gnosis
Sign in to saveGnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge (γνῶσις, gnōsis, f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it signifies a spiritual knowledge or insight into humanity's real nature as divine, leading to the deliverance of the divine spark within humanity from the constraints of earthly existence.
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Subtle distinctions
- ''Epignosis''
- ''Episteme''
- Gnosticism
- Mandaeism
- Christian usage
- New Testament
- Patristic literature
- Eastern Orthodox thought
- Islam
- Sufism
- Jewish usage
- Hellenistic Jewish literature
- See also
- References
- Sources
Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge (γνῶσις, gnōsis, f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it signifies a spiritual knowledge or insight into humanity's real nature as divine, leading to the deliverance of the divine spark within humanity from the constraints of earthly existence.
== Etymology == Gnosis is a feminine Greek noun which means "knowledge" or "awareness." It is often used for personal knowledge as opposed to intellectual knowledge (εἴδειν eídein), as with the French connaître compared with savoir, the Portuguese conhecer compared with saber, the Spanish conocer compared with saber, the Italian conoscere compared with sapere, the German kennen rather than wissen, or the Modern Greek γνωρίζω compared with ξέρω.