Transcript Gnosticism 1. Discovery in Nag Hammadi 2. Gnosticism: main features

Gnosticism
1. Discovery in Nag Hammadi
2. Gnosticism: main features
3. Valentinus & his system
Discovery of the Nag
Hammadi Library
• Discovered in 1945 in a jar in Egypt
• 12 codices containing 52 writings
• Major source of Gnostic texts
Coptic Museum in Cairo
Main Features of Gnosticism
1.
Intricate and obscure cosmology.
2.
Syncretism: blending various religious world-views.
3.
Fundamental questions of human existence.
4.
Gnosis: secret knowledge as means of attaining salvation.
5.
Dualism: spiritual/ material; soul/ body.
6.
Docetic christology (some Gnostics).
7.
Sense of non-belonging to the world.
8.
Ethics: world-denying asceticism or extreme libertinism.
9.
Three groups: spiritual (initiated Gnostics); psychic (ordinary believers);
fleshy (unbelievers, those who will perish).
• Ungenerated
Father (= Abyss=
first aeon)
• Sophia (= Wisdom
= Mother) gave
birth outside of the
Pleroma to the
imperfect creator
(= Demiurge =
Craftsman =
Yaldabaoth)
Valentinian ‘Pleroma’ = Fullness
(see ANF 31, pp. 198-201)
30 divine beings called aeons
St. Irenaeus of Lyons
•
•
•
•
Approx. 130-200 AD
Knew Stt. Polycarp & Justin
Bishop of Lyons
Wrote Against Haeresies ca. 180.
NT canon: stages of development
•
•
•
•
•
Witnessing Jesus’ ministry
Preaching, teaching, and worshipping Jesus
Composition of the written materials
Proliferation of writings
Informal selection of writings
Proliferation of Apocrypha
•
•
•
•
Gospels attributed to individual
apostles or groups:
– Peter, James, Philip,
Thomas,Judas, Mary, pseudoMatthew, Matthias, Bartholomew,
the Twelve Apostles, Ebionites,
Hebrews, Nazaraeans, Egyptians,
Gospels under general titles:
– Perfection, Truth, the Four
Heavenly Regions
Gospels attributed to heretics:
– Cerinthus, Basilides, Marcion,
Apelles, Bardesanes, Mani
Other apocryphal literature:
– Apocryphon of: John, James;
Apocalypse of John, Peter;
Correspondence between Paul
and Seneca; Shepherd of Hermas
Non-canonical gospel fragment
Irenaeus' contribution
• Four gospels, no
less and no more
• Four beasts of
Ezekiel symbolizing
the four evangelists
NT canon: informal selection criteria
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use in public worship &
teaching.
Orthodoxy = agreement
with the apostolic
tradition and rule of
faith).
Apostolicity = attributed
to apostles or ‘apostolic
men’.
Antiquity =belong to the
‘apostolic age’.
Timeline
•
•
3rd c. B.C.E. Septuagint. Started under Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BCE) in
Alexandria.
end of 1st c. C.E. Council of Javneh: Jewish canon closed with 39 books.
•
•
•
•
•
NT canon:
50ies: Pauline Epistles. Paul died ca. 60.
60ies-early 70ies: Gospel of Mark.
80ies: Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
90ies: Gospel of John and the rest of the canon.
•
•
140ies Marcion produced his own canon.
170ies Tatian published his Diatessaron.
•
180ies Irenaeus endorsed the four gospels.
•
200 ( or 4th c?): Muratorian canon. Some Gnostic Gospels and apocrypha rejected.
•
367: The first full list of the 27 NT writings mentioned in letter of Athanasius of Alexandria