you say ''special knowledge that the Spirit reveals regarding specific situations"
Blue Letter Bible reveals this,
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1108&t=KJV
- knowledge signifies in general intelligence, understanding
- the general knowledge of Christian religion
- the deeper more perfect and enlarged knowledge of this religion, such as belongs to the more advanced
- esp. of things lawful and unlawful for Christians
- moral wisdom, such as is seen in right living
Thus, the Bible's definition as illustrated by the scholars who put this together have a far different definition than you do.
This is the ideal source of info for those who have questions on biblical issues.
Thanks anyway, but BlueLetter is a bit too basic for my needs.
The following books would be representative of the best information that we can currently obtain regarding
gnosis (knowledge) and I've included some lexical information from five major Lexicons.
GK 1194 gnosis (Goodrick/Kholenber numbering system [NIV])
NIV 1 Corinthians 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
NAU 1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
MIT 1 Corinthians 12:8 For instance: A verbalization of wisdom is given to one through the spirit. To another a verbalization of knowledge is accorded by the same spirit.
ESV 1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
NKJ 1 Corinthians 12:8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
NLT 1 Corinthians 12:8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.
KJV 1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
YLT 1 Corinthians 12:8 for to one through the Spirit hath been given a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
BGT 1 Corinthians 12:8ᾧ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος δίδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα,
Friberg Lexicon
5576 γνῶσις, εως, ἡ basically, as the possession of information what is known, knowledge; (1) as a characteristic of God and man knowledge (RO 11.33; 1C 8.1); (2) as the result of divine enlightenment knowledge, understanding, insight (LU 1.77); (3) of heretical claims to higher forms of knowledge available only to a select few gnosis, (esoteric) knowledge (1T 6.20)
Louw-Nida Lexicon
28.1 γινώσκω ; οἶδα ; γνωρίζω ; γνῶσις, εως f: to possess information about - 'to know, to know about, to have knowledge of, to be acquainted with, acquaintance.' γινώσκω: διότι γνόντες τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ὡς θεὸν ἐδόξασαν 'since, although they knew about God, they did not honor him as God' or '... they did not give him the honor that belongs to him' Ro 1.21; ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν 'you are the ones who make yourselves look right in people's sight, but God knows your hearts' Lk 16.15. οἶδα: γρηγορεῖτε οὖν, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε τὴν ἡμέραν οὐδὲ τὴν ὥραν 'watch out, then, because you do not know the day or hour' Mt 25.13; τὰς ἐντολὰς οἶδας 'you know the commandments' Mk 10.19. γνωρίζω: τί αἱρήσομαι οὐ γνωρίζω 'which I shall choose, I do not know' Php 1.22. γνῶσις: τοῦ δοῦναι γνῶσιν σωτηρίας τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ 'to let his people know that they will be saved' Lk 1.77.
LS Greek Lexicon
9106 γνῶσις
γνῶσις, εως, ἡ, (γι-γνώσκω) a judicial inquiry Dem.
II. a knowing, knowledge, Plat., N.T.
2. acquaintance with a person, πρός τινα ap. Aeschin.
3. a knowing, recognising, Thuc.
