Throughout the first two hundred years of Christianity, the apostles and early believers “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) as they spread Jesus’ kingdom teachings throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.  Not surprisingly, Satan actively opposed their work, and the early Christians faced resistance not only from unbelievers but also from heretical teachers who arose from within the church.

The heresies of the first two centuries were promoted by eight main teachers – Basilides, Carpocrates, Cerinthus, Marcion, Nicolas, Saturninus, Simon Magus, and Valentinus.  While their teachings were slightly different, they all held to the same basic tenets and were collectively termed Gnostics (from the Greek word meaning knowledge).  Gnosticism was the primary heresy that the early church faced.

Background of the Gnostic teachers

Basilides was from Alexandria, Egypt.  He taught from AD 117 to 138 and claimed to receive special revelation from God through the apostle Matthias. Basilides’ views were diverse; he taught variations of reincarnation, theistic evolution, and predestination.

Carpocrates was also from Alexandria but established his sect in Cephalonia, Greece.  He taught that the human soul must experience every type of sin in this life in order to escape reincarnation and obtain eternal life.  As a result, his followers practiced magic, polygamy, and rampant immorality.

Cerinthus studied at Alexandria and was influential in the last half of the first century during the writing of the New Testament.  Cerinthus claimed to receive his teaching from angels; he believed that the world was made by angels, that God was no more than an angel, and that Jesus was not divine.  According to fourth-century writer Epiphanius (in his comprehensive work Panarion, a history of heretical sects), Cerinthus taught that Gentile believers were bound by the Mosaic Law, and the Jerusalem Council convened in AD 50 to address this issue (Acts 15).  Cerinthus gained a following in Asia Minor and Galatia; and according to Epiphanius, Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians in order to refute the heresies of Cerinthus.  It was well known during the first century that the apostle John actively opposed Cerinthus’ teachings, even leaving a bath-house “because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within” (as recounted by Polycarp and written down by Irenaeus).  According to Irenaeus, John wrote his gospel specifically to combat the teachings of Cerinthus.

Marcion of Synope (c. 85-160) was one of the leading Gnostic teachers of the second century.  He believed in two separate Gods – a harsh, just God of the Old Testament and a good, loving God of the New Testament.  Like the other Gnostics, he believed that the material world was evil; he also prohibited marriage and denied a future resurrection of the body.  Marcion rewrote portions of Paul’s writings and the Gospel of Luke, compiling them into what he considered the authentic canon of Scripture.  The prominence of this false canon eventually led to the compilation of the New Testament canon that is recognized today.  Early Christians vehemently opposed Marcion’s heresies, and Irenaeus recounts a conversation in which Marcion met Polycarp and asked, “Do you know me?”  Polycarp replied, “I do know you, the firstborn of Satan!”

Nicolas was one of the seven deacons appointed in Acts 6:5; however, he later departed from the faith, living in unrestrained luxury, practicing immorality, and eating food offered to idols.  His followers were the Nicolaitans. In Revelation 2:6 (also verses 15-16), Jesus specifically condemned this group but praised the early church for their opposition to these heresies: “You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

Saturninus was from Antioch and taught doctrines similar to those of Basilides.  His most noteworthy teaching was that of predestination, as summarized by Irenaeus: “This heretic was the first to declare that two kinds of men were created by the angels – one kind who are wicked and the other who are good.”

Simon Magus of Samaria was baptized by Phillip but later offered the apostles money to receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24).  Following this account in Acts, he began to deceive his own people, teaching that he was God in the flesh.  Emperor Claudius Caesar eventually built a statue in his honor, and many people worshipped him as a god.  Although Simon Magus’ sphere of influence was limited and faded quickly, the early Christian writers considered him the founder of Gnosticism.

Valentinus (c. 100-160), the most influential of the Gnostic teachers, studied in Alexandria and later taught in Rome.  Because of his education and intellect, he expected to become bishop of the church at Rome.  However, when another man was chosen, he turned against the church and began promoting Gnostic heresy.  Like the other Gnostics, Valentinians rejected the necessity of good works, believing that people would receive eternal salvation because they were spiritual by nature.  Irenaeus devoted nearly an entire volume of the 5-volume work Against Heresies to combat the teachings of the Valentinians; and Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian also wrote extensively against these heresies.

