ABSTRACT

In modern times the words “gnostic” and “gnosticism” have been applied to a dizzying hodgepodge of things, from political movements (Voegelin 1968), to literary figures (Grimstad 2002), to liberal Protestants (Lee 1987), to American anti-abortion theologies (Bloom 1992), and many more. Why? In large measure, because the label “gnostic” has been laden with denotative ambiguity throughout its history, beginning with the term’s first uses in early Christian circles.