The Essence of the Gnostics

For what is it that the All lacked, if not the knowledge of the Father?' - Gnostic text from the Gospel of Truth

Long before there was a system of belief called Gnosticism there were those who reached for a special intimate knowledge of God and His mysterious ways. The possession of such knowledge, they believed, would bring salvation from suffering.

All religious traditions acknowledged that the world is imperfect. Where they differ is in the explanations they offer for this imperfection - a...