Gnosticism

the long version

The three centuries following the death of Jesus were a momentous and turbulent era in Western religious thought. During this time, as Christianity began its massive growth, few if any influences on the theological landscape were as significant as the religious movements know as Gnosticism. Gnosticism intersected deeply with early Christian thought, sparking religious ideologies that competed with the theological thinking that came to define Christianity. Though Gnosticism was eventually branded as heretical by the emerging orthodox church, the church formed many of its most central doctrines in response to Gnostic ideas.