--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: About the gnostic writers themselves and…" description: "\"About the gnostic writers themselves and the setting in which they lived we know little, although gnostic Christians were influential enough to be deno..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/elaine-pagels-8423_about_about-the-gnostic-writers-themselves-and_2640908.jpg" --- # About the gnostic writers themselves and the setting in… ![“About the gnostic writers themselves and the setting in which they lived we know little, although gnostic Christians were influential enough to be denounced at length.” quote by Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/elaine-pagels-8423_about_about-the-gnostic-writers-themselves-and_2640908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/elaine-pagels-8423_about_about-the-gnostic-writers-themselves-and_2640908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/elaine-pagels-8423_about_about-the-gnostic-writers-themselves-and_2640908.jpg) > “About the gnostic writers themselves and the setting in which they lived we know little, although gnostic Christians were influential enough to be denounced at length.” [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our knowledge of gnostic writers is limited, yet they were influential enough to be condemned **In simple terms:** Gnostic writers are poorly understood but historically impactful Key Takeaway Study overlooked perspectives for richer history Themes history religion marginalized voices Mood curious analytical Type academic historical When to use this quote - academic research - theological study - cultural analysis - interfaith dialogue - historical preservation Key Concepts gnosticism historical scholarship Questions to Reflect On - What can we learn from marginalized voices? - How does condemnation affect historical memory? A Different Perspective Limited sources hinder full understanding ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians/) [Gnostic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gnostic/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. 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Hoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-a-hoeller/) > [“When I reached intellectual maturity, and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist or an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/when-i-reached-intellectual-maturity-and-began-to-ask-myself-whether/) [Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/) > [“Obviously, if theism is a belief in a God and atheism is a lack of a belief in a God, no third position or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-stein/obviously-if-theism-is-a-belief-in-a-god-and-atheism-is-a-lack-of-a/) [Gordon Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-stein/) > [“If we fail to understand the biblical story of Jesus, we will compromise our prophetic interpretations of the end-times. 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Alan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/the-idea-that-we-are-to-be-absorbed-into-the-deity-is-gnostic-in-its/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [Patience is the Gnostic's scale and the humble the garden's door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/patience-is-the-gnostic-s-scale-and-the-humble-the-garden-s-door/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) ## More by Elaine Pagels > [“Only the Jews, of all the nations under Roman rule, had won the right to separate their political obligations from religious ones, to obey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/only-the-jews-of-all-the-nations-under-roman-rule-had-won-the-right/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [ “Even Tacitus admitted that “whatever their origin, \[the Jews’\] observances are sanctioned by their antiquity,”64 and the Romans respected tradition. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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