Cerinthians

During the days of apostle's missionary works, there were some Gnostic movements or traditions that added Yahoshea Meshiyach as one of their central figures.  Those were identified as Gnostic Yahosheans.

The Gnostic Yahosheans held that some of the gnosis or knowledge from Yahoshea Meshiyach were preserved secretly by the apostles and handed over to some Gnostic fathers who used them as part of their tradition.

This was apposite to the views of Early Apostolic or Church Fathers who related Gnosticism to heretics. One of the prominent Gnostic Yahosheanism of the first century Ad was the Cerinthians.  The Gnostic movement grew its name from Cerinthus that found it.

Cerinthus founded a school at Roman province of Asia and had followers.  His writings did not survive to the modern age, rather majority of informations about him and his movement were carried by early Apostolic Fathers who were indeed his opponents.

Cerinthian's Practices

Cerinthian’s school of thought held firmly on the Yahudean laws and used the gospel according to the Hebrews which was the most ancient Yahudean scriptures of the account of Matthew.

Like the Ebonite's adoptionalism , the sect denied the divinity of Yahoshea Meshiyach  rather held that Yahoshea was a biological son of Yoseph and Mirriam while Meshiyach was a special spiritual force that emanate from divinity that came upon him during baptism.

Based on the separation of Yahoshea with the Meshiyach, the movement held that Yahoshea was a full human being.  The Meshiyach came upon him on the baptismal day in form of dove and left him during his great tribulation or execution.

The Gnostic movement held that as the Meshiyach left Yahoshea, he was left to undergo pains and death that associate his human nature. The group belief that Yahoshea will resurrect from death during the last days when all men will rise with him.

Creation

The Cerinthians held that the physical world and heavens were not made by Yahweh, rather by celestial messengers or lesser power that it identified as the demiurge that created the world and gave the laws.  The Cerinthians believed that the creator-messengers were ignorant of the existence of Yahweh.  This prompted Yahweh to sent the Meshiyach to come into the world and redeem us.

The use of demiurge for the creator by Cerinthians was in line with Platonic philosophy that predate his age.  The demiurge creator of Cerinthians was presented in polite form than the evil demiurge taught by Valentines.

Cerinthian Legalism

The sect kept firm to mosaic law in combination to the teachings of Yahoshea Meshiyach as carried in the ancient book of Matthew.  The movement rejected the soteriology of the Council of Yerusalem where Paul establish that non-Hebrew people are not required to undergo compulsory circumcision for their salvation.

The outcome of the Council of Yerusalem was opposite to the Noahide law of the Yudean tradition.  The Cerinthians believed in the works of Yahoshea with the works of Prophet Moses at its background.

Though, Cerinthus believed on both religious dispensations but he laid much emphasis upon Yahosheanism towards his followers.  He directed his followers to adhere to worship of the supreme creator and his son Yahoshea Meshiyach but to shun the demiurge creator.

The Cerinthians eschatology held that the Meshiyach would establish a 1,000 year earthy kingdom before the period of general resurrection and establishment of the spiritual kingdom of Yahweh in heaven. This is viewed as the premillenialism that was common during the early Yahoshean age.

This view was rejected by both the council of Nicea and Augustine of Hippo who summarized Cerinthianism as heretical.  The movement was entirely rejected by the apostolic fathers who counted it as heretical.

The patristic writings generally held that Cerinthus was opposed by Yohannah  the revelator when they emphasis that he wrote some of his works to oppose Cerintus.

In conclusion, as a Gnostic Yahosheanism, Cerinthians mixed the scriptural revelations of Yahweh that were observed by Yahoshea Meshiyach with the gnosis or knowledge of philosophers and theosophers of the early centuries after Yahoshea Meshiyach.

                This mixed trends were not in line with primitive Yahosheanism and neither in nature of the works of the Comforter as promised.  Therefore Cerintianism was deception although it adopted some practices of the early Yahosheanism.  This is a good information to modern religious traditions that took their root from Cerinthianism.