Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Reading Early Christian Literature in Context
- Part 1 The Graeco-Roaaan World: Context For Early Christianity
- Part Two The Teaching of the Historcial Jesus (27-30 Ce)
- Part Three The Earliest Christian Literature (30-70 Ce)
- Part Four The Christian Literature of the Late First Century (70-100 Ce)
- Part Five Beyond the New Testament: The Making of Christianity and Its Emergence Into the World
- Index
31 - Heterodox Christian Writings
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2020
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Reading Early Christian Literature in Context
- Part 1 The Graeco-Roaaan World: Context For Early Christianity
- Part Two The Teaching of the Historcial Jesus (27-30 Ce)
- Part Three The Earliest Christian Literature (30-70 Ce)
- Part Four The Christian Literature of the Late First Century (70-100 Ce)
- Part Five Beyond the New Testament: The Making of Christianity and Its Emergence Into the World
- Index
Summary
Historically speaking, ‘heterodox Christianity’ should be understood to refer to all those forms and traditions that had been part of emerging Christianity, but which were eventually marginalised or suppressed in the process of ‘making’ mainstream Christianity. Although this category would, strictly speaking, include Jewish-Christianity, in this context we refer to those traditions that were identified to be sectarian or gnostic.
Most of the knowledge of Christian Gnosticism derives from texts from the Nag Hammadi library of the fourth century CE. By comparing these texts with citations and references in early Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Hippolytus or Ephiphanius, one can connect these texts loosely with some or other trajectory or tradition in the emerging gnostic movement. Gnosticism itself was not a monolithic movement. Although most gnostic texts show evidence of some significant connection with Jewish thinking (in worldview, cosmology, demonology or mythology) some streams are more Jewish than others. Sethian Gnosticism (so called because of the prevalence of traditions relating to the mythological figure of Seth) was more Jewish in character, while Valentinian Gnosticism (named after the great gnostic teacher Valentinus) was more neoplatonic, thus more philosophical, in orientation. The discussion here will focus on two second-century CE Valentinian gnostic works.
GNOSTICISM
The term Gnosticism is derived from the Greek word for knowledge a gnosis). Someone who has this knowledge is called a gnostikos. The term Gnosticism refers to a fairly diverse cultural and religious phenomenon of late antiquity, from the late first to early second century onwards, but in continuity with significant cultural, philosophical and religious antecedents predating the second century. In short, one can characterise it as the mentality and mind-set of a large part of the later Graeco-Roman period. Gnosticism is not a single or monolithic religious tradition. Rather, the term describes (1) a broad cultural tradition or mind-set; (2) a characteristic syncretic mixture of Graeco-Roman philosophies; (3) a type of religious outlook or worldview with a concomitant set of defining doctrinal positions and (4) collections of writings that to a greater or lesser extent display the features characteristic of this worldview or cultural tradition.
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- From Jesus Christ To ChristianityEarly Christian Literature in Context, pp. 289 - 299Publisher: University of South AfricaPrint publication year: 2001