Difference between revisions of "Gnosticism"
DrSandstone (talk | contribs) m |
(Fleshed out a bit) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | '''Gnosticism''' (after gnôsis, the [[Greek]] word for "knowledge" or "insight") is the name given to a loosely organized [[religious]] and [[philosophy|philosophical]] movement that flourished in the first and second centuries AD.{{fact}} | + | '''Gnosticism''' (after gnôsis, the [[Greek]] word for "knowledge" or "insight") is the name given to a loosely organized [[religious]] and [[philosophy|philosophical]] movement that flourished in the first and second centuries AD.{{fact}} Though the exact origins of this school of thought cannot be traced with any certainty, it is possible to infer that certain non-canonical sources dating from the first and second centuries BC. |
| + | |||
| + | There are numerous references to the Gnostics in second century proto-orthodox literature. Most of what we know about them is from the polemic thrown at them by the early Church Fathers.<ref>http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gnostics.html</ref> | ||
| + | [[Marcion]] was the most famous of the Gnostics, and he established a "canon" of the Pauline epistles that did not include the pastorals and a "mutilated" Luke. [[Justin Martyr]] mentioned Marcion c. 150 CE, and [[Irenaeus]] and [[Tertullian]] wrote against him extensively in the late second century (in ''Against Heresy'' and ''Against Marcion'', respectively).<ref>ibid.</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 03:10, July 25, 2007
Gnosticism (after gnôsis, the Greek word for "knowledge" or "insight") is the name given to a loosely organized religious and philosophical movement that flourished in the first and second centuries AD.[Citation Needed] Though the exact origins of this school of thought cannot be traced with any certainty, it is possible to infer that certain non-canonical sources dating from the first and second centuries BC.
There are numerous references to the Gnostics in second century proto-orthodox literature. Most of what we know about them is from the polemic thrown at them by the early Church Fathers.[1] Marcion was the most famous of the Gnostics, and he established a "canon" of the Pauline epistles that did not include the pastorals and a "mutilated" Luke. Justin Martyr mentioned Marcion c. 150 CE, and Irenaeus and Tertullian wrote against him extensively in the late second century (in Against Heresy and Against Marcion, respectively).[2]