An ancient religious movement emphasizing salvation through secret spiritual knowledge (gnosis) rather than faith or good works. Gnostics typically viewed the material world as evil and sought to escape it through mystical understanding.
From Greek 'gnosis' meaning 'knowledge,' specifically esoteric or mystical knowledge. The movement flourished in the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, blending Christian, Jewish, and pagan philosophical elements before being declared heretical by orthodox Christianity.
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