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Paradise Reconsidered in Gnostic Mythmaking Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies
Paradise Reconsidered in Gnostic Mythmaking Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies Editors Johannes van Oort & Einar Thomassen Editorial Board A. D. DeConick—W.-P. Funk—I. Gardner C. W. Hedrick—S. N. C. Lieu—A. Marjanen P. Nagel—L. Painchaud—B. A. Pearson S. G. Richter—J. M. Robinson—M. Scopello W. Sundermann—J. D. Turner—G. Wurst VOLUME 68 Paradise Reconsidered in Gnostic Mythmaking Rethinking Sethianism in Light of the Ophite Evidence By Tuomas Rasimus LEIDEN • BOSTON 2009 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rasimus, Tuomas. Paradise reconsidered in Gnostic mythmaking : rethinking Sethianism in light of the Ophite evidence / by Tuomas Rasimus. p. cm. — (Nag Hammadi and Manichaean studies ; v. 68) Revision of the author’s thesis (doctoral)—University of Helsinki and Université Laval, 2006. Includes bibliographical (p. ) references and indexes. ISBN 978-90-04-17323-1 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Sethians. 2. Ophites. I. Title. II. Series. BT1390.R38 2009 273'.1—dc22 2009029148 ISSN 0929-2470 ISBN 978 90 04 17323 1 Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. -
GNOSIS and NAG HAMMADI Anne Mcguire
12 GNOSIS AND NAG HAMMADI Anne McGuire Introduction Introductory remarks on “gnosis” and “Gnosticism” “Gnosticism” is a modern European term that !rst appears in the seventeenth-century writings of