What is gnosticism... its origin...its influence to the world today?

Question

your knowledge of this matter will be greatly appreciated

thanks...

Answer 1

Hermes Trismegistus (3-times Majestic) is the father of Gnosticism. The Emerald Tablets recovered from an Egyptian tomb dating to circa 2400 BCE supply the esoteric doctrine for which we know today, as Gnosticism...

Gnossis comes from the Greek, meaning 'hidden knowledge'. From Greece it traveled into Early esoteric Christianity, and the Gnostic Gospels (such as the Gospel of Thomas & Philip) unearthed in Nothern Egypt (Nag Hamadi) in 1945, supply the original stories (pre-dating Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) in which Mary Magdalene was the #1 disciple & wife of Jesus...

Answer 2

Gnosticism was based on earlier beliefs (origin unknown) and taken up and transformed by early christianity.  One of the fundamental underlying beliefs is that the creater of the world is actualy an evil god pretending to be the real god and is trying to tie our souls to this world.  This world is seen as evil and tainted and we should distance ourselves from it as much as possible.

That is the common underlying denominator but there was no single doctrine and different, varying forms of Gnosticism was taught by individuals who directly took on students.  Very little is actually known about their exact beliefs and practices, most of it lost.

Gnosticism was later suppressed by the early church (and branded a heresy) for quite a few of its doctrines as well as their opposition to any formal church structure as that would be the work of the diamurge (evil god).

Although many parallels can be drawn between Gnosticism and later spiritual and philosophical traditions (notably Manachaism, Catharism, Rosicrucianism, paintings of Hieronomous Bosch) which was influential at the time, any such speculation is based on very little evidence.

More recent spiritual groups claim to continue Gnostic beliefs but as there is very little evidence of what Gnostics actually practiced it is mostly wishfull thinking.

The contiual reoccurence of the themes of Gnosticism, often with very little proof of cross-fertilisation may point to it being a basic message in the human psyche or a need to be freed from church influence

Answer 3

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