Most detailed information about Gnosticism comes from the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. Gnostic writings are still emerging from archaeological discoveries, e.g. at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Christians who opposed Gnostics at that time included Irenaeus (Against Heresies), Hippolytus (Refutation of all Heresies), and Ephiphanius (Panarion).
Though Gnostics held a wide variety of beliefs, they shared the common philosophy called “dualism,” based on both Greek and Eastern thought. In simple terms, dualism treats spirit and body as opposites. Dualism often views spirit as good, and body as bad. Gnostics could not accept that God became flesh (John 1:1,14), for that mixed the good and the bad. They found various ways to explain away either Jesus’ deity or His humanity. They also explained away the fact that God (good Spirit) created the world (evil matter). Rejecting Old Testament creation, they invented myths about a distant God that made many lesser gods, who made lesser gods, etc. (They called these gods “principalities and powers,” and the whole collection of gods the pleroma or “fullness.”) The lowest gods accidentally made the mistakes in which we live: physical bodies and a material world. Only a few humans – the Gnostics themselves – had enough pure spirit to understand spiritual ‘mysteries.’ They were fond of terms like ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge.’ Indeed, “Gnostic” comes from the Greek word gnosis meaning “knowledge.” Gnostics, of course, still had to deal with their earthly bodies. Some, called ascetics, tried to control their flesh through harsh rules. Others believed that flesh was too evil to control, so they went wild with drunkenness and immorality, while claiming to ‘know’ God with their minds.
If you are familiar with the New Testament, you realize that the apostles dealt with similar false teachings. 1 John, for example, defeats the error of ‘knowing’ God while living sinfully (1 John 2:4; 3:6; 4:7-8). The roots of Gnosticism were already growing and trying to reshape the church. Dualism was already popular. People often try to bring their favorite ideas and myths into Christianity. Those that wanted strict rules found plenty to borrow from the Law of Moses. Those that wanted to go wild tried to “change the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 1:4).
In Ephesus, Timothy had to guard against “what is falsely called knowledge (gnosis)” (1 Timothy 6:20). He fought the good fight against myths (1 Timothy 1:4; 4:7; 2 Timothy 4:4 cf. Titus 1:14), against genealogies (1 Timothy 1:4 cf. Titus 3:9), against Jewish and ascetic rules (1 Timothy 1:7-10; 4:3), and against teachers that rejected the bodily resurrection (2 Timothy 2:18 cf. 1 Corinthians 15:12). Colosse experienced problems about ascetic laws, about “rulers and authorities,” and the worship of angels (Colossians 2:8-23). Paul exalted Christ as the Head far above every spiritual ruler and power (Ephesians 1:21; 6:12). He corrected false views that made Jesus less than “the fullness” (pleroma) of God (Colossians 2:9). Paul’s letters emphasized the true meaning of words like wisdom, knowledge and mystery. See Colossians 2:2-3 for a good example. John’s writings defended the truth that Christ truly came in the flesh (John 1:1,14; 1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 1:7).
Gnosticism, as a religion that systematically tried to take over Christianity, has now disappeared. Yet sects continually try to revive Gnostic heresies about the nature of God, of Christ, and of man. Dualism continues to exert a strong influence throughout the world. Some who claim to be ‘Christians,’ for example, still deny the truth of the full deity of Jesus. They try to re-write Scripture to make Jesus ‘a god,’ and also a created thing. They try to explain away His bodily resurrection. As another example, many feel that Christian faith is only a matter of the mind or heart. They think that the body has little or no part to play in responding to Christ. They resist biblical baptism because it goes beyond the pure use of the mind to involve the physical body in physical water. While supposedly emphasizing faith, many prefer to trust what they ‘know’ from personal ‘experience,’ rather than trusting the Christ who reveals His will in Scripture. “The apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42) means little to people who want to follow their own desires and feelings (2 Timothy 4:3-4 cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Judges 17:6; Psalm 81:12; Jeremiah 7:24; 11:8; 23:17). Many still use grace as their excuse for disobedience and immorality. Others still think that strict rules solve the problems of human sin. So, while Gnosticism itself has passed away, “the basic principles of this world” (Colossians 2:8) remain as strong as ever. That is why we must, more than ever, listen carefully to the message of The Ephesian Collection.