What else did they teach?

The Gnostics’ teachings varied somewhat, as each group had a slightly different focus.  However, all of the Gnostics believed that they had obtained knowledge peculiar to their group – often given by divine or angelic revelation.  A key premise of all the Gnostics was that the material world was evil and to be avoided.  Consequently, they came to the following conclusions:

• Jesus did not come in the flesh.  According to Irenaeus, “They deny that the Son assumed anything material.  For [according to them] matter is indeed incapable of salvation.”
• Because the material world should be rejected, good works play no role in salvation.  Many of the Gnostics lived wicked and immoral lives because they believed that lifestyle did not affect their ultimate salvation.  Irenaeus wrote, “The ‘most perfect’ among the Valentinians addict themselves without fear to all kinds of forbidden deeds.  I mean, the deeds of which the Scriptures assure us that ‘those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’”
• People are predestined to be saved or condemned.  Saturninus was the first to teach this doctrine, and the other Gnostics followed suit.  According to the heretic Manes, “If man is fashioned of the evil nature, it is manifest that he is such a fruit whether he sins or does not sin.  From this, this name and race of men are once for all and absolutely of this character.”  Clement of Alexandria countered, “The teachings of both the Old and the New Testaments are unnecessary if a person is saved by nature (as Valentinus would have it) and is a believer and an elect man by nature (as Basilides thinks).”
• Because works play no part in salvation, those who are saved are eternally secure.  Irenaeus wrote, “[The Valentinians] hold that they will be entirely saved for a certainty – not by means of their conduct, but because they are spiritual by nature.”

Where did their teachings come from?

While some of the Gnostic teachings may sound familiar and seem acceptable in modern culture, others are entirely foreign to twenty-first century ears.  However, the Gnostics were surprisingly unified in what they taught.  Did their beliefs have a common source?

The Gnostic heresies originated from the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, and other pagan Greek philosophers.  For example, Pythagoras developed the idea of metempsychosis (a form of reincarnation) that was later incorporated into the teachings of Basilides and Carpocrates.  Plato believed that the spirit is good but matter is evil, a philosophy fundamental to most Gnostic teachings.  According to Hippolytus, Basilides borrowed nearly all of his teachings from Aristotle.

Pythagoras (c. 570-495 BC) heavily influenced Plato (c. 425-347 BC), who taught Aristotle (384-322 BC), who taught Alexander the Great (356-323 BC).  Between the death of Alexander the Great and the rise of the Roman Empire, the 300-year Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) saw the spread of Greek culture and philosophy throughout the entire Mediterranean region.

At the time of the early church, the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, and others were common knowledge and an important part of the culture.  Thus it is no surprise that when the Gnostic teachers rejected the foundational doctrines of Christianity, they chose to be part of the world’s philosophy and culture rather than follow Jesus’ teachings regarding separation.

What about you?

At this point, it is wise to take a break from the historical account and spend some time in personal reflection.  Have you embraced any of the Gnostic teachings?  Do you deny that Jesus came in the flesh?  Do you believe that works play no role in salvation, or that your salvation is eternally secure and cannot be lost?  Do you believe that a person’s eternal destiny is predestined and not a result of free will?  Do you live in disobedience to the clear commands of Scripture, as did the Gnostics who lived for pleasure?  As discussed above, these teachings did not come from Jesus and the Bible; rather, they originated with the Greek philosophers and heretics.

As Scripture warns, many false teachers have gone out into the world – and even into the church – and have deceived many people (2 John 7).  What if your church leaders were among the ones deceived?  What if those who influenced your church’s doctrine – whether Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Pope John Paul II, Athanasius the Great, or even modern-day theologians and commentators – were themselves deceived?  Could some of them have been false teachers?

But the Scriptures say…

Maybe you were taught that your beliefs came directly from the Scriptures.  Perhaps you even researched the issues yourself, comparing Scripture passages and consulting commentaries to explain what you didn’t understand.  Somehow, the commentators were able to fill in the gaps.

