oa [Gnostische theologie: Kennis van de onkenbare God, Gnostic Theology: Knowledge of the Unknowable God]

The Gnostics claimed for themselves a special knowledge of God. They believed that the creator of heaven and earth was not identical with the supreme deity. This article examines the language that the Gnostics used to speak about the supreme God. One of the most frequent expressions applied to God was ‘The One Who Is’ or ‘You Who Are’: we will ask about the possible origins of these expressions in Exodus 3:13-14 and Platonic philosophy. The language of negation was another way to speak about the unspeakable. To the same purpose, the Gnostics frequently resorted to symbols, puzzles, paradoxes, or even a series of virtually meaningless sounds.