I︠A︡ldavaot

This monograph is basically albeit much improved author's PhD dissertation defended at the Institute of Philosophy in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1997. It discusses the origin, development and demise of the various schools of Gnosticism in late Antiquity and later, as well as its influence on the Christian church and the Christian civilization. The book is based on all available sources and about 2 000 published studies in about 10 languages. It is the first full study on the topic not only in Bulgaria but also in Eastern Europe.