gnostic
Privy to mysteries
Gnostic describes someone who claims to have special spiritual knowledge or insight, particularly regarding divine mysteries.
The term comes from the Greek word for knowledge and most commonly appears in religious contexts, especially referring to early Christian sects that emphasized secret wisdom as the path to salvation.
In modern usage, gnostic can describe anyone who believes in the possibility of knowing ultimate truths, as opposed to an agnostic who doubts such knowledge is attainable.
Divine cosmic craftsman
- aeonImmense stretch of time
- archonGreek city-state magistrate
- SophiaGreek-derived feminine name
- pneumaGreek vital spirit
cosmology · dualism · Bogomilism · apocrypha · emanation · cosmogony · theodicy · monad
Deliverance from harm
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
- soulInnermost animating essence
divine spark · liberation · ascension · enlightenment · illumination · sanctity · faith · devotion
Experiential sacred understanding
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- understandingMental comprehension of something
awareness · comprehension · perception · enlightenment · realization · discernment · wisdom · intuition
Understood by few
- occultConcealed from view
- crypticObscure in meaning
- hiddenKept out of sight
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
secret · veiled · concealed · enigmatic · recondite · abstruse · inscrutable · cabalistic
Contrary to accepted doctrine
- unorthodoxContrary to accepted practice
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
- apostateOne who renounces faith
- schismaticOne who divides believers
dissenting · nonconformist · sectarian · anathema · excommunicated · blasphemous · deviant · revisionist
demiurge
Divine cosmic craftsman
pneuma · cosmology · dualism · Bogomilism · apocrypha · emanation · cosmogony · theodicy · monad
salvation
Deliverance from harm
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
soul · divine spark · liberation · ascension · enlightenment · illumination · sanctity · faith · devotion · meditation
gnosis
Experiential sacred understanding
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
understanding · awareness · comprehension · perception · enlightenment · realization · discernment · wisdom · intuition · consciousness
arcane
Understood by few
mysterious · secret · veiled · concealed · enigmatic · recondite · abstruse · inscrutable · cabalistic · hermetic
heterodox
Contrary to accepted doctrine
- unorthodoxContrary to accepted practice
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
- apostateOne who renounces faith
schismatic · dissenting · nonconformist · sectarian · anathema · excommunicated · blasphemous · deviant · revisionist · syncretistic
gnosticagnostic
Flexible across platforms
nescient · unknowing · skeptic · doubter · unbelieving
agnostic, gnosticism, agnosticism, agnostics, Gnosticism, agnostically