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Gnosticism

   Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
Gnos·ti·cism  (nst-szm)
n.
The doctrines of certain pre-Christian pagan, Jewish, and early Christian sects that valued the revealed knowledge of God and of the origin and end of the human race as a means to attain redemption for the spiritual element in humans and that distinguished the Demiurge from the unknowable Divine Being.

Gnosticism [ˈnɒstɪˌsɪzəm]
n
(Non-Christian Religions / Other Non-Christian Religions) a religious movement characterized by a belief in gnosis, through which the spiritual element in man could be released from its bondage in matter: regarded as a heresy by the Christian Church

Gnosticism
the beliefs and practices of pre-Christian and early Christian sects, condemned by the church, especially the conviction that matter is evil and that knowledge is more important than faith, and the practice of esoteric mysticism. — Gnostic, n., adj.
See also: Mysticism
the beliefs and practices of pre-Christian and early Christian sects, condemned by the church, especially the conviction that matter is evil and that knowledge is more important than faith, and the practice of esoteric mysticism. Cf. Cainism, Manichaeism, Valentinianism. — Gnostic, n., adj.
See also: Heresy
the doctrines of any of various dualistic sects among the Jews and the early Christians who claimed possession of superior spiritual knowledge, explained the creation of the world in an emanational manner, and condemned matter as evil. — Gnostic, n., adj.
See also: Philosophy
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.Gnosticism - a religious orientation advocating gnosis as the way to release a person's spiritual element; considered heresy by Christian churches
heresy, unorthodoxy - a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
theological doctrine - the doctrine of a religious group
Mandaeanism, Mandeanism - a Gnostic religion originating the 2nd and 3rd centuries that believes John the Baptist was the Messiah and that incorporates Jewish and Christian elements into a framework of dualistic beliefs
aeon, eon - (Gnosticism) a divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe
Translations
gnosticism [ˈnɒstɪˌsɪzəm] Ngnosticismo m


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In reading how he presents characters' inner lives and spiritual/ecological themes in Outer Dark, Child of God, The Gardner's Son and The Orchard Keeper, Luce (retired, Midlands Technical College, Columbia, South Carolina) traces his developing gnosticism in drawing on mythic imagery and existentialism.
Gnosticism was the movement that declared that the God Jesus claimed as "Father" was different than the God of Israel depicted in the Hebrew Bible.
Fedan draws upon his years of studying Templar history to embed his fictional narrative with historically accurate information and references that include such diverse elements as Gnosticism, medieval military history, royal biographies, and more.
 
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