What did the ophites believe?

The Ophites acknowledged Jesus as the savior, but rejected the importance of the crucifixion; Christ came to reveal gnosis (knowledge), not to die for people’s sins. One Ophitic hymn, the Hymn of the Naasenes, survives.

What is Gnostic dualism?

Gnostic systems postulate a dualism between God and the world, varying from the “radical dualist” systems of Manichaeism to the “mitigated dualism” of classic gnostic movements.

What is Gnosticism heresy?

GNOSTICISM: GNOSTICISM AS A CHRISTIAN HERESY. Their orthodox opponents sought to prove that such persons were not Christians on the grounds that Gnostic rites were occasions of immoral behavior, that their myths and doctrines were absurd, and that their intentions were destructive to true worship of God.

What are the Gnostic Gospels?

The Gnostic Gospels: The 52 texts discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt include ‘secret’ gospels poems and myths attributing to Jesus sayings and beliefs which are very different from the New Testament.

How is gnosticism different from Christianity?

Mainstream Christianity (and the mainstream forms of most religions) primarily deal with the importance of belief in God. Gnosticism deals with methods to directly experience God. The common ground they share is that they both stress the importance of ethics. They differ in how they view the attainment of salvation.

Who wrote the Gospel of Mary Magdalene?

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene: Jean-Yves Leloup, Joseph Rowe, Jacob Needleman: 9780892819119: Amazon.com: Books.

Are the Gnostics Ophites?

Irenæus, who, toward the end of the second century, wrote a history of heresy, did not know the Gnostics under the name of “Ophites”; but Clement (“Stromata,” vii. 17, § 108) mentions beside the “Cainists” ( see Cain) the “Ophians” (Οφιανοί), saying that their name is derived from the object of their worship.

What is the history of the Ophites?

See Article History. Ophite, (from Greek ophis, “serpent”), member of any of several Gnostic sects that flourished in the Roman Empire during the 2nd century ad and for several centuries thereafter. A variety of Gnostic sects, such as the Naassenes and Cainites, are included under the designation Ophites.

What does Ophite mean in the Bible?

Ophite. Ophite, (from Greek ophis, “serpent”), member of any of several Gnostic sects that flourished in the Roman Empire during the 2nd century ad and for several centuries thereafter. A variety of Gnostic sects, such as the Naassenes and Cainites, are included under the designation Ophites.

What is the Ophite view of the fall of Genesis?

The Ophite s (from the Greek word ophis, “serpent”) offered a new interpretation of the Fall of Genesis. According to the Ophite view, the serpent of the Garden of Eden wanted Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, to eat from the tree of knowledge ( gnosis )…