how much actual study have you done on this topic?
The "Gnostics", at least one type of Gnostic, were in fact Christians but at the same time there were other types of Gnostic traditions, many pre-dating the Christian era itself. Druidism for an example, has within its traditions a Gnostic element (there were many facets to Druidry, some even suggesting that the Essene were of the same lineage & traditions and get this; they practiced a Gnostic version of the Hebrew faith. . . a tradition that contained far more esoteric perspective and understanding of the healing arts and what some would term "Magick" or "occult" knowledge.)
I'd have to double check the ACTUAL scriptures associated with the Christian-Gnostic traditions, but I don't recall the whole "Archon" thing being "Universal" in their traditions; I forget the name of the book, but I'm pretty certain that idea comes from a far more modern source. True Gnosticism tends to be far more pragmatic in what it teaches and represents; more akin to Buddhism and Hermetics, in that it made humankind responsible for itself and its own "enlightenment" by way of the Gnosis a.k.a. KNOWLEDGE . . . education, the sciences & the arts; NOT superstitious thinking, blind faith, or being subservient to some kind of external force or hierarchy.
Though it's been a while I used to be quite up to snuff when it came to the Gnostic text which frequently get muddled when it comes to the "lost books" of the Bible a.k.a. those that were condemned and omitted from the canon due to political reasoning. Truth is, a big chunk of what some refer to as "Gnostic Text" was deservingly discarded in that the tales within were far more fantastic than anything the brother's Grimm ever considered. . . the statutes of Egypt's gods as well as the Palm Trees bowing in homage to the child Jesus when he entered their land? Give me a break!
You would do well to invest into the following;
The Gnostic Bible --
The Other Bible --
. . . and the works by Elain Pagels the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. She's amazingly approachable when it comes to serious students that actually put time into learning about the Gnostic traditions & teachings.Statistics: Posted by Craig Browning — 18 May 2012, 20:27
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