Gnosticism

1. Discovery in Nag Hammadi2. Gnosticism: main features3. 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).

Valentinian ‘Pleroma’ = Fullness (see ANF 31, pp. 198-201)

• Ungenerated Father (= Abyss= first aeon)

• Sophia (= Wisdom = Mother) gave birth outside of the Pleroma to the imperfect creator (= Demiurge = Craftsman = Yaldabaoth)

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, pseudo-Matthew, 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. Use in public worship & teaching.

2. Orthodoxy = agreement with the apostolic tradition and rule of faith).

3. Apostolicity = attributed to apostles or ‘apostolic men’.

4. 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