THE SONS OF ZADOK AND THE CHRISTIAN GNOSIS

THE SONS OF ZADOK AND THE CHRISTIAN GNOSIS: "o find hints of Essenism in Christian Gnosticism we may conveniently begin with Simon Magus, who is considered by many to be the father of Christian Gnosticism. Simon was a disciple of Dositheus who was clearly an Essene. He was described as a 'Son of Zadok', and lived near Damascus which was a habitation of Essene exiles. Dositheus was not only a disciple of John the Baptist but became chief of John's sect after his death. Also, Dositheus appears as the revealer in the 'Three Steles of Seth', in which connection it should be noticed that according to some heresiological reports he also played the role of godfather in the formation of the Gnostic schools rather than Simon."