Gnosticism is the doctrine of salvation by knowledge.

(gnosis =knowledge and gnostikos=good at knowing) Gnosticism gave people who "KNEW" a superior status and their "knowledge" was su ppost to be of the mysteries of the universe and magic formulas or "secrets". Gnosticism had its roots in Eastern orgins and the Greek philosopy of Plato and those of the Hellenized period of time before Christianity. In todays world, Gnosticism is hidden behind the mask of "scholarship" and "high er education". The connection between the Babylonian religion and Gnosticism is now called "Man daean" religion and is unmistakenly connected to Gnosticism. Babylonian astrology and the Gnostic theory of Habdomad and Ogdoad are similar. There are some who would say that Gnostic theories started with Plato, but evide nce points to an Egyptian orgin. The Greek Hellenistic teachings did advance Gn osticism and the philosophical teachings have survived through out all generatio ns. The teachings of pseudo-intellectual evolution and magical knowledge exsist toda y under the name of "higher education"... While Buddhism is ethical and tries to teach the extinction of all desire, Gnost icism teaches a trust in magical knowledge. Trust in astrology, the influence of the planets on the world's affairs and the Chaldean belief of predicting the future based upon the stars is still active to day. The second great component of Gnostic thought is magic, operating by the use of weird names, sounds, gestures, and actions, as also the mixture of elements to p roduce effects totally disproportionate to the cause. These magic formulae, which caused laughter and disgust to outsiders, are not a later and accidental corruption, but an essential part of Gnosticism, for they are found in all forms of Christian Gnosticism and likewise in Mandaeism. No Gnosis was essentially complete without the knowledge of the formulae, which, once pronounced, were the undoing of the higher hostile powers. Magic is the original sin of Gnosticism, nor is it difficult to guess whence it is inherited. To a certain extent it formed part of every pagan religion, especially the anci ent mysteries, yet the thousands of magic tablets unearthed is Assyria and Babyl onia show us where the rankest growth of magic was to be found. All Gnostic sects possessed the rite of baptism in some way; in Mandaeism daily baptism is one of the great practices of the system. The formulae used by Christian Gnostics seem to have varied widely from that en joyed by Christ. The Marcosians said: "In the name of the unknown Father of all, in the Truth, t he Mother of all, in him, who came down on Jesus".

The Elcesaites said: "In the name of the great and highest God and in the name of his Son, the great King". In Irenaeus (I.21.3) we find the formula: "In the name that was hidden from ever y divinity and lordship and truth, which [name] Jesus the Nazarene has put on in the regions of light" and several other formulae, which were sometimes pronounced in Hebrew or Aramaic . The Mandaeans said: "The name of the Life and the name of the Manda d'Haye is n amed over thee". In connection with Baptism the Sphragis was of great importance; in what the se al or sign consisted wherewith they were marked is not easy to say. There was also the tradition of a name either by utterance or by handing a table t with some mystic word on it. The Marcosians went so far as to reject Christian baptism and to substitute a mi xture of oil and water which they poured over the head of the candidate. The balsam was somehow supposed to have flowed from the Tree of Life, and this tree was again mystically connected with the Cross; for the chrism is in the "Ac ta Thomae" called "the hidden mystery in which the Cross is shown to us". The Syrian Gnostic: The universe they symbolized by a triangle enclosed in a circle. The number thre e is the key to all mysteries. There are three supreme principles: the not-gener ated, the self-generated, the generated. There are three logoi, of gods; the Sav iour has a threefold nature, threefold body, threefold power, etc. They are call ed Peretae (peran) because they have "crossed over" out of Egypt, through the Re d Sea of generation. They are the true Hebrews, in fact (the word comes from the Hebrew meaning "to cross over"). The Hellenistic or Alexandrian school: These systems were more abstract, and philosophical, and self-consistent than th e Syrian. Gnostics teach that from God, the Father, emanated numberless Divine, supra-mund ane ons, less and less perfect, which, taken all together, constitute the fullnes s (pleroma) of Divine life. Wisdom, the last of these, produced an inferior wisd om named Achamoth, and also the psychical and material worlds. "Emanation" is illustrated by the comparison with a mirror, which receives the f eatures of a man, although the man and his features remain united. Neo-Platonism: A system of idealistic, spiritualistic philosophy, tending towards mysticism, wh ich flourished in the pagan world of Greece and Rome during the first centuries of the Christian era. It became necessary, in the intellectual world, to impose on the Christians by showing that Paganism was not entirely bankrupt, and, in the political world, to rehabilitate the official polytheism of the State by furnishing an interpretati on of it, that should be acceptable in philosophy. (NOTICE that while this is from the Catholic Encyclopedia...the use of polytheis m is shown to be paganism)