Ist Die Gnosis Aus Dem Christentum Ableitbar? Eine Kritische Auseinandersetzung Mit Einem Ursprungsmodell Der Gnosis

Abstract

Can Gnosticism be derived from Christianity? A critical treatment of a model of origin of Gnosticism. One of the most difficult questions in the history of the study of Gnosticism has been the issue of the origins of gnostic movement, which has not been clarified to date. Various models of the origin of Gnosticism have been developed. One of them is the church historical model that regards Gnosticism as a inner-Christian phenomenon. According to the church historical model, Gnosticism emerged from the mingling of Christian teachings with Greek philosophy. The main representative of that model was Adolf von Harnack in the 19th century; however, the model has had supporters also in the 20th century and continues to even now. In my opinion, the church historical model of origin of Gnosticism is little substantiated and the model does not allow for a satisfactory explanation of the issue of the origin of Gnosticism. In my opinion Gnosticism cannot be derived from Christianity; rather, Gnosticism should be viewed as an independent spiritual movement (or even religion) that evolved at around the same time as Christianity, but independently of it.