Gnosticism was a family of religious movements in the first centuries that offered salvation through gnosis, a secret saving knowledge of one's true divine origin. Many forms taught that the material world is evil, made by a lesser creator, and that a divine spark is trapped within us awaiting awakening.

Was Gnosticism part of the early church?

Some Gnostic movements grew up alongside and out of early Christianity and used its language, but the apostolic church rejected them as heresy. We describe this history honestly rather than pretending Gnosticism was simply outside Christianity or simply inside it.

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Christianity & Gnosticism: Knowledge, Matter, and the Divine Spark

This section describes Gnosticism accurately from its own texts, the Nag Hammadi library and the Gospel of Thomas, before saying what the apostolic church believed. It covers salvation by secret knowledge versus grace, whether the material world is evil (and the Incarnation), the divine spark versus the Creator-creature distinction, the Gospel of Thomas beside the canonical Gospels, and the honest history of why the early church rejected it. No caricature, no pressure, read the sources and decide for yourself.

Living Bread is a Christian platform centered on Jesus Christ. Gnosticism was a family of movements in the first centuries that offered salvation through secret knowledge. Some forms grew up alongside and in rivalry with the early church, which rejected them as heresy. We try to describe Gnostic teaching accurately from its own texts (the Nag Hammadi library and the Gospel of Thomas) before we say what the apostolic church believed, and we tell that history honestly rather than as caricature. Come and see.

A note on tone: Gnosticism asked real and searching questions about evil, the soul, and the hiddenness of God. We take it seriously and represent it from its own writings, and we tell the history of the church’s response honestly, including where power and politics played a part. Everything here is an invitation to think, never a demand to agree.

Explore the questions

Secret knowledge and graceThe heart of Gnosticism was gnosis: a saving, often secret, knowledge of who you really are, whe…Is the material world evil?Many Gnostics taught that the material world is a flawed or evil place, not the work of the true…The divine sparkAt the center of much Gnostic teaching is the divine spark: the belief that a fragment of the di…The Gospel of Thomas and JesusThe Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, found among the Nag Ham…Why the early church rejected itGnosticism was, in part, a rival to and offshoot of early Christianity, and the apostolic church…

Frequently asked questions

What is Gnosticism?: Gnosticism was a family of religious movements in the first centuries that offered salvation through gnosis, a secret saving knowledge of one's true divine origin. Many forms taught that the material world is evil, made by a lesser creator, and that a divine spark is trapped within us awaiting awakening.
Was Gnosticism part of the early church?: Some Gnostic movements grew up alongside and out of early Christianity and used its language, but the apostolic church rejected them as heresy. We describe this history honestly rather than pretending Gnosticism was simply outside Christianity or simply inside it.
What does this section cover?: Salvation by secret knowledge versus grace, whether the material world is evil (and the Incarnation), the 'divine spark' versus the Creator-creature distinction, the Gospel of Thomas compared with the canonical Gospels, and the honest history of why the early church rejected Gnosticism.

Come and see

The Gnostics prized a Jesus of hidden sayings for a few. The canonical Gospels give a Jesus who dies and rises in public, for the whole world. The most honest way to weigh the two is to read the Gospel for yourself. No belief is required to read it.

Read the Gospel of John The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus Why Jesus?