Was Paul influenced by gnosticism in that he reiterates the evil of the flesh but glorifies the spirit?

Question

No... do your homework. Gnosticism was around before Christianity.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06592a.htm

For the past twenty-five years, however, the trend of scholarship has steadily moved towards proving the pre-Christian Oriental origins of Gnosticism. At the Fifth Congress of Orientalists (Berlin, 1882) Kessler brought out the connection between Gnosis and the Babylonian religion. By this latter name, however, he meant not the original religion of Babylonia, but the syncretistic religion which arose after the conquest of Cyrus. The same idea is brought out in his "Mani" seven years later. In the same year F.W. Brandt published his "Mandiäische Religion". This Mandaean religion is so unmistakably a form of Gnosticism that it seems beyond doubt that Gnosticism existed independent of, and anterior to, Christianity.

Many gnostic ideas were attributed to Plato from some of the stuff i've read.

Answer 1

It is possible, although it is equally as likely, if not moreso, that he was influenced by Greek Philosophy (which many of the educated had a background in as the Greeks were seen as the pinnacle of civilization and learning at that time) which taught the separation of the body and soul and that the body was at best useless to the soul as anything but a vehicle and at worst the enemy of the soul and thus was to be controlled, harshly disciplined so it cold be ignored in favor of spiritual things.

Answer 2

Among other things. Paul was raised as a Roman in a very Pagan culture. Gnosticism was mixed in with many different Mystery Religions. Christian Gnosticism came from it, but Gnosticism itself is older than Christianity. I guess since Christianity has been the leading religion for so long, in our minds anyway, that a lot of people just assume that Gnosticism itself came FROM Christianity, but really it's the other way around. And Gnosticism didn't have the idea of a place of torment... that's within religion. Gnosticism is more of a "school of thought"... much like the different schools of thought within philosophy. But then, when you say philosophy, people assume there is just that.... just Philosophy, but within it are different ideas that can't be applied all together to make a whole. Instead it's a general term.

Answer 3

No. The Bible declares that. Paul actually teached against the new form of gnosticism's false teaching that was coming into the church years after the church began... by the Apostles teaching (which came from OT and the Holy Spirit; who taught them beecause the Revelation of God to man (the Bible) was not written at that time and completed). Gnostisism is nothing but another form of false teaching spread by demons to dupe people and drag them to hell as decieved people - kept from the truth of YHWH by the Word of Scriptures.

Answer 4

paul could hardly have been influenced by gnosticism, since the separation of doctrine into orthodox and gnostic trends was not made until several centuries after his death.

it is like asking if the beatles had been listening to punk before they cut 'helter skelter'. the ideas come first, the classification systems come much later.

Answer 5

Actually he made it up as he went along in order to glorify his own position with his new followers.

Answer 6

NO! The Bible makes it clears what his influence/motives were.

Answer 7

No.And the epistles make that clear.

Answer 8

No, gnosticism was not invented yet.

Answer 9

I don't think so.

Gnosticism is not about fear of an imaginary place.

Answer 10

if this nut even existed, he must have been one of those self-loathing homosexual types...