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 … See more

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