The Episcopal Church Welcomes You
» Site Map   » Questions    
‹‹ Return
Gnosticism 


The features which most gnostic systems share are 1) spirit-matter dualism, with matter regarded as evil; 2) a creation understood as botched, not effected by the supreme God but by a lower "demiurge"; and 3) the existence of an elite group, the "spirituals" (pneumatikoi), who possess a divine spark which longs to be released from the body and return to heaven. This deliverance was to be accomplished through the gnosis offered by the sect. 




Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from "An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians," Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.
Click here to order...


PRINTER FRIENDLY
SEND TO A FRIEND