General Information

Gnosticism is an esoteric religious movement flourishing during 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. Professes salvation through secret knowledge or gnosis

Gnosis: Greek word meaning revealed knowledge

Promised a secret knowledge of the divine realm

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Believed that sparks of the Divine Being

General Information (Cont.)

Transcendent God was removed from all matter by succession of intermediary eternal beings known as aeons

Aeons emanate as couples Complete series (30) constitutes the Pleroma, the fullness of the Godhead

Beyond the Pleroma were the material universe and the human 6/6/12 beings to be saved

Gnosticism vs. Christianity

Most Gnostic sects professed Christianity, but their beliefs sharply diverged from those of the majority of Christians in the early church Christian leaders looked upon Gnosticism as a subtle, dangerous threat to Christianity during the 2nd century
2nd century was a time marked by religious aspirations and philosophical 6/6/12

Doctrine

Teachings were set forth in complex systems of thought Early Christian Gnostics did adopt their own versions of authoritative Scriptures

Believe all material reality is evil Salvation is achieved from freeing the spirit from its imprisonment in matter

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Believed divine seed was imprisoned in every person

Community

Gnostics classified people according to three categories:

(1) Gnostics: those certain of salvation because they were under the influence of the spirit (pneumatikoi) (2) Those not fully Gnostics: found capable of salvation through knowledge (psychikoi) (3) Those dominated by matter that they were beyond salvation (hylikoi)
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Practices and Rituals

Some Gnostic sects observed Baptism and the Eucharist, interpreting them as signs of the awakening gnosis Rituals were intended to facilitate the descent of the divine element of the human soul to the spiritual realm bridal chamber: special ritual that celebrated the reunion of the divine 6/6/12 element of the human soul to the