Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge (in the nominative case γνῶσις f.). In the context of the English language gnosis generally refers to the word's meaning within the spheres of Christian mysticism, Mystery religions and Gnosticism where it signifies 'spiritual knowledge' in the sense of mystical enlightenment.^{[citation needed]}

Gnosis is a feminine Greek noun, which means "knowledge."

A related term is the adjective gnostikos, "cognitive," a reasonably common adjective in Classical Greek.Plato, uses the plural adjective γνωστικοί – gnostikoi and the singular feminine adjective γνωστικὴ ἐπιστήμη – gnostike episteme in his Politikos where Gnostike episteme was also used to indicate one's aptitude.^{[citation needed]} The terms do not appear to indicate any mystic, esoteric or hidden meaning in the works of Plato, but instead expressed a sort of higher intelligence and ability analogous to talent.

Plato The Statesman 258e

— Stranger: In this way, then, divide all science into two arts, calling the one practical (praktikos), and the other purely intellectual (gnostikos). Younger Socrates: Let us assume that all science is one and that these are its two forms.

Samael Aun Weor (Hebrew: סמאל און ואור)(March 6, 1917 – December 24, 1977), born Víctor Manuel Gómez Rodríguez, Colombian citizen and later Mexican, was an author, lecturer and founder of the 'Universal Christian Gnostic Movement' with his teaching of 'The Doctrine of Synthesis' of all religions in both their esoteric and exoteric aspects. It has been called neo-Gnostic by the historian of esotericism Arthur Verslius and called by the historian Jean-Francois Mayer "a science of consciousness or knowledge that may be attained through certain techniques." In his over sixty books and hundreds of held conferences, he describes a teaching called "Gnosis", the Greek word for "knowledge", from which is derived the name "Gnosticism", which is a term also used to designate various sects such as the Ophites which appeared at the beginning of the Christian Era who were considered heretics by the Catholic Church.

Victor Manuel Gómez Rodriguez was born in Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Republic of Colombia, son of Manuel Gómez Quijano and Francisca Rodríguez de Gómez. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church but later rejected the Church of Rome. His childhood and family life are not well known, except that he had a brother, and his father remarried after a divorce. He was sent to a Roman Catholic Jesuit school but soon quit disillusioned by religion; he was twelve years old at the time. Instead he invested most of his time in the study of metaphysical and esoteric treatises. Later in life, as writer, lecturer and Gnostic teacher, he would demonstrate a profound esoteric knowledge of both Eastern and Western classics.