Existentialism was inspired by the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and the German philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche, Edmund Husserl, and Martin Heidegger. It became popular in the mid-20th century through the works of the French writer-philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir whose versions of existentialism are set out in a popular form in Sartre's 1946 L'Existentialisme est un humanisme, transla ...

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Existentialism, Existentialism - Overview, Existentialism - Major concepts in existentialism, Existentialism - Atheistic Existentialism, Existentialism - Christian Existentialism, Existentialism - Common Threads, Existentialism - Existentialism before 1970, Existentialism - Existentialism since 1970, Existentialism - Criticisms of existentialism, Existentialism - Existentialism in psychotherapy, Existentialism - Major thinkers and authors associated with the movement, Existentialism - Film directors, Existentialism - Novelists and playwrights, Existentialism - Philosophers, Existentialism - Psychologists, Existentialism - Theologians, Existentialism - Existentialism in popular culture, Existentialism - Film, Existentialism - Humour

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The complex nature of gnostic teaching and the fact that much of the material relating to the schools comprising Gnosticism has traditionally come from critiques by orthodox Christians make it difficult to be precise about early Christian gnostic systems. Irenaeus (Adversus Haereses) described several different schools of 2nd century gnosticism in disparaging and often sarcastic detail while contrasting them with Christianity to their detriment. Despite this modern discussion of gnosticism at first relied heavily on Irenaeus and other ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology and philosophical context, Gnosticism - The meaning of 'gnosis', Gnosticism - The Platonist and Aristotelian traditions, Gnosticism - Neoplatonism and Plotinus' 'Address to the Gnostics', Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Heresiologists and gnostic detractors, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts preserved before 1945, Gnosticism - The Nag Hammadi library, Gnosticism - History, Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school, Gnosticism - The development of the Persian school, Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Dualism and monism, Gnosticism - Moral and ritual practise, Gnosticism - Major gnostic schools and their texts, Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Scholars of gnosticism and those influenced by it, Gnosticism - Modern gnostic 'revivals', Gnosticism - Gnosticism in pop culture, Gnosticism - Literature, Gnosticism - Film and television, Gnosticism - Music, Gnosticism - Art, Gnosticism - Computer console and 'tabletop' games

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Overview

Although postmodernist thought became the focus of intellectuals in the 1970s and thereafter (whether the movement is strong today, and what, if anything, has replaced it, still is debated), much postmodern writing is existential--unsurprising, since postmodernism evolved from the thought of Nietzsche and Heidegger (two of the greatest proto-existential philosophers), despite Heidegger's rejecting the existentialist label. One should, however, not confuse postmodernism with existentialism. Thematically postmodern films such as The ...

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Existentialism, Existentialism - Overview, Existentialism - Major concepts in existentialism, Existentialism - Atheistic Existentialism, Existentialism - Christian Existentialism, Existentialism - Common Threads, Existentialism - Existentialism before 1970, Existentialism - Existentialism since 1970, Existentialism - Criticisms of existentialism, Existentialism - Existentialism in psychotherapy, Existentialism - Major thinkers and authors associated with the movement, Existentialism - Film directors, Existentialism - Novelists and playwrights, Existentialism - Philosophers, Existentialism - Psychologists, Existentialism - Theologians, Existentialism - Existentialism in popular culture, Existentialism - Film, Existentialism - Humour

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Herbert Marcuse criticized existentialism, especially in Sartre's Being and Nothingness, for projecting certain features, such as anxiety and meaninglessness, of the modern experience of living in an oppressive society, onto the nature of existence itself: "In so far as Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine, it remains an idealistic doctrine: it hypothesizes specific historical conditions of human existence into ontological and metaphysical characteristics. Existentialism thus becomes part of the very ideology which it attacks, and its radicalism is ...

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Existentialism, Existentialism - Overview, Existentialism - Major concepts in existentialism, Existentialism - Atheistic Existentialism, Existentialism - Christian Existentialism, Existentialism - Common Threads, Existentialism - Existentialism before 1970, Existentialism - Existentialism since 1970, Existentialism - Criticisms of existentialism, Existentialism - Existentialism in psychotherapy, Existentialism - Major thinkers and authors associated with the movement, Existentialism - Film directors, Existentialism - Novelists and playwrights, Existentialism - Philosophers, Existentialism - Psychologists, Existentialism - Theologians, Existentialism - Existentialism in popular culture, Existentialism - Film, Existentialism - Humour

