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Gnosticism: Egyptian Gnosis
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As noted above, schools of Gnosticism can be defined according to one classification system as being a member of two broad categories. These are the 'Eastern'/'Persian' school, and a 'Syrian-Egyptic' school. The former possesses more demonstrably dualist tendencies, reflecting a strong influence from the beliefs of the Persian Zoroastrians. Among the Syrian-Egyptian schools and the movements they spawned are a typically more Monist view. Notable exceptions include relatively modern movements which seem to include elements of both categories, namely: the Cathars, Bogomils, and Carpocratians which are included in their own section.
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Gnosticism consisted of many syncretistic belief systems which combined elements taken from Asian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek and Syrian pagan religions, from astrology, and from Judaism and Christianity. They constituted one of the three main branches of early Christianity: the other two being:
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The development of Gnosticism has been broken down here so that you can explore for yourself the diversely fascinating groups of Gnosticism. While each sect here varies in beliefs and texts, it is important to understand these early Gnostic groups in an effort to fully comprehend the history of Gnosticism and how it has affected present-day Gnosticism. Also included in this section of the site are essays explaining the plight of the Medieval Gnostics, the Persian Gnostics and the Syrian-Egyptian Gnostics.
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The model limits itself to describing characteristics of the Syrian-Egyptian school of Gnosticism. This is for the reason that the greatest expressions of the Persian gnostic school - Manicheanism and Mandaeanism - are typically conceived of as religious traditions in their own right; indeed, the typical usage of 'Gnosticism' is to refer to the Syrian-Egyptian schools alone, while 'Manichean' describes the movements of the Persia school.
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Egyptian Gnosis