried to copy and paste but what gnosticism is about I ca offer explanation.
gnostics were a group who claimed that knowledge was important and claimed to know secrets that were not given in Scriptures. Mostly they claimed that God as a spirit was holy and flesh was evil they claimed Jesus was not fully human but only appeared to be human they wrote many books or scrolls as that was still most common type of book at time. They called their books gospels of saints which were not connected to that person so they could claim authority. Some other beliefs that our flesh is evil and only our soul can be saved so either we could do whatever in flesh and not go to hell or some that we had to beat our flesh into submission to mind both were beliefs of different groups of gnosticism both mostly disappeared for a while till some of the writings were found in digs now becoming popular again because it is thought they were smart and knew secrets which were actually lies.