Gnostic Psychology the Science of the Soul, of the Conscious Self or Ego

Gnostic Psychology
(Psychology, the Science of the Soul, of the Conscious Self or Ego)

Gnosis signifies direct, conscious, and experiential knowledge—not merely abstract concepts but a living awareness of oneself and the cosmos. Gnostic psychology is, therefore, the science of this awareness. It is rooted not in speculation but in inner perception: a knowledge of our true origin, condition, and destiny.

The word psychology derives from the Greek roots psyche (ψυχή), meaning "breath," "spirit," or "soul," and logos (-λογία), meaning "study" or "discourse." The term psychologia was first coined by Marko Marulić in the late 15th or early 16th century in his Latin treatise Psichiologia de ratione animae humanae. Its earliest appearance in English comes from Steven Blankaart in 1694, who defined it as the study of the soul as opposed to anatomy, which concerns the body.

Originally, psychology was never divorced from faith. It was intimately tied to the spiritual quest for self-knowledge. To study the psyche was to study the divine image within, not merely a collection of thoughts or behaviors. An understanding of psychology in its truest sense does not stop at analyzing the mind but aims toward the highest potential of consciousness: unity with Spirit.

This inner journey is poetically expressed in The Gospel of Truth:
“He who is to have knowledge in this manner knows where he comes from and where he is going. He knows as one who, having become drunk, has turned away from his drunkenness, and having returned to himself, has set right what are his own.”
Here, self-knowledge is depicted as a sobering from illusion—a return to one's true condition and destination, which is God. The ancient maxim “Know thyself” is thus not merely ethical advice but a spiritual imperative. Hippolytus echoes this sentiment, interpreting it as discovering God within, for man is made in God’s image.

The Extracts from the Works of Theodotus deepen this idea by stating:
“It is not only the washing that is liberating, but the knowledge of who we were, and what we have become, where we were or where we were placed, whither we hasten, from what we are redeemed, what birth is and what rebirth.”
This passage suggests that true freedom comes from a complete understanding of our metaphysical biography—our origin in God, our fall into corruption, and the path of return through rebirth and resurrection. This insight is echoed in the Teachings of Silvanus:

“Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created.”
This triple division maps the human being as composed of earth (the body), formation (the soul), and creation (the mind). The soul is depicted as a feminine partner to the mind, which is made in the image of God. This schema has a parallel in the writings of Philo of Alexandria, who invites seekers to reflect on the body, soul, external senses, and reason. He states:

“Learn to be acquainted with the country of the external senses; know thyself and thy own parts… and who it is who moves those marvellous things... whether it is the mind that is in thee, or the mind of the universe.”
Philo affirms that to "know thyself" is to understand the nature of the composite human being and how everything is governed invisibly by the mind—either the divine mind within or the cosmic order outside.

The idea that self-knowledge leads to divine knowledge is shared across traditions. Alexander Campbell, editor of The Christian Baptist, described "Know thyself" as the most important philosophical and spiritual maxim:
“Know thyself is inculcated by all the prophets and Apostles of all the ages of Revelation.”
He connects this maxim with the biblical proclamation that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom and that eternal life is to know the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

John Calvin similarly taught that self-knowledge begins with recognizing what we were at creation and what we became after the fall of Adam. Without divine revelation, these truths remain obscured. This loss of understanding leads people to drift through life, enslaved to their desires, ignoring the brevity of life. The Scriptures reflect this with striking clarity:
“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
“We will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground” (2 Sam. 14:14).
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).

Gnostic psychology is not a relic of the past but a living path. It invites us to awaken, not merely to manage mental health but to realize our divine origin, our fall, and the possibility of restoration.

It is also important to emphasize that the Bible does not teach the immortality of the soul. This belief, often attributed to Greek thought, was not universal among the philosophers. Schools like the Stoics and the Epicureans rejected it. Biblical anthropology sees humans as whole beings—composite bodies animated by breath—not as immortal souls trapped in flesh. Gnostic psychology, like biblical anthropology, aims at resurrection, not disembodied existence.

Thus, to know thyself is not just intellectual exercise. It is the path to regeneration, to becoming what we were meant to be from the beginning.