Genesis 1 and the Beginnings of Gnosticism

Abstract The contribution examines whether some early Christian thinkers, usually classified as “gnostics,” were influenced in a special way by interpretations of the biblical account of creation in developing their particular doctrine (Cerinthus, Menander, Simon Magus, and Saturninus/Satornil). It turns out, however, that not only is there too little solid information about these thinkers, but the apparent specifics of interpretation are taken from contemporary Judaism. Only the distance between the supreme God and his helpers in creation seems to be more clearly accentuated than in many texts, but this may also be polemics of these Gnostics majority church opponents.