Gnosticism Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==== Other Gnostic groups ==== * Serpent Gnostics. The [[Naassenes]], [[Ophites]] and the Serpentarians gave prominence to snake symbolism, and snake handling played a role in their ceremonies.{{sfn|Magris|2005|p=3518}} * [[Cerinthus]] (c. 100), the founder of a school with gnostic elements. Like a Gnostic, Cerinthus depicted Christ as a heavenly spirit separate from the man Jesus, and he cited the demiurge as creating the material world. Unlike the Gnostics, Cerinthus taught Christians to observe the Jewish law; his demiurge was holy, not lowly; and he taught the Second Coming. His gnosis was a secret teaching attributed to an apostle. Some scholars believe that the First Epistle of John was written as a response to Cerinthus.<ref name="gonzález">González, Justo L. (1970). ''A History of Christian Thought, Vol. I''. Abingdon. pp. 132–133</ref> * The [[Cainites]] are so-named since Hippolytus of Rome claims that they worshiped [[Cain]], as well as [[Esau]], [[Korah]], and the [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodomites]]. There is little evidence concerning the nature of this group. Hippolytus claims that they believed that indulgence in sin was the key to salvation because since the body is evil, one must defile it through immoral activity (see [[libertinism]]). The name Cainite is used as the name of a religious movement, and not in the usual Biblical sense of people descended from Cain.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cainite {{!}} Gnostic sect {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cainites |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=21 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref> * The [[Carpocratians]], a [[libertine]] sect following only the [[Gospel of the Hebrews|Gospel according to the Hebrews]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Benko |first1=Stephen |title=The Libertine Gnostic Sect of the Phibionites According to Epiphanius |journal=Vigiliae Christianae |date=1967 |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=103–119 |doi=10.2307/1582042|jstor=1582042 }}</ref> * The school of [[Justin (gnostic)|Justin]], which combined gnostic elements with the [[ancient Greek religion]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=van den Broek |first1=Roelof |title=Gospel Tradition and Salvation in Justin the Gnostic |journal=Vigiliae Christianae |date=2003 |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=363–388 |doi=10.1163/157007203772064568 |jstor=1584560}}</ref> * The [[Borborites]], a libertine Gnostic [[sect]], said to be descended from the [[Nicolaism|Nicolaitans]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Van Den Broek|first1=Roelof|title=Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism|date=2006|publisher=Brill|location=Boston|isbn=978-90-04-15231-1|page=194}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page