Proto-Gnosticism

Last updated February 03, 2025

Proto-Gnosticism or pre-Gnosticism refers to movements similar to Gnosticism during the first century of Christianity. Proto-Gnostics did not have the same full-fledged theology of the later Gnostics, but did prefigure some of their views.^[1]^[2] There is, however, some debate regarding the existence of proto-Gnosticism in the first century.^[3]

New Testament

Some believe that the opponents mentioned in 1 John, Jude and 1-2 Corinthians are proto-Gnostics or partly proto-Gnostic.^[4]^[5]^[6] According to some the Corinthian church that was criticized by Paul the Apostle and which existed in the time of Paul included proto-Gnostic beliefs.^[6]

Possible identifications with proto-Gnosticism

Maghāriya were a minor Jewish sect that appeared in the first century BCE, their special practice was the keeping of all their literature in caves in the surrounding hills of Israel. They made their own commentaries on the Bible and the law. The Maghāriya believed that God is too sublime to mingle with matter, thus they did not believe that God directly created the world, but that an angel, which represents God created the earth which is similar to the Mandaean demiurgic Ptahil. Some scholars have identified the Maghāriya with the Essenes or the Therapeutae.^[7]^[8]^[9]
Philo of Alexandria: Some have argued that Philo of Alexandria held a few proto-Gnostic views, because he seems to see knowledge as something in opposition to the flesh, however modern scholarship has criticized the claim.^[10]^[11]^[12]
Odes of Solomon: though most scholars believe the book to be written by a Christian influenced by the Qumran community, a minority have argued that the book has Gnostic views, such as James White.^[13]^{[ self-published source? ]}^[14]^[15]
Some scholars have noted some similarities with the Ascension of Isaiah and Gnostic beliefs.^[16]
Thomasines: Some have claimed that the Thomasines were proto-Gnostic, but it is disputed by scholarship.^[17]^[18]
Slavonic Enoch: the book of 2 Enoch possibly has proto-Gnostic elements.^[19]
Gospel of Mary: The Gospel of Mary can perhaps be identified with proto-Gnosticism.^[20]^[21]

Related Research Articles

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The Essenes or Essenians were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE.

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The Gospel of John is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus and seven "I am" discourses culminating in Thomas's proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."

Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, and he also founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD.

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References

↑ Streett, Daniel R. (2011). They Went Out from Us: The Identity of the Opponents in First John. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-024770-1.
↑ Segal, Alan (2010). Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-87473-3.
↑ Chester, Stephen J. (2005). Conversion at Corinth: Perspectives on Conversion in Paul's Theology and the Corinthian Church. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-04053-4.
↑ Jensen, Matthew D. (2012). Affirming the Resurrection of the Incarnate Christ: A Reading of 1 John. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-56119-8.
↑ Philliber, Michael (2011). Gnostic Trends in the Local Church: The Bull in Christ's China Shop. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-61097-414-1.
1 2 Ooi, Samuel Hio-Kee (2015). A Double Vision Hermeneutic: Interpreting a Chinese Pastor's Intersubjective Experience of 'Shi' Engaging 'Yizhuan' and Pauline Texts. ISD LLC. ISBN 978-0-227-90292-9.
↑ "Minor Sects". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
↑ Stuckenbruck, Loren T.; Gurtner, Daniel M. (2019). T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism Volume Two. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-567-66095-4.
↑ Hastings, James (1957). Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Scribner.
↑ Runia, Douwe (David) (1993). Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature, Volume 3 Philo in Early Christian Literature: A survey. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-27516-4.
↑ Gerlach, Karl (1998). The Antenicene Pascha: A Rhetorical History. Peeters Publishers. ISBN 978-90-429-0570-2.
↑ Martyn, J. Louis (2005). Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-03031-3.
↑ Denzer, Pam. "Odes of Solomon: Early Hymns of the Jewish Christian Mystical Tradition".
↑ White, James R. (1998). Mary--Another Redeemer?. Baker Books. ISBN 978-1-4412-1399-0.
↑ Charlesworth, James H. (1998). Critical Reflections on the Odes of Solomon. Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-85075-660-6.
↑ Helmbold, Andrew K. (1972). "Gnostic Elements in the 'Ascension of Isaiah'". New Testament Studies. 18 (2): 222–227. doi:10.1017/S0028688500012820. ISSN 1469-8145. S2CID 171025228.
↑ Hogeterp, Albert (2010). Expectations of the End: A Comparative Traditio-Historical Study of Eschatological, Apocalyptic and Messianic Ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. Brill. ISBN 978-90-474-2509-0.
↑ Smith, Andrew Phillip (2014). A Dictionary of Gnosticism. Quest Books. ISBN 978-0-8356-3097-9.
↑ Charlesworth, James H. (2010). The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59856-491-4.
↑ Komoszewski, J. Ed; Sawyer, M. James; Wallace, Daniel B. (2006). Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture. Kregel Publications. ISBN 978-0-8254-9756-8.
↑ McLean, B. H. (2014). Hellenistic and Biblical Greek: A Graduated Reader. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-02558-5.

