Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/405

LEFT GNOSTICISM 341 GOAL GNOSTICISM (nos'-), a system of philosophy professedly Christian, devised to solve the Kreat questions, such as the origin of evil, which have perplexed the ablest minds in every age. Gnosticism accepted beliefs in an eternal God of in- finite power, wisdom, and goodness. The granting of this postulate at once brought the gnostic face to face with the question, Why then did this Great Being allow evil to arise in the universe, when it was in His power to have prevented it? If He did not prevent it, was He not to a certain extent responsible for its exist- ence? The same difficulty had centuries before created the dualist system of Zoroastrianism, which, denying the om- nipotence of the one Supreme Being, as- sumed the existence of two, a good and a bad one, about equal in power, and in continual conflict. This view, derived from Persia, was partially adopted by some gnostics, while others of the sect, or aggregation of sects, drew on the later Platonism of Alexandria for their in- spiration. There were then two classes of them: the Syrian, and the Alexan- drian, or Egyptian gnostics. In certain tenets both agreed. Matter was eternal, and from the first essentially evil; there was then no bygone time when the "ori- gin of evil" took place. Nor was the world created by the Supreme Being; it was framed by an exalted spirit, called in consequence the Demtttroe (q. v.), whom many identified with the God of the Jews. He had shining qualities, but was selfish and arrogant. He wished men to worship, not the Supreme Being, but himself. The former was the purest Light, and pervaded t^at boundless sp'ice which the Grepks called pleroma. He did not remain forever alone, but brought into pxiptence two holy and hf nny spirits of diff'erent sexes, called Mnn^, from whose marriage cam.e others of the same order, till there was a whole family of them in the pleroma. The chipf of these j^ons was Jesus Christ, who wps srnt to the woild to win it back from the Demi- urge to its proner allegiance. Many gnostics held what were called Docetic views. The germs of gnosticism existed in th^. 1st centurv; it did not. however, reach maturity till the reign of Adrian in the 2d. Of the Syrian gnostics there were Saturninus of Antioch, Cerdo, Mar- cian, Lui'iin, Severus, BHstes, Birde- sanes, Tatian, etc.; of the Eervptian Basilides of Alexandria, Valentinus, etc. The system had a good deal declined by the 3d century, but was not extinct till about the 6th. It hns been disputed whether there are allusions to either nascent or fully developed gnosticism in the New Testament. Some writers pro- fess to find them in such passages as Col. ii: 8; I Tim. i: 4, vi: 20: II Tim. ii: 16, 17; Titus iii: 9; and there appears to be one to Doceticism in I John i: 1-3. GNU (no), in zoology, Catoblepas gnu, a species of antelope. The adult male is about 5 feet 6 inches long, and 3 feet 10 inches high at the shoulder; horns, dark, broad, upon the summit of the head, tapering out sideways over the eyes, and turning up into a pointed hook. Legs long. The face is covered with black. GNU bristly hair, with white ones around the eye and on the legs ; on the neck is a ver- tical mane, blacx in the center and white at the sides; a bushy beard on the under .law; general color of the fur deep brown, with long white hair on the tail. Female smaller; calves pure white. A gnu brought to bay or wounded turns on its assailant. GOA (go'a), a maritime city of India, chief city of the district of the same name, and formerly capital of all the Portuguese settlements in India, on an island of the same name, at the mouth of the Mandona, 250 miles S. S. E. of Bombay. Goa consists of Old Goa and New Goa. The old city contains some splendid churches and other specimens of architecture. New Goa, or Panjin, at the mouth of the river, is the residence of the viceroy and of the principal in- habitants. It carries on trade with Portugal, China and the coast of Africa, and is principally engaged in the salt industry. Pop. of the district about 515,800. GOA, an antelope found in the vicinity of Tibet. GOAL, the winning post in a race; the point or mark set to bound a race. In Football (q. v.), the space marked by goal posts and a cross bar to define the required path of the ball in order that