Gnosticism

American  

[nos-tuh-siz-uhm] / ˈnɒs təˌsɪz əm /

noun

Christianity.

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

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Gnosticism British  

/ ˈnɒstɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of Gnosticism

First recorded in 1660–70; Gnostic + -ism

Example Sentences

Through a bizarre philosophy that wove Kabbalah, Gnosticism and Sabbatai’s ideas with worship of the Divine Mother, Frank believed he was achieving tikkun olam, the Jewish ideal of repairing the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2022

I bought a house there from a chapter of the Order of the Oriental Templars once run by Aleister Crowley, who had his own take on Gnosticism.

From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2021

Various theologies, such as Gnosticism and the Kabbalah, suggest that not even God can bear to dwell in absolute oneness.

From Scientific American • Nov. 17, 2018

In Gnosticism, for example, there is the fabulous story of the Hebdomad, seven Archons, abstract creatures with the power to create or destroy a world.

From The Guardian • Mar. 19, 2013

Nothing is more astounding, on their own showing, than the ignorance of the Fathers about the nature, the significance, the descent of Gnosticism, and its rootage in the remotest past.

From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.