Long before there was a system of belief called Gnosticism, there persisted the belief that a special intimate knowledge of God and his mysterious ways would bring salvation from suffering; "For what is it that the All lacked, if not the knowledge of the Father?" inquired the Gnostic Gospel of Truth. All religious traditions acknowledge that the world is imperfect, but while many hold that humans are to be blamed for these imperfections, the Gnostics believed that the world was flawed because it was created in a flawed manner. Regarded as blasphemous by other early Christians, the sect also held liberal views regarding sex, the role of women, and toleration of other faiths, resulting in their persecution as heretics. Bernard Simon offers insight into this ancient and yet surprisingly contemporary faith and explores the reasons for its current renaissance, providing a reading list for further exploration as well as a bibliography and index.