Wow....You gotta be a pastor or graduate student in theology. Sorry for the expression but I enjoy the hell out of your posts.
About that Gnosis/Epignosis split. I have always wondered what Christianity would be like if early intellectual purges had not occurred. The Gnostics were labelled heretics and thus all we know of them is what those who reviled them thought. I have this theory that had the Gnostics survived as a viable form of Christian belief Christianity would be more reflective ( Buddhist?) like. The Epignotic victory meant that evil becomes THEM and good is US. Made for great nation/culture building material but not sure it made good spiritual sense. ( this making much sense?...as you can tell number crunchers don't make good discussers of theological issues)
Actually, I agree Gnosticism is heretical in that it fails to place faith in Christ. Interestingly, though, much of science in Chemistry, Physics, and even the Cartesian Cogito Ergo Sum, have their etymology in very basic Gnostic perspectives.
Too bad empiricists ignore faith so much, there might be more Nobel prizes handed out to them if it was.