Gnosticism — Deep Topics & Comparative Study

13 articles in this section ⏱ 1 min read
About This Section

This section goes beyond the basics to explore Gnosticism in comparison with other traditions and in its broader cultural influence: how it relates to orthodox Christianity, to Kabbalah, to Buddhism, to the Western occult tradition, to Jungian psychology, and to popular culture from The Matrix to Philip K. Dick.

New here? Start with: The Gnostic Gospels — What Are They & Why Do They Matter? →
The best entry point for understanding Gnosticism's place in the broader religious landscape.
13+ Deep topic articles planned
1979 Pagels's Gnostic Gospels wins National Book Award
1999 The Matrix brings Gnostic themes to cinema
Today Gnostic influence in modern spirituality

13 Articles in This Section

01 The Gnostic Gospels — Overview What the Gnostic Gospels are and why they changed history. 02 Gnosticism vs Christianity The fundamental theological differences — side by side. 03 Gnosticism & Heresy How Gnosticism was defined as heresy — and what that meant. 04 The Gnostic View of Salvation Gnosis as salvation — how it differs from every other soteriology. 05 Gnosticism & Kabbalah Parallel structures in Jewish mysticism and Gnostic thought. 06 Gnosticism & Buddhism Surprising overlaps — and profound differences. 07 Gnosticism in Popular Culture The Matrix, Philip K. Dick, VALIS, and modern Gnostic themes. 08 Gnosticism & Neoplatonism Plotinus vs. the Gnostics — the pagan philosopher's attack. 09 The Gnostic View of the Bible How Gnostics read the same scripture and reached opposite conclusions. 10 Gnosticism & Carl Jung The Seven Sermons, individuation, and the Gnostic unconscious. 11 Gnosticism & the Western Occult Tradition Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, and the Gnostic current in Western esotericism. 12 Hermetic Gnosticism The Hermetic texts and their relationship to Gnosticism. 13 The Gnostic View of the Soul Pneuma, psyche, hyle — the Gnostic understanding of the human soul.

The articles in this section assume familiarity with the basics of Gnostic thought. They ask harder questions: not "what did Gnostics believe?" but "how does what Gnostics believed compare to what everyone else believed, and why does it still matter?"

Most articles in this section are coming soon. Start with The Gnostic Gospels for context, or jump straight to a comparison topic that interests you.