The term "Gnostics" refers to a diverse group of early Christians and spiritual seekers who believed in acquiring special knowledge, or gnosis, to achieve spiritual enlightenment. They often viewed the material world as flawed or evil, created by a lesser deity known as the Demiurge. Gnostics emphasized personal spiritual experiences over traditional religious practices and texts. Gnosticism emerged in the first few centuries CE and included various sects with differing beliefs. Some Gnostics revered figures like Jesus as a divine teacher who imparted secret knowledge, while others drew from Greek philosophy and Eastern religions. Their teachings were often considered heretical by mainstream Christianity.