The early Christians approached the issue differently.  They read the Scriptures and understood each passage to mean exactly what it said.  There were no commentaries because they didn’t need any; the words of Jesus were self-explanatory.  However, as the Gnostics began to develop their own doctrines, they were forced to twist Scripture to fit what they believed.  Rather than looking to Scripture to inform their theology, the Gnostics reinterpreted Scripture to explain their theology and fill in the gaps.

• “When those who follow heresies venture to avail themselves of the prophetic Scriptures, [they do the following]: In the first place, they do not use all the Scriptures.  Secondly, they do not quote them entirely.  Finally, they do not quote them as the body and context of prophecy prescribes.  Rather, selecting ambiguous expressions, they twist them to suit their own opinions, gathering a few expressions here and there.  Instead of looking to the sense, they make use of the mere words.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “Where diversity of doctrine is found, there, then, must be corruption both of the Scriptures and the explanations of them. . . . One man perverts the Scriptures with his hand, another their meaning by his exposition.  For although Valentinus seems to use the entire volume [of Scripture], he has nonetheless laid violent hands on the truth only with a more cunning mind and skill than Marcion.  Marcion expressly and openly used the knife, not the pen, since he made such an excision of the Scriptures as suited his own subject-matter.  Valentinus, however, abstained from such excision, because he did not invent Scriptures to square with his own subject-matter, but adapted his matter to the Scriptures; and yet he took away more, and added more, by removing the proper meaning of every particular word, and adding fantastic arrangements of things which have no real existence.” – Tertullian (c. 197)

Second-century writer Irenaeus penned a five-volume work Against Heresies, exposing and refuting the Gnostic teachings.  In a chapter entitled “How the Valentinians Pervert the Scriptures to Support Their Own Pious Opinions,” Irenaeus wrote:

• “Such, then, is their system, which neither the prophets announced, nor the Lord taught, nor the apostles delivered, but of which they boast that beyond all others they have a perfect knowledge.  They gather their views from other sources than the Scriptures; and, to use a common proverb, they strive to weave ropes of sand, while they endeavor to adapt with an air of probability to their own peculiar assertions the parables of the Lord, the sayings of the prophets, and the words of the apostles, in order that their scheme may not seem altogether without support.  In doing so, however, they disregard the order and the connection of the Scriptures, and so far as in them lies, dismember and destroy the truth.  By transferring passages, and dressing them up anew, and making one thing out of another, they succeed in deluding many through their wicked art in adapting the oracles of the Lord to their opinions.  Their manner of acting is just as if one, when a beautiful image of a king has been constructed by some skillful artist out of precious jewels, should then take this likeness of the man all to pieces, should rearrange the gems, and so fit them together as to make them into the form of a dog or of a fox, and even that but poorly executed; and should then maintain and declare that this was the beautiful image of the king which the skillful artist constructed, pointing to the jewels which had been admirably fitted together by the first artist to form the image of the king, but have been with bad effect transferred by the latter one to the shape of a dog, and by thus exhibiting the jewels, should deceive the ignorant who had no conception what a king’s form was like, and persuade them that that miserable likeness of the fox was, in fact, the beautiful image of the king.”

What did the early Christians say about the Gnostics?

Many of the early Christian writers wrote extensively against the Gnostics.  In the second century, Irenaeus penned the five-volume work Against Heresies that influenced Christian writers for centuries. In his Stromata (or Miscellanies), Clement of Alexandria contrasted the lifestyle of the Gnostic with that of the person who truly knows God.  Near the beginning of the third century, Tertullian wrote The Prescription Against Heretics, The Five Books Against Marcion, and several shorter works exposing the heresies of other Gnostic teachers.  Around the same time, Hippolytus penned The Refutation of All Heresies, a thorough work explaining and refuting the doctrines of paganism and 33 Gnostic heresies.  In the fourth century, Epiphanius of Salamis wrote the Panarion, a 7-volume work refuting 80 heresies since the time of Adam.

