Concept in Definition ABC

The term gnosis comes from the Greek and specifically means knowledge. Gnosticism is, in a general sense, that philosophical current that opposes agnosticism.

Thus, while an agnostic is the person who considers it impossible to pronounce on the truth of something (for example, the existence of God), a Gnostic is one who understands that it is possible to know a reality in an absolute way.

In this field there are three differentiated currents. One with one dimension philosophical, another with a magical character and a third steeped in mythology.

Gnosticism in its historical context

From ll d. C started a new debate philosophical in which the tradition philosophy of Plato and, at the same time, a new idea was raised: the problem of the existence of God. Gnosticism as a current of the thought It therefore has a philosophical and theological dimension and those who defended its proposals, the Gnostics, were thinkers related to primitive Christianity and Judaism. Among them we can highlight Valentine, Carpocrates, Marcion or Basilides.

The text most representative of this current is the Gospel of Truth, whose Author It was Valentine. According to this Gnostic thinker, the human being has psychic faculties that come from the Energy of the Creator and whoever knows these faculties can achieve full knowledge of reality.

The Gnostics were characterized by a attitude contrary to traditional Greek thought, since they rejected the intellectual way of knowledge and advocated knowledge based on spirituality and mythology

Magical and Mythological Gnosticism

In this context, the figure of Simon the Magician stands out. There are references to him in the New Testament, where he appears as a magician trying to impress the Samaritans. He argued that there is a force infinite that comes from the Spirit of God and that this force explains the origin of the Universe.

The Mandaeans, also known as Sandeos, were a Jewish-Christian sect and their doctrine represents mythological Gnosticism. His followers were in different territories of the Mediterranean and defended the following ideas:

1) the world arose after a struggle between two forces, light and darkness,

2) the light represents God and below him there is a creative force called Ptahil that is similar to the Platonic demiurge,

3) human beings live in the world dominated by darkness, but after death they will be able to know light and

4) Jesus Christ is considered a false messiah and for the Mandaeans the authentic spiritual reference of Christianity was John the Baptist.

The Mandaean collective is currently a religious minority settled in Iraq that has been persecuted by the Islamic community and was previously persecuted by Christians.

Photo: Fotolia - cosma

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