Gnosticism and the Early Church

Gnosticism is an ideal of enlightenment for spiritual elite in which knowledge about the body and spirit is exclusive to a particular group. Throughout the early first and second century, numerous Gnostic groups flourished with the common belief that the world and evil emerged from a disorder among the divine powers and how, by understanding one’s true nature, the soul can be freed from the body and returned to its true origin (Placher 11). Gnosticism emerged autonomously from Christianity and in turn contrasted numerous teachings of Orthodox Christianity. Gnostic groups had a particular lifestyle in which ascetic principles were often practiced. Practices and beliefs of Gnostic sects caused questioning as well as reformation in the early church that would in turn help shape its identity.
Gnostic groups encompassed numerous vivid beliefs often contrasting them to Christianity, however, variations of these beliefs often separated individual sects. As Placher states, “Th...