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Most gnostic sects were Christian, although arguably there were some Judaic gnostic sects, including the early period of the Sethians. The early Gnostics do not appear to have called themselves 'Gnostics', considering themselves simply as Christians. In fact, there was quite a diversity of early gnostic Christian sects and it can be quite difficult to define the common threads that really identified a sect as 'gnostic' rather than what we would now consider 'orthodox'.

Scholars generally agree that the defining characteristic of gnostic Christianity was that salvation was to be gained by knowledge, rather than by forgiveness of sins. Individual sects had their own specific ethical laws and their own interpretation of the scriptures, although adherents were encouraged to extend their personal knowledge.

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