III. a being known, fame, credit, Luc.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
160 γνῶσις
γνῶσις, γνώσεως, ἡ (γινώσκω) (from Thucydides down), knowledge: with the genitive of the object, σωτηρίας, Luke 1:77; τοῦ Θεοῦ, the knowledge of God, such as is offered in the gospel, 2 Cor. 2:14, especially in Paul's exposition of it, 2 Cor. 10:5; τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ Χριστοῦ, 2 Cor. 4:6; Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, of Christ as a saviour, Phil. 3:8; 2 Pet. 3:18; with subjunctive genitive τοῦ Θεοῦ, the knowledge of things which belongs to God, Rom. 11:33. γνῶσις, by itself, signifies in general intelligence, understanding: Eph. 3:19; the general knowledge of the Christian religion, Rom. 15:14; 1 Cor. 1:5; the deeper, more perfect and enlarged knowledge of this religion, such as belongs to the more advanced, 1 Cor. 12:8; 13:2,8; 14:6; 2 Cor. 6:6; 8:7; 11:6; especially of things lawful and unlawful for Christians, 1 Cor. 8:1,7,10f; the higher knowledge of Christian and divine things which false teachers boast of, ψευδωνομος γνῶσις, 1 Tim. 6:20 (cf. Holtzmann, Pastoralbriefe, p. 132f); moral wisdom, such as is seen in right living, 2 Pet. 1:5; and in contact with others: κατά γνῶσιν, wisely, 1 Pet. 3:7. objective knowledge: what is known concerning divine things and human duties, Rom. 2:20; Col. 2:3; concerning salvation through Christ, Luke 11:52. Where γνῶσις and σοφία are used together the former seems to be knowledge regarded by itself, the latter wisdom as exhibited in action: Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 12:8; Col. 2:3. ("γνῶσις is simply intuitive, σοφία is ratiocinative also; γνῶσις applies chiefly to the apprehension of truths, σοφία superadds the power of reasoning about them and tracing their relations." Lightfoot on Colossians, the passage cited. To much the same effect Fritzsche (on Romans, the passage cited), "γνῶσις perspicientia veri, σοφία sapientia aut mentis sollertia, quae cognita intellectaque veritate utatur, ut res efficiendas efficiat." Meyer (on 1 Corinthians, the passage cited) nearly reverses Lightfoot's distinction; elsewhere, however (e. g. on Colossians, the passage cited, cf. 9), he and others regard σοφία merely as the more general, γνῶσις as the more restricted and special term. Cf. Lightfoot as above; Trench, sec. lxxv.)*
VGNT Dictionary
866 γνῶσις [pg 129]
γνῶσις.
An interesting example of this word in its more general sense is afforded by P Lond 13015 (i/iiA.D.) (= I. p. 133) where a horoscope is prefaced by a letter in which the writer urges his pupil to be attentive to the laws of the art which the ancient Egyptians had discovered and handed down—ἀπέλειπον τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν γνῶσιν. P Hib I. 9213 (B.C. 263) ἕως γνώσεως περὶ τῆς δίκης is translated by the editors “until the decision of the suit.” So in P Hal I. 125 (iii/B.C.) ὅ]ταν ἡ γνῶσις ἀναγνωσθῆι παρὰ δικαστῶν ἢ δια@ι]τητῶν ἢ κριτῶν, and several times in the correspondence of Abinnaeus (iv/A.D.), as P Lond 23418 (c. B.C. 346) (= II. p. 287) ἀνενεχθήσεται εἰς γνῶσιν τοῦ αὐτοῦ κυρίου μου @δο]ῦκος. In P Oxy X. 125320 (iv/A.D.), an official report of certain military requisitions made at Oxyrhynchus by some officers, they render τῆς γνώσεως τῶν ὑφ᾽ ἑκάστου παρασχεθέντων, “the account of what was provided by each” (Edd.). In a Christian letter of iv/A.D., P Oxy VI. 9394, the word has the additional connotation of “solicitous” knowledge, when a dependent writes to his master ὡς ἐν ἄλ]λοις πλείστοις νῦν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἡ πρὸς σὲ @τοῦ δεσπό]tου θεοῦ γνῶσις ἀνεφάνη ἅπασιν ἡμῖν, “as on many other occasions so now even more plainly than ever has the regard of the Lord God for you been revealed to us all” (Edd.).
Dibelius (HZNT ad l.) finds a technical meaning derived from Greek mysticism in the use of γνῶσις in Phil 38 διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, and quotes the Hermetic prayer from Pap. Mimaut (cited by Reitzenstein Hellenist. Mysterienreligionen p. 113 ff.), χάριν σοι οἴδαμεν, ὕψιστε· σῇ γὰρ χάριτι τοῦτο τὸ φῶς τῆς γνώσεως ἐλάβομεν … χαίρομεν ὅτι ἐν σώμασιν ἡμᾶς ὄντας ἀπεθέωσας τῇ σεαυτοῦ θέᾳ. Deissmann, on the other hand, thinks that there is here no reference to speculative knowledge of Christ, but to personal and pneumatic acquaintance with Christ, and illustrates this meaning of the word from a i/A.D. decree of the Byzantines, Latyschev I. 476 f., which boasts of a citizen of Olbia that μέχρι τᾶς τῶν Σεβαστῶν γνώσεως προκό@ψ]αντος, “he had advanced to personal acquaintance with the Augusti (Augustus and Tiberius)”: see LAE, p. 383 n.8. It may be added that Dieterich’s conclusion, based on the use of γνῶσις in the magic papyri, that “the ‘Knowledge,’ which also plays so large a part in Christian teaching, is specially due to Greek influence” (Abraxas, p. 134) is rejected by Norden Agnostos Theos, p. 96 n.1.
