Shermana
Heretic
Let me break it down for you, I hope this makes it easier.
1. Gnosticism entails ideas that were Jewish in origin, from before Christianity. "Gnosticism" itself as a religion however only has similarities with various "mystery cults" in that they had initiation, rituals, and a concept of secrets. It arguably comes from various Essene factions. Like Philo, there may be some ideas that have some slight overlap with Greek ideas, but this does not make it so that they are necessarily "Similar". The Demiurge to Plato is nothing like the Demiurge in most Gnostic thought.
Pre-Christian Gnosticism: Jewish Origins, Corinthian Values, and Pauline Critiques - Brother Monk
2. The original Christians, the Nazarenes, in my opinion, were the first to be called "Gnostic" such as with James in the Talmud and Cerinthus by the "Heresy hunters", and they may have held ideas that made it in one way or another into various literature such as found in the Nag Hamadi texts.
3. As Christianity spread and its varying versions became gentilized, these same Gnostic concepts also became Gentilized, culminating with Marcion, who I believe influenced the Gnostic groups like the Sethians greatly to the point that it took the original Jewish roots and flipped them on their head. Some like the Valentinians kept a balance between Judaic and anti-Judaizing influence.
4. Despite all the differences, they all revolve around a similar concept of some kind of system of passwords and rituals and a basic Cosmology, and is more than just some "Pursuit of knowledge of inner self".
1. Gnosticism entails ideas that were Jewish in origin, from before Christianity. "Gnosticism" itself as a religion however only has similarities with various "mystery cults" in that they had initiation, rituals, and a concept of secrets. It arguably comes from various Essene factions. Like Philo, there may be some ideas that have some slight overlap with Greek ideas, but this does not make it so that they are necessarily "Similar". The Demiurge to Plato is nothing like the Demiurge in most Gnostic thought.
Pre-Christian Gnosticism: Jewish Origins, Corinthian Values, and Pauline Critiques - Brother Monk
2. The original Christians, the Nazarenes, in my opinion, were the first to be called "Gnostic" such as with James in the Talmud and Cerinthus by the "Heresy hunters", and they may have held ideas that made it in one way or another into various literature such as found in the Nag Hamadi texts.
3. As Christianity spread and its varying versions became gentilized, these same Gnostic concepts also became Gentilized, culminating with Marcion, who I believe influenced the Gnostic groups like the Sethians greatly to the point that it took the original Jewish roots and flipped them on their head. Some like the Valentinians kept a balance between Judaic and anti-Judaizing influence.
4. Despite all the differences, they all revolve around a similar concept of some kind of system of passwords and rituals and a basic Cosmology, and is more than just some "Pursuit of knowledge of inner self".
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