As Kurt Rudolph noted, the “Gnostic sects” enjoyed “complete immunity” from the Roman persecutions of Christians. Clearly, the Romans did not regard them as Christians even though their teachings included some Christian elements. The crucial aspect probably was that, like Basilides and his disciples, these heretics were willing to eat meat that had been sacrificed to pagan gods, and “consented to take part in pagan religious ceremonies on demand.”88 They were not Christians with some pagan leanings; they were pagans attempting to incorporate Christianity. These connections make a mockery of
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