Concept of the incarnation in gnostic and canonical Christianity

The study aims to compare the religious and philosophical views of gnostic and canonical Christianity on the concept of the incarnation. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that this independent and systematic comparison of these views is carried out for the first time. The article demonstrates the significance of the concept of the incarnation in the teachings of gnostic and canonical authors, defining its specific nature. The work analyzes and systematizes the ideas about the incarnation in the context of the ontological, gnoseological, and soteriological aspects of Christianity, identifying their underlying principles. The question of the nature of the Savior occupies a special place in the article. As a result of the study, it was found that, despite numerous similarities, these Christian traditions interpreted the idea of the incarnation differently. While canonical Christianity relies heavily on the Old Testament in this matter, gnosticism is closer to the tradition of ancient mysticism, whose worldview can be interpreted as pantheism. And while the incarnation does not have independent soteriological significance in canonical Christianity, for gnostics it coincides, in a certain way, with salvation.