Ancient and Contemporary Gnosticism

This course deals with the subject of ancient and contemporary Gnosticism. As such, it describes the origins and beliefs of early Gnosticism, as it arose in the 2nd Century onwards, and the apologetic against it in the Church Fathers. It also traces the thread of incipient Gnosticism as the object of apostolic apologetics within the New Testament. A significant number of New Testament writers deal with Gnostic type thinking, before Gnosticism proper emerged. It then traces some of the history from the early Gnostics through to modern times and shows how various recent and contemporary belief systems represent neo-Gnosticism of some kind. Since Gnostic beliefs have ethical and behavioural implications, it shows how the apostolic apologetic continues to apply here as well. Since Gnosticism elevates and distorts the idea of revelation, forms of Christianity that value prophetic and charismatic experience are particularly vulnerable to Gnostic influence. The course therefore ends with a formulation of the positive biblical approach to revelation.