Gnosticism

[nos-tuh-siz-uh m]

noun Christianity.

a group of ancient heresies, stressing escape from this world through the acquisition of esoteric knowledge.

Origin of Gnosticism

First recorded in 1660–70; Gnostic + -ism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gnosticism

Historical Examples of gnosticism

Intellectualism and gnosticism are not confined to the church.
Herein is Love
Reuel L. Howe
But Reitzenstein avoids the difficulty by appealing to Gnosticism.
The Origin of Paul's Religion
J. Gresham Machen
Gnosticism was a mixture of Hellenic, oriental, and Christian elements.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)
Henry Osborn Taylor
To a certain degree it shares with Gnosticism its anti-Jewish character.
The Christ Myth
Arthur Drews
To examine the history of Gnosticism is not a tempting undertaking.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6
E. Rameur

British Dictionary definitions for gnosticism

Gnosticism

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gnosticism

Gnosticism

1660s, from Gnostic + -ism.