Following are excerpts from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, indicating how the early church viewed and responded to the Gnostics:

• “It is fitting, therefore, that you should keep aloof from such persons [i.e. the Gnostics].  You should not speak to them either in private or in public.” – Ignatius (c. 105)
• “How much more will this be the case with anyone who by wicked doctrine corrupts the faith of God, for which Jesus Christ was crucified!  Such a one becomes defiled.  He will go away into everlasting fire, and so will everyone that listens to him.” – Ignatius (c. 105)
• “Cerdon, too, was Marcion’s predecessor. . . . Having been denounced for corrupt teaching, he was excommunicated from the assembly of the brethren.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “There are also those who heard from [Polycarp] that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, ‘Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.’  And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, “Do you know me?”  “I do know you, the firstborn of Satan.”  Such was the horror which the apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication with any corrupters of the truth; as Paul also says, “A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he is subverted, and sins, being condemned of himself.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “I wonder how some dare to call themselves ‘perfect’ and ‘Gnostics.’  They are inflated and boastful, viewing themselves above the apostle.  For Paul himself acknowledged about himself: ‘Not that I have already attained or am already perfect.’” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “You should keep at arm’s length those [Gnostics]. . . who are servants above their Lord, and disciples above their Master.” – Tertullian (c. 197)

In the preface to Against Heresies, Irenaeus wrote the following:

• “Inasmuch as certain men have set the truth aside, and bring in lying words and vain genealogies, which, as the apostle says, ‘minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith,’ and by means of their craftily-constructed plausibilities draw away the minds of the inexperienced and take them captive, I have felt constrained, my dear friend, to compose the following treatise in order to expose and counteract their machinations [i.e. schemes].  These men falsify the oracles of God, and prove themselves evil interpreters of the good word of revelation.  They also overthrow the faith of many, by drawing them away, under a pretense of superior knowledge. . . . By means of specious and plausible words, they cunningly allure the simple-minded to inquire into their system; . . . and these simple ones are unable, even in such a matter, to distinguish falsehood from truth.  Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected.  But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced . . . more true than the truth itself.”

What did the apostles say about the Gnostics?

Since several of the early Gnostic teachers (Cerinthus, Nicolas, and Simon Magus) rose to prominence while the apostles were still alive, it is no surprise that Peter, Paul, John, and other New Testament writers warned against such heresies in their epistles.  With an understanding of the basic Gnostic teachings, it is easy to recognize passages that were specifically referring to these false teachers:

• “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.  For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” – Romans 16:17-18
• “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” – Galatians 1:6-8
• “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you.  Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.” – 1 Timothy 6:20-21
• “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.  Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. . . . Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.  But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction.” – 2 Peter 2:1-3, 10-12
• “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” – 1 John 4:1-3
• “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.  Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God.  Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” – 2 John 7-11
• “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.  For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. . . . Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones . . . These people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively . . .for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” – Jude 3-4, 8, 10, 13

As one who lived shortly after the apostles and was familiar with the cultural and historical context of the New Testament, Tertullian offers additional insight into the writings of the apostles:

• “Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, sets his mark on certain who denied and doubted the resurrection.  This opinion was the especial property of the Sadducees.  A part of it, however, is maintained by Marcion and Apelles and Valentinus, and all other impugners of the resurrection.  Writing also to the Galatians, he inveighs against such men as observed and defend circumcision and the Mosaic law.  Thus runs Hebion’s heresy.  Such also as ‘forbid to marry’ he reproaches in his instructions to Timothy.  Now, this is the teaching of Marcion and his follower Apelles.  The apostle directs a similar blow against those who said that ‘the resurrection was past already.’  Such an opinion did the Valentinians assert of themselves.  When again he mentions ‘endless genealogies,’ one also recognizes Valentinus. . . . The same apostle, when disapproving of those who are ‘in bondage to elements,’ points us to some dogma of Hermogenes, who introduces matter as having no beginning, and then compares it with God, who has no beginning.  By thus making the mother of the elements a goddess, he has it in his power ‘to be in bondage’ to a being which he puts on par with God.  John, however, in the Apocalypse is charged to chastise those ‘who eat things sacrificed to idols,’ and ‘who commit fornication.’  There are even now another sort of Nicolaitans.  Theirs is called the Gaian heresy.  But in his epistle he especially designates those as ‘Antichrists’ who ‘denied that Christ was come in the flesh,’ and who refused to think that Jesus was the Son of God.  The one dogma Marcion maintained; the other, Hebion.  The doctrine, however, of Simon’s sorcery, which inculcated the worship of angels, was itself actually reckoned amongst idolatries and condemned by the Apostle Peter in Simon’s own person.”

