Pistis Sophia

The Pistis Sophia is a Coptic Gnostic text dating to the 3rd century CE. Gnosticism, a term used by scholars for various philosophical and religious movements in the Greco-Roman world, particularly the 2nd century, is characterized by a mythology that distinguishes between an inferior creator god (a demiurge) and a more transcendent divine being. Gnostic beliefs often include the idea of a special class of humans descended from the transcendent realm, destined for salvation through gnosis, or esoteric knowledge, which reawakens their divine identity. This contrasts with traditional Christian emphasis on redemption through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. The Pistis Sophia specifically grapples with questions of salvation, suggesting that those who achieve it must renounce the world and follow an ethic of love and compassion to become identified with Jesus and the divine Light.1234