Gnosticism refers to a collection of mystical, often countercultural spiritual traditions that arose in Late Antiquity.

Rather than a single religion, it is a family of related movements sharing several core ideas:

1. Hidden salvific knowledge (gnosis)attained through personal revelation.
2. Sharp spirit/matter dualism, viewing thematerial world as flawed or corrupt, oftenstemming from a divine mishap.
3. Existence of a Demiurge—a creator figureseparate from the highest transcendentGod (the Monad).
4. An emanationist hierarchy of divinebeings (Aeons) linking the unknowableGod to the material realm.
5. A Saviour/revealer descending from thedivine realm (Pleroma) to impart gnosisand liberate humanity.
6. Belief that each person contains a divinespark (Pneuma), a fragment of the divinelonging to return to its spiritual source.

Scholars view Gnosticism as a stage in religious development that moves from mythic unity, through revelation that creates a gap between humanity and the divine, to mysticism that attempts to bridge that gap—essentially a “revenge of myth” against revelation.

Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in types and images.
One will not receive truth in any other way.

– Gospel of Philip, 3rd Century Gnostic text

From Darkness Unto Light.

The path the Gnostics forged two millennia ago remains open to seekers today. In an age of noise and uncertainty, those who turn inward to the stillness of contemplation can still walk the ancient gates of Initiation, ascend through the subtle planes of the Mysteries, and become true citizens of the City Above—the radiant Kingdom of Light, the Pleroma.

GNOSTIC ESOTERIC STUDY & WORK AIDS

ONLINE RESOURCES

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html

Gnostic.Info

Gnostic History

Awakening to Gnosis

Gnostic Community

Gnostic Scriptures

The Gnosis Archive

The Gnosis Archive is a comprehensive resource on Gnosticism, offering a vast collection of primary documents, audio lectures, and other materials related to the Gnostic tradition, accessible through its [library]

This is arguably the most comprehensive online resource for Gnostic texts, articles, and research materials. It includes:

Search theNag Hammadi Library section. Search the text of Pistis Sophia, translated by G.R.S. Mead Search material in the Valentinus and Valentinian Tradition section. Search the major Patristic Writings. Search the Corpus Hermeticum and text of Thrice-Greatest Hermes.

Gnostic Society

Nag Hammadi Library

Classic Gnostic Scriptures

Valentinus & His Tradition

GRS Mead Collection

Patristic Polemical Works

Christian Apocrypha

Corpus Hermeticum

Manichaean Writings

Mandaean Writings

Cathar Writings

Alchemical Writings

Modern Gnostic Texts

Dead Sea Scrolls

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The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP)

The IEP offers a detailed and scholarly overview of Gnosticism, covering its history, key concepts, major figures, and different schools of thought. It’s written by experts in the field and provides a solid foundation for deeper study.

FROM SITE:

The Philosophical Character of Gnosticism

Gnosticism, as an intellectual product, is grounded firmly in the general human act of reflecting upon existence. The Gnostics were concerned with the basic questions of existence or “being-in-the-world” (Dasein)—that is: who we are (as human beings), where we have come from, and where we are heading, historically and spiritually (cf. Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion 1958, p. 334). These questions lie at the very root of philosophical thinking; but the answers provided by the Gnostics go beyond philosophical speculation toward the realm of religious doctrine and mysticism. However, it is impossible to understand fully the meaning of Gnosticism without beginning at the philosophical level, and orienting oneself accordingly. Since any orientation toward an ancient phenomenon must always proceed by way of contemporary ideas and habits of mind, an interpretative discussion of Gnostic thinking as it applies to Psychology, Existentialism, and Hermeneutics, is not amiss here. Once we have understood, to the extent of our ability, the philosophical import of Gnostic ideas, and how they relate to contemporary philosophical issues, then we may enter into the historical milieu of the Gnostics with some degree of confidence—a confidence devoid, to the extent that this is possible, of tainting exegetical presuppositions.

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Early Christian Writings

This site includes the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostic writings, Church Fathers, and other non-Christian references. The site, curated by Peter Kirby, provides scholarly resources, online books, and patristic references to the New Testament. It also features a blog, forums for discussion, and information on historical Jesus theories. The site encourages users to support it by purchasing the CD version and follows MLA citation style.