Gnostic mythologies are influenced by the Genesis creation story and consist of the downward fall of a heavenly being (e.g., Sophia). Like diamonds in mud, a divine spark is hidden within human inhabitants of this dark and ignorant world. The origins of Gnosticism are difficult to ascertain, since our earliest sources are from the second and third centuries A.D. Evidence from church fathers like Justin Martyr and Irenaeus makes it clear that there were Christian Gnostics in conflict with early catholic