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Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism. Though difficulties have arisen in offering a definitive, categorical definition of gnosticism (see below), various strategies have been employed in overcoming the problem, with varying degrees of success. It is therefore appropriate to offer a typological model of those ancient philosophical movements typically called gnostic; the model offered is adapted from Christoph Markschies' version, as described in Gnosis: An Introduction: ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology and philosophical context, Gnosticism - The meaning of 'gnosis', Gnosticism - The Platonist and Aristotelian traditions, Gnosticism - Neoplatonism and Plotinus' 'Address to the Gnostics', Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Heresiologists and gnostic detractors, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts preserved before 1945, Gnosticism - The Nag Hammadi library, Gnosticism - History, Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school, Gnosticism - The development of the Persian school, Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Dualism and monism, Gnosticism - Moral and ritual practise, Gnosticism - Major gnostic schools and their texts, Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Scholars of gnosticism and those influenced by it, Gnosticism - Modern gnostic 'revivals', Gnosticism - Gnosticism in pop culture, Gnosticism - Literature, Gnosticism - Film and television, Gnosticism - Music, Gnosticism - Art, Gnosticism - Computer console and 'tabletop' games

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism

Some historians accept that there is a significant amount of Buddhist/Hindu influence in Gnostic interpretations of the Bible. The standard tactic of Gnostic texts is to radically reinterpret a well-known text (usually Genesis and its related Biblical books) through the addition of an original prologue. However, this is not to say that gnosticism necessarily post-dates orthodox Christianity; rather, the two developed side by side, and ide ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

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The ultimate foundational elements of gnosticism are pre-Christian. That said, the exact origins of Gnosticism are a subject of dispute amongst scholars: some think Gnosticism is fundamentally pagan in origin, but has adopted a Christian veneer; others trace its origin to Judaism; yet others think it derives from Jesus, and is a development of his teaching that is arguably as valid as the orthodox one. Others still regard Gnosticism as a religious tradition in itself, the manifestation in related "systems" of a perennial philosophy of ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

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Some Gnostics, again in common with such Neoplatonic philosophers as Plotinus, held matter to be evil, but only as a method of depicting its extreme distance from the monadic source of the universe (which is, of course, supremely good). Thus matter is not evil in and of itself, but only in its distance from and its contrast to its monadic source (compare summum bonum). Many Gnostics also made use of ritual; these rituals being the manipulation of material objects in imitation of divine events or occurrences, this presupposes at least the abi ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

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Most Gnostics practiced celibacy and asceticism, on the grounds that the pleasures of the flesh induced the subject to remain ignorant of spiritual realities; a few however practiced libertinism, arguing since the body was evil they should defile it, or that since the body was evil it did not matter what was done with it. This led to further distrust, and was an accusation leveled against other ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Lifestyle

We have two main historical sources for information on Gnosticism: critiques on Gnosticism by orthodox Christians (i.e. Heresiologies such as those written by Tertullian, Hippolytus, Irenaeus and Epiphanius of Salamis), and the original Gnostic works. Neither of these two sources is entirely satisfactory. Attacks on Gnosticism by orthodox Christians, hostile as they are, most likely suffer from some degree of bias; and orthodox Christians had a tendency to conflate the many differing groups opposing them. There were considerably more Gnostic scriptures written than orthodox Christian ones, which are hinted ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

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(Note: It is a matter of controversy if these sects had a real succession of ideas or communion with each other, or if they more or less coincidentally had the same basic doctrine.) First, the gnostic sects are often divided into an eastern, or Persian school, and a Syrian-Egyptic school. The Persian school has a more definitive division between light and darkness, whereas the Syrian-Egyptic school is more platonist in character. The latter is the one usually associated with Gnosticism, and the one known to include several Christian e ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

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The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνώσις), referring to the idea that there is special esoteric knowledge, a key to transcendent understanding, that only a few may possess. Since this is one of the few common defining characteristics of systems typically referred to as 'gnostic', it is an ideal blanket term. Gnosis refers to knowledge of the second kind; therefore, the movements referred to as "gnostic" should be understood as being reliant not on knowledge in a general sense, but ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Etymology

The occult nature of gnostic teaching (as seen from a modern viewpoint) and the fact that much of the material relating to the schools comprising Gnosticism has traditionally come from critiques by orthodox Christians make it difficult to be precise about early Christian gnostic systems. Irenaeus (Adversus Haereses) described several different schools of 2nd century gnosticism in disparaging and often sarcastic detail while contrasting them with Christianity, to their detriment. Nevertheless, most discussion of gnosticism relied heavi ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Overview

Although postmodernist thought became the focus of intellectuals in the 1970s and thereafter (whether the movement is strong today, and what, if anything, has replaced it, still is debated), much postmodern writing is existential--unsurprising, since postmodernism evolved from the thought of Nietzsche and Heidegger (two of the greatest proto-existential philosophers), despite Heidegger's rejecting the existentialist label. One should, however, not confuse postmodernism with existentialism. Thematically postmodern films such as The ...

