The article focuses on the theme of Christian identity presented by both Faustus and Augustine. It highlights how Faustus emphasises ethical and moral issues as the hallmarks of Christian identity, whereas, according to him, Nicene Christians gave more importance to dogmatic issues and neglected ethical elements. Some texts from the Contra Faustum are quoted to support the differences between the two Christian identities, both the Manichaean and the Catholic or Nicene Christian.

The Gnostic World is an outstanding guide to Gnosticism, designed as a collection of critical studies by experts to both widen and deepen study in Gnostic movements and strands of speculation as a discrete "World" of human socio-spiritual life from the distant past until today. An international team of contributors examines these manifestations in a variety of contexts, from the ancient pre-Christian to the contemporary. The volume considers the intersection of Gnosticism with Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Indic practices and beliefs, (...) and also with such new religious movements as Theosophy, Scientology, Western Sufism, and the Nation of Islam. This illustrated handbook will be an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and researchers of Gnostic doctrine and history. (shrink)