The Gnostics thought they had secret, special knowledge hidden from ordinary people. Their name comes from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” As Christianity spread, the Gnostics mixed some doctrines and elements of Christian­ity into their beliefs, morphing Gnosticism into a counterfeit Christianity. Perhaps they did it to keep recruitment numbers up and make Jesus a poster child for their cause. However, for their system of thought to fit with Christianity, Jesus needed to be rein­vented, stripped of both his humanity and his absolute deity. [Read more…]