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Gnosticism
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Gnosticism

Esoteric cult of divine knowledge (a synthesis of Christianity, Greek philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the mystery cults of the Mediterranean), which flourished during the 2nd and 3rd centuries and was a rival to, and influence on, early Christianity. The medieval French Cathar heresy and the modern Mandean sect (in southern Iraq) descend from Gnosticism.

Gnostic 4th-century codices discovered in Egypt in the 1940s include the Gospel of St Thomas (unconnected with the disciple) and the Gospel of Mary, probably originating about AD 135. Gnosticism envisaged the world as a series of emanations from the highest of several gods. The lowest emanation was an evil god (the demiurge) who created the material world as a prison for the divine sparks that dwell in human bodies. The Gnostics identified this evil creator with the God of the Old Testament, and saw the Adam and Eve story and the ministry of Jesus as attempts to liberate humanity from his dominion, by imparting divine secret wisdom.



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Based on the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, writings of the 2nd-century Gnostics, this novel offers suspense and intrigue as the alternate gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and Thunder, pass from hand to hand--often at great price.
Malarkey, Tucker. Resurrection by Allison, Susan / Kliatt
On the other hand, Gnostic elements are pulling them in the direction of a disembodied antinomianism.
Second Sunday in Lent: March 4, 2007 by Olson, Timothy V. / Currents in Theology and Mission
From possible alchemical secrets of Mary Magdalene's annointing oil, to the connections that Gnostics and Cathars held to her, to her parallel role to that of ancient goddesses such as Ishtar and Isis, extraterrestrial presence and influence in the Bible and Gnostic texts, how the Knights Templar wrote secret teachings of Jesus and Mary in religious graffiti at Domme, France and much more.
Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator by Internet Bookwatch
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