According to fourth-century writer Epiphanius, the heretic Cerinthus sent false teachers to area churches to teach that Gentile believers were bound by the Mosaic Law.  As a result, the Jerusalem Council convened in AD 50 to address this issue, as told in Acts 15.  Cerinthus gained a following in Asia Minor and Galatia; and according to Epiphanius, Paul wrote the epistle of Galatians specifically to refute the heresies of Cerinthus.

It was well known during the first century that the apostle John actively opposed Cerinthus’ teachings, even leaving a bath-house “because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within” (as told by Polycarp and written down by his student Irenaeus).  According to Irenaeus, John wrote his gospel to combat the teachings of Cerinthus:

• “John, the disciple of the Lord, preaches this faith, and seeks, by the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men, and a long time previously by those termed Nicolaitans, who are an offset of that ‘knowledge’ falsely so called, that he might confound them. . . . The disciple of the Lord therefore desiring to put an end to all such doctrines, and to establish the rule of truth in the Church, that there is one Almighty God, who made all things by His Word, both visible and invisible; showing at the same time, that by the Word, through whom God made the creation, He also bestowed salvation on the men included in the creation; thus commenced His teaching in the Gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made.  What was made was life in Him, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.’ . . . ‘He was in this world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.  He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.’  But according to Marcion, and those like him, neither was the world made by Him; nor did He come to His own things, but to those of another.  And, according to certain of the Gnostics, this world was made by angels, and not by the Word of God. . . . The Gospel affirms plainly, that by the Word, which was in the beginning with God, all things were made, which Word, he says, ‘was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’  But, according to these men, neither was the Word made flesh, nor Christ, nor the Savior.”

What did Jesus say about the Gnostics?

Jesus Himself had strong words for the Gnostic heresies.  In Revelation 2:6, Jesus commended the church of Ephesus for their opposition to false teachers: “You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”  The Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolas, one of the seven deacons appointed in Acts 6:5 who later departed from the faith.  His followers lived for pleasure, pursuing luxury, living in immorality, and eating food offered to idols.  According to the early Christians, the Nicolaitans were an early Gnostic sect, later influencing other false teachers, including Cerinthus:

• “John, the disciple of the Lord, preaches this faith, and seeks, by the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men, and a long time previously by those termed Nicolaitans, who are an offset of that ‘knowledge’ falsely so called, that he might confound them.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)

Jesus further condemns this group in Revelation 2:15-16: “So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Jesus said that He hates the works of the Nicolaitans.  He commended the church at Ephesus for hating their deeds, and He warned those who hold to such teachings that He would come and “war against them.”  Many people today live as Nicolaitans – living for pleasure, seeking comfort and luxury, daily becoming more and more desensitized to sin.  How frightening would it be on Judgment Day to realize that you were part of something that the Lord hates – while your entire life, you thought you were part of His true church?

Others have done their best to live godly lives, but they have believed the teachings of the Gnostics – people who were influenced by the Nicolaitans.  Some have actively taught Gnostic doctrines to their congregations, students, or families – while believing that such teachings were from the Bible.  How terrifying would it be on Judgment Day to be exposed as a false teacher?  Perhaps this is why James 3:1 warns, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

Are you a Gnostic?

2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.”  Are you living as a true follower of Jesus Christ?  Are your doctrines the ones that were passed down from Jesus and the Apostles, or have you been deceived into believing and practicing heresy?

The Gnostics were guilty of “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).  Has your church been guilty of the same?  Have you?

1 Peter 5:5 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  It takes humility to reexamine one’s deepest convictions when the evidence leads elsewhere.  It takes courage to question the opinions of trusted authority figures – and to face the opposition of those who do not understand. It takes character to turn from what you have believed your entire life because the Bible teaches otherwise.

The apostles and early Christians were people of humility, courage, and character.  Will you follow in their footsteps?