Illuminati

This term was first used in the fifteenth century, and it referred to those who were believed to possess the 'light' received directly from a higher source. It probably has Gnostic origins, and there were all kinds of people claiming to belong to the brotherhood. Those who made this claim in Spain were subjected to the Inquisition, and many of them moved to France as refugees. Illuminati were also sometimes known as Rosicrucians.