(Gk.). From the Greek “to know.” A particular knowledge of spiritual mysteries, or more usually, gnosticism. Helena P. Blavatsky makes frequent reference to the Gnosis in the light of theosophy. An example of her use of “gnosis” is found in an article entitled “The Esoteric Character of the Gospels,” where she writes, “For what is ‘Divine Wisdom,’ or Gnosis, but the essential reality behind the evanescent appearance of objects in Nature — the very soul of the manifested LOGOS?” (CW VIII:177). See also GNOSTICISM.

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