Plotinus vs. the Gnostics

Hi everyone, here is a new video about Gnosticism.

Plotinus was a third-century neo-Platonic philosopher who wrote a penetrating critique of the Gnostics he encountered. I explain what his critique was, how it is similar to Christian critiques of Gnosticism, and how it is different to Christian critiques of Gnosticism.

Above all it shows that (1) Gnosticism was a real, known commodity, not a category that Christians made-up to discredit rival groups; and (2) It was possible to make in-house Platonic critiques of a philosophy/religion that was attempting to indigenize Platonic philosophy into Christianity.