Where Did Gnosticism Come From?

In this latest episode of Paideia: Ancient Texts and Traditions, Dr. Michael Bird explains and evaluates various theories about the origins of Gnosticism:

The Arch-Heretic Simon Magus (00:1:36)
Acute Hellenization of Christianity (03:00)
Oriental Influences (06:33)
Christian Development (09:14)
Other Scholarly Theories (14:05)
Jewish Origins (15:56)
Conclusion (24:00)

Check out:
   • What is Gnosticism?   What is Gnosticism?
   • What Did Gnostics Believe?   What Did Gnostics Believe?
   / @earlychristianhistorywithm8684   The Channel
   • 1 Clement: An Introduction to an Early Chr...   Paideia: Ancient Texts and Traditions PlayList

Keep with Michael Bird on:

Twitter: mbird12
Threads: michael.bird.33
Substack: michaelfbird.substack.com

Further reading

Christoph Markschies, Gnosis: An Introduction (London: T&T Clark, 2003)
David Brakke, The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual and Diversity in Early Christianity (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010)
M. David Litwa, The Evil Creator: origins of an Early Christian Idea (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021)
Stephen Haar, Simon Magus: The First Gnostic? (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012).

Images from wikimedia commons and unsplash.
Videos from pixabay.
Title sequence by Will Thomasz

#Gnostic #Gnosticism #Heresy