List of Gnostic sects explained

The following is a list of sects involved in Gnosticism:

Ancient

Proto-Gnosticism

• Thomasines

Judean-Israelite Gnosticism

• Elkesaites
• Kentaeans^[1]
• Mandaeism^[2]
• Samaritan Baptist sects

Syrian-Egyptic Gnosticism

• Bardesanites
• Basilidians
• Hermeticism
• Satornilians^[3]
• Sethians
• Valesians
• Valentinianism
  • Heracleonites^[4]
  • Ptolemaeans^[5]

Persian Gnosticism

• Manichaeism
  • Al-Dayhuri's Sect
  • Albanenses
  • Astati
  • Audianism
  • Shinang's Sect

Unclassified Christian Gnosticism

• Cerdonians
  • • • • Marcionism Apelliacos
    • Lucianists^[6]
• Colorbasians
• Dositheans (could be offshoot of Simonianism or proto-Gnostic)
• Justinians
• Simonians
  • Menandrians^[7]

Others

• Abelonians^[8]
• Agapetae
• Alogians
• Angelici^[9]
• Antitactae
• Aquarii
• Archontics
• Ascodroutes
• Barbeliotae
  • • Borborites Coddians (also called Koddians) ^[10]
  • Levitics (also called Levitici)^[11]
  • Phibionites^[12]
  • Stratiotici
    • Cainites Carpocratians Cerinthians
  • Adamites (also called Adamians)
  • Marcellianas
• Cleobians^[13]
• Docetae
• Elcesaites
• Encratites
  • Apotactics (also called Apostolics)
  • Severians
• Marcosians
• Messalians
• Nicolaism
  • • Ophites Naassenes
  • Perates
• Priscillianism
• Quintillians, Montanist sect that may have come under Gnostic influence
• Secundians^[14]
• Seleucians

Middle Ages

• Athinganoi
• Bagnolians
• Bogomils^[15]
• Bosnian Church
• Cathars^[16]
  • Black Brotherhood
  • Credentes
  • Pasagians
  • Pataria
• Novgorodians - the owners of the Novgorod Codex; it is likely that the owners of the codex were dualistic like the Bogomils
• Paulicianism (However the dualism of Paulicianism is not certain)^[17]
• Picards (Neo-Adamites)
• Tondrakians

Modern era

• Mandaeism^[18]

Neo-Gnostic

See main article: Gnosticism in modern times.

• Anthroposophy
• The Church of St Mary & St John^[19]
• Ecclesia Gnostica
• Ecclesia Gnostica Apostolica
• Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica
• Ecclesia Gnostica Mysteriorum
• Ecclesia Pistis Sophia
• Eglise Gnostique
• Gnostic Society
• Holy Order of Mans (Quasi-Gnostic)
• Johannite Church
• Liberal Catholic Union^[20]
• Martinism
• Muckers
• Neo-Luciferian Church
• Order of the Nazorean Essenes (influenced by Gnosticism)^[21]
• Rosicrucianism
• Samael Aun Weor
• Society of Novus Spiritus
• Theosophy
• The Gnostic Catholic Union
• Angelici Christian Church

References

• Blunt, John Henry. Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought. Rivingtons. 1874.

Notes and References

1. Book: van Bladel. Kevin. 2017. From Sasanian Mandaeans to Ṣābians of the Marshes. Leiden. Brill. 10.1163/9789004339460. 978-90-04-33943-9.
2. The Knowledge of Life: The Origins and Early History of the Mandaeans and Their Relation to the Sabians of the Qur'ān and to the Harranians. Şinasi. Gündüz. Oxford University Press. 1994. 0022-4480. 0-19-922193-6. Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement. 3. 5.
3. The followers of the gnostic Satornilus. See Against Satornilus by Epiphanius
4. See Against the Heracleonites by Epiphanius
5. See Against the Ptolemaeans by Epiphanius
6. See Against the Lucianists by Epiphanius
7. The followers of Menander, who led a schism in Simonianism. See Against Menander by Epiphanius
8. See Abelites - Jewish Encyclopedia
9. See Against the Angelics by Epiphanius for a more detailed description.
10. Apparently another name for the Borborites. Epiphanius also references them as a different sect in the Panarion. He mentions them three times in the book. See here https://books.google.com/books?id=s9-utOHPLfEC&q=Coddians&pg=PA4.
11. A gnostic sect mentioned in the Panarion, Against the Nicolaitans, 2,1 They be identified as the Borborites.
12. Another name for the Gnostics according to Epiphanius. It may be a different Gnostic sect altogether. See Proem I, 5,4
13. Blunt. Pg. 109. "Cleobians"
14. See Against the Secundians by Epiphanius
15. Book: Livingstone, Elizabeth A. . The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church . Oxford University Press . 2013 . 9780199659623 . 3rd . en.
16. Book: Wakefield . Walter L. . Heresies of the High Middle Ages . Evans . Austin P. . Columbia University Press . 1991 . New York . 159–173 . en.
17. Book: Conybeare, Frederick. The Key of Truth. A Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia.
18. Book: Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen. The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. Oxford University Press. New York. 2002. 0-19-515385-5. 65198443.
19. See Churchsmsj.org for more information
20. See http://www.liberalcatholicunion.com for more information
21. See Essenes.com for more information