ABSTRACT
In the realms of feminist philosophy and gender theory the terms "gnosis" and "gnostic" have been deployed in a myriad of ways, including as synonyms for esoteric, secret, deviant, alternate epistemologies, and even sex/sexuality. This chapter considers the ways the terms gnosis/gnostic have been used to designate contemporary ideas and critique dominant discourses: usage often general and allusive rather than specific. Emphasis was placed on gnosis as a style of thinking and/or a form of knowledge that subverted dominant, patriarchal discourse. "Queer" as a critical term has been employed to analyze gender in gnostic treatises. Given the swathe of contention around the interpretation and lived praxis of ancient gnosticism, the works of contemporary gender analysis will always say far more about their own context of creation and what matters to the contemporary scholar then they can about ancient concepts of gender.
