Gnosis is a feminine Greek noun which means "knowledge" or "awareness." It is often used for personal knowledge compared with intellectual knowledge (εἴδειν eídein). A related term is the adjective gnostikos, … See more

The origins of Gnosticism are obscure and still disputed. The proto-orthodox Christian groups called Gnostics a heresy of Christianity, but according to the modern scholars the … See more

Monad
In many Gnostic systems, God is known as the Monad, the One. God is the high source of the pleroma, the region of light. The various emanations of God are called æons. According to Hippolytus, this view was inspired by the See more

Dillon notes that Gnosticism raises questions about the development of early Christianity.
Orthodoxy and heresy
The Christian See more

Cosmology
The Syrian–Egyptian traditions postulate a remote, supreme Godhead, the Monad. From this highest divinity emanate lower divine beings, … See more

Jesus is identified by some Gnostics as an embodiment of the supreme being who became incarnate to bring gnōsis to the earth, while others … See more

Three periods can be discerned in the development of Gnosticism:
• Late-first century and early second century: development of Gnostic ideas, contemporaneous with the writing of the New Testament;
• mid … See more