Gnosticism

Jennifer A. Jones
Dr. Farthing
September 23, 2002

The 1945 discovery at Nag Hammadi of thirteen papyrus scrolls uncovered new insights and excited historians and theologians around the globe. Until this time, little was known about the mysterious religion of Gnosticism. It evolved into one of the main belief systems of the 1st century and helped shape modern religious traditions, including Orthodox Christianity. The Nag Hammadi finds revealed many things about this religion, including a better understanding of the basic belief system, their view on women, and the divergence from prevalent Orthodox Christian ideas. Elaine Pagels book The Gnostic Gospels clearly outlines excellent information on these views and understandings of Gnosticism.
The Gnostic belief system sounds absurd to the modern Christian ear. From the early pages of the introduction to the last few sentences of the conclusion, Pagels delineates major differences in the practices of Orthodox Christians and...