The divine spark is a term used in various different religious traditions.

Gnosticism

In Gnosticism, the divine spark is the portion of

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

that resides within each human being. The purpose of life is to enable the Divine Spark to be released from its captivity in matter and reestablish its connection with, or simply return to,

, who is perceived as being the source of the Divine Light. In the Gnostic Christian tradition,

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

is seen as a wholly divine being which has taken human form in order to lead humanity back to the Light. The

Cathars Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

of medieval Europe also shared the belief in the divine spark. They saw this idea expressed most powerfully in the opening words of the

Gospel of St John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

Quakers

'' Quakers'', known formally as the ''Religious Society of Friends'', are generally united by a belief in each human's ability to experience the light within or see "that of God in every one". Most Quakers believe in

continuing revelation Continuous revelation or continuing revelation is a theological belief or position that God continues to reveal divine principles or commandments to humanity. In Christian traditions, it is most commonly associated with the Latter Day Saint mo ...

: that God continuously reveals truth directly to individuals. George Fox said, "Christ has come to teach His people Himself." Friends often focus on feeling the presence of God. As Isaac Penington wrote in 1670, "It is not enough to hear of Christ, or read of Christ, but this is the thing – to feel him to be my root, my life, and my foundation...""Isaac Penington to Thomas Walmsley (1670)". Quaker Heritage Press. Quakers reject the idea of priests, believing in the priesthood of all believers. Some express their concept of God using phrases such as "the inner light", "inward light of Christ", or "Holy Spirit". Quakers first gathered around George Fox in the mid–17th century and belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations.

References

{{Gnosticism topics Gnosticism Catharism Religious philosophical concepts

Gnosticism

Quakers

See also

References