Gnosticism and esotericism: an example from Russian new religiosity
Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019 Vadim Zhdanov
The terms gnosticism and esotericism are frequently linked, with esoteric teachings often involving secret knowledge of nature or the divine. Although the historical thesis that gnosticism is the source of all esotericism is not tenable—western esotericism began in the Renaissance—the two are interwoven. The author describes the dogmatics and history of the 'Great White Brotherhood Usmalos', a new religious movement that caused a stir in Ukraine and Russia in the early 1990s. Using this example, he applies the concepts of gnosticism and esotericism to illuminate both its mode of thought and form of life.