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[1] Streett, Daniel R. (2011). They Went Out from Us: The Identity of the Opponents in First John. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-024770-1.

[2] Segal, Alan (2010). Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-87473-3.

[3] Chester, Stephen J. (2005). Conversion at Corinth: Perspectives on Conversion in Paul's Theology and the Corinthian Church. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-04053-4.

[4] Jensen, Matthew D. (2012). Affirming the Resurrection of the Incarnate Christ: A Reading of 1 John. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-56119-8.

[5] Philliber, Michael (2011). Gnostic Trends in the Local Church: The Bull in Christ's China Shop. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-61097-414-1.

[:0-6] 1 2 Ooi, Samuel Hio-Kee (2015). A Double Vision Hermeneutic: Interpreting a Chinese Pastor's Intersubjective Experience of 'Shi' Engaging 'Yizhuan' and Pauline Texts. ISD LLC. ISBN 978-0-227-90292-9.

[JVL-7] "Minor Sects". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2022-04-12.

[8] Stuckenbruck, Loren T.; Gurtner, Daniel M. (2019). T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism Volume Two. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-567-66095-4.

[9] Hastings, James (1957). Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Scribner.

[10] Runia, Douwe (David) (1993). Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature, Volume 3 Philo in Early Christian Literature: A survey. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-27516-4.

[11] Gerlach, Karl (1998). The Antenicene Pascha: A Rhetorical History. Peeters Publishers. ISBN 978-90-429-0570-2.

[12] Martyn, J. Louis (2005). Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-03031-3.

[:1-13] Denzer, Pam. "Odes of Solomon: Early Hymns of the Jewish Christian Mystical Tradition".

[14] White, James R. (1998). Mary--Another Redeemer?. Baker Books. ISBN 978-1-4412-1399-0.

[:3-15] Charlesworth, James H. (1998). Critical Reflections on the Odes of Solomon. Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-85075-660-6.

[16] Helmbold, Andrew K. (1972). "Gnostic Elements in the 'Ascension of Isaiah'". New Testament Studies. 18 (2): 222–227. doi:10.1017/S0028688500012820. ISSN 1469-8145. S2CID 171025228.

[17] Hogeterp, Albert (2010). Expectations of the End: A Comparative Traditio-Historical Study of Eschatological, Apocalyptic and Messianic Ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. Brill. ISBN 978-90-474-2509-0.

[18] Smith, Andrew Phillip (2014). A Dictionary of Gnosticism. Quest Books. ISBN 978-0-8356-3097-9.

[19] Charlesworth, James H. (2010). The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59856-491-4.

[20] Komoszewski, J. Ed; Sawyer, M. James; Wallace, Daniel B. (2006). Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture. Kregel Publications. ISBN 978-0-8254-9756-8.

[21] McLean, B. H. (2014). Hellenistic and Biblical Greek: A Graduated Reader. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-02558-5.

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Proto-Gnosticism

Contents

New Testament

Possible identifications with proto-Gnosticism

Related Research Articles

References