Gnosticism: what is this religious doctrine and what ideas does it support?

This set of systems of religion is based on attempts to move from faith to knowledge.

Gnosticism is a phenomenon that is related to the Judeo-Christian tradition.. This phenomenon groups different religious systems that were considered heretics during the first and second centuries AD. Nevertheless, they proposed different ways of understanding the nature of the human being that are still being discussed to this day.

The following is a review of the definitions of Gnosticism, its characteristics and the practices that are most representative of this philosophical and religious doctrine.

What is Gnosticism?

Gnosticism is a term that is used to refer to a group of ideas and religious systems that existed between the first and second centuries AD. Broadly speaking, the systems that are grouped within Gnosticism propose that everything that exists in the material world is created by a God who fixes a divine spark inside the body of the human being.

This spark is trapped inside the body, but can be released. To free it, it is possible to turn to a group of sages who are the possessors of "gnosis" (the special knowledge of the divine). Through this liberation, it would be possible to liberate the true essence of the human being and identify it with God. Likewise, the problem par excellence of religious thought would be solved: where does evil come from?

This doctrine was considered heretical by the Christians of the time because it was considered a practice of the time for being considered an esoteric practice and far from the values of Christianity. Not only that, but it is related to Hellenic culture and Eastern religions, and thus, with the emergence of Christianity itself. For this reason, Gnosticism is part of the doctrines that formed the basis of the Western worldview.

Gnosis and knowledge of the divine

In some contexts the words "gnosis" and "gnosticism" are used as if they were synonyms. In others, the word "gnosis" refers to "authentic Christianity." Likewise, the word "gnostic" is used to refer to members of religious sects.

Gnosticism is a concept created in modern times, which takes up the term "gnostikoi" from those who were the compilers of the of those who were the compilers of the catalogs of heresies. Through this concept they wanted to designate the multiplicity of movements, sects or schools and their common features.

For its part, "gnosis" comes from a Greek word meaning "knowledge", and in the context of religions it refers to a saving knowledge, which is acquired through revelation.

According to Culdaut (1996), the historian F.C. Baur (1792-1860) is the founder of research on gnosis. This author speaks of gnosticism, not as a heresy but as a new religion that synthesizes the pagan religious forces of pre-Christianity..

Main characteristics of Gnosticism

According to Culdaut (1996), the movements and doctrines of Gnosticism share three characteristic features: gnosis is acquired through revelation; ; the basis of knowledge is dualisticThe basis of knowledge is dualistic; and there are mythological constructs and stories.

1. Faith versus knowledge

The knowledge of gnosis is not simply a belief. Therefore, it goes beyond the attitude we call "faith". The latter is considered inferior to the ability to know, whereby gnosis is a knowledge that is acquired by means of a revelation, and to obtain it means redemption in itself..

The maximum knowledge that can be acquired is knowledge about oneself, of the true self; for Gnosticism, this is what would bring human beings closer to God.

2. Fundamental dualism

At the basis of the systems and doctrines of Gnosticism is a dualistic interpretation of the cosmos. a dualistic interpretation of the cosmos. In this interpretation, God and the world are two opposite entities. God is separate from the material, he is transcendent. The material is therefore anti-God.

From there it is understood that everything that is composed of matter, is bad, with which, the main task of the Gnostic practices is to liberate the "true being" from its anti-divine (material) components..

And this is so because Gnosticism opposes the figure of the Demiurge (who is the god that creates the material world), to that of the "true God" (who is the savior god), with which, it is understood that the earthly world is the least important thing. What is really important is the divine ascent of the souls.

3. Mythological stories

To explain and transmit the previous points, Gnosticism resorts to mythological stories. These stories are the way to understand what the "I" is, where it comes from and where it goes.where it comes from and where it goes. Above all, to understand how the soul can return to the spiritual world and free itself from the evil of the material.

In these stories, the central theme is how to direct the destiny of the soul that has fallen to earth. In the history of Western civilization these stories can be traced back to before the 1st and 2nd centuries, in the Greek myths of Homer.

Despite being hidden and repressed, the Gnostic movement represented an important way of exerting pressure on Christianity, which ultimately influenced the shaping of Christian thought and Western thought.

Bibliographical references:

• Coullaut, F. (1996). The birth of Christianity and Gnosticism. Akal: Madrid.
• Sol, E. (2016). Gnosticism and its rituals. A general introduction. Antesteria, 5: 225-240. https://www.ucm.es/data/cont/docs/106-2016-05-03-15.%20Elena%20SOL%20JIMÉNEZ.pdf.