THEO 206 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Justin Martyr, New Testament Apocrypha, Docetism
26 Mar 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Issues for 2nd - 3rd century where christianity dealt with: gnosticism: movement that developed, presented challenges against proto-orthodox. Esoteric (intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest. ) religious movement that flourished during the 2nd and. 3rd centuries ad and presented a major challenge to christianity. The circular, harmonic cross was an emblem used most notably by the cathars, a medieval group that was associated with gnosticism (source: wikipedia) The physical world itself is inherently evil, in opposition to the world of the spirit (which is good) These offspring, in pairs, reproduced: an accident occurred when one divine being (sophia, a feminine deity) separated from the rest and spontaneously generated another being. The latter, born outside the divine realm, was evil. Sophia was captured and imprisoned in the material world in the bodies of humans: many humans (though not all) have this spark of divinity in them.