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Existentialism, Existentialism - Overview, Existentialism - Major concepts in existentialism, Existentialism - Existentialism before 1970, Existentialism - Existentialism since 1970, Existentialism - Criticisms of existentialism, Existentialism - Existentialism in psychotherapy, Existentialism - Major thinkers and authors associated with the movement, Existentialism - Film directors, Existentialism - Novelists and playwrights, Existentialism - Philosophers, Existentialism - Psychologists, Existentialism - Theologians, Existentialism - Existentialism in popular culture, Existentialism - Film, Existentialism - Humour

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Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school. Though the notion of a direct inheritance between the schools described above is disputed, Bentley Layton has sketched out a relationship between the various gnostic movements in his introduction to The Gnostic Scriptures (SCM Press, London, 1987). In this model, Classical Gnosticism and The School of Thomas antedated, and influenced the development of, Valentinus (whom Layton called 'the great [gnostic] reformer' and 'the focal point' of gnostic ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology and philosophical context, Gnosticism - The meaning of 'gnosis', Gnosticism - The Platonist and Aristotelian traditions, Gnosticism - Neoplatonism and Plotinus' 'Address to the Gnostics', Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Heresiologists and gnostic detractors, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts preserved before 1945, Gnosticism - The Nag Hammadi library, Gnosticism - History, Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school, Gnosticism - The development of the Persian school, Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Dualism and monism, Gnosticism - Moral and ritual practise, Gnosticism - Major gnostic schools and their texts, Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Scholars of gnosticism and those influenced by it, Gnosticism - Modern gnostic 'revivals', Gnosticism - Gnosticism in pop culture, Gnosticism - Literature, Gnosticism - Film and television, Gnosticism - Music, Gnosticism - Art, Gnosticism - Computer console and 'tabletop' games

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In 1966 in Messina, Italy, a conference was held concerning systems of gnosis. Among its several aim were the need to incept a program to translate the recently-acquired Nag Hammadi libary (see above) and the need to arrive at an agreement concerning an accurate definition of gnosticism. This was in answer to the tendency, prevalent since the eighteenth century, to use the term 'gnostic' less as its origins implied, but rather as an interpretive category for contemporary philosophical and religious movements. Thus in 1835 New Testamen ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology and philosophical context, Gnosticism - The meaning of 'gnosis', Gnosticism - The Platonist and Aristotelian traditions, Gnosticism - Neoplatonism and Plotinus' 'Address to the Gnostics', Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Heresiologists and gnostic detractors, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts preserved before 1945, Gnosticism - The Nag Hammadi library, Gnosticism - History, Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school, Gnosticism - The development of the Persian school, Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Dualism and monism, Gnosticism - Moral and ritual practise, Gnosticism - Major gnostic schools and their texts, Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Scholars of gnosticism and those influenced by it, Gnosticism - Modern gnostic 'revivals', Gnosticism - Gnosticism in pop culture, Gnosticism - Literature, Gnosticism - Film and television, Gnosticism - Music, Gnosticism - Art, Gnosticism - Computer console and 'tabletop' games

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category

Gnosticism - Scholars of gnosticism and those influenced by it. There follows a list of those figures who are known to have undertaken a study of gnosticism, and who have occasionally incorporated elements of gnostic systems into their own work, or whose own work subsequently contains recognizably gnostic traits. Carl Jung and his associate G. R. S. Mead worked on trying to understand and explain the Gnostic faith from a psychological standpoint. Jung's "analytical psychology" in many ways schematica ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology and philosophical context, Gnosticism - The meaning of 'gnosis', Gnosticism - The Platonist and Aristotelian traditions, Gnosticism - Neoplatonism and Plotinus' 'Address to the Gnostics', Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Heresiologists and gnostic detractors, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts preserved before 1945, Gnosticism - The Nag Hammadi library, Gnosticism - History, Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school, Gnosticism - The development of the Persian school, Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Dualism and monism, Gnosticism - Moral and ritual practise, Gnosticism - Major gnostic schools and their texts, Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Scholars of gnosticism and those influenced by it, Gnosticism - Modern gnostic 'revivals', Gnosticism - Gnosticism in pop culture, Gnosticism - Literature, Gnosticism - Film and television, Gnosticism - Music, Gnosticism - Art, Gnosticism - Computer console and 'tabletop' games

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times

Gnosticism has also seen something of a resurgence in popular culture in recent years. This may be related, certainly, to the sudden availibility of gnostic texts to the reading public, following the emergence of the Nag Hammadi library. Nevertheless, this dissemination of material has not necessarily resulted in a wider understanding of the intricacies of gnosticism; often the influence of gnosticism on modern culture dervies from an understandng of the movement largely subject to the influences of the ancient heresiologists, as being obses ...

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Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology and philosophical context, Gnosticism - The meaning of 'gnosis', Gnosticism - The Platonist and Aristotelian traditions, Gnosticism - Neoplatonism and Plotinus' 'Address to the Gnostics', Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Heresiologists and gnostic detractors, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts preserved before 1945, Gnosticism - The Nag Hammadi library, Gnosticism - History, Gnosticism - The development of the Syrian-Egyptian school, Gnosticism - The development of the Persian school, Gnosticism - Nature and Structure of Gnosticism, Gnosticism - A typological model: the main features of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Dualism and monism, Gnosticism - Moral and ritual practise, Gnosticism - Major gnostic schools and their texts, Gnosticism - 'Gnosticism' as a potentially flawed category,