Gnosticism

Gnosticism (from the Greek gnōsis (γνῶσις), "knowledge"; is the religious philosophy and practice of various movements of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries. Although some scholars have claimed that gnosticism pre-dated Christianity, it is usually defined in a Christian context. It is generally accepted that gnosticism developed into a coherent movement only in the second century CE.

Most gnostic movements saw the material world as created through an intermediary being (the demiurge) rather than directly by God. This demiurge was generally seen as imperfect, and sometimes even as evil. A common characteristic of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis (esoteric or intuitive knowledge) is the way to salvation of the soul from the material world.

Further reading

• Gnosticism at Theosopedia

Additional resources

Audio

• Cracking the Gnostic Code by John Algeo
• The Dead Sea Scrolls by G. Nevin Drinkwater
• Gnostic Kabbalah by Stephan Hoeller
• Joyful Gnosis: Gnosticism and Blavatskys Wisdom by Stephan Hoeller
• Jung and the Wisdom of the Gnostic Gospels by Stephan Hoeller
• The Gospel of Thomas - Part 1 and Part 2 by Ron Miller

Video

• Hermeticism and Gnosticism: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4 by Stephan Hoeller
• Turning-Points for the West: From Pythagoras and Plato through Gnosticism and Neoplatonism (3 Parts) by Stephan Hoeller and Tony Lysy
• Our Gnostic Legacy: The Western Esoteric Tradition by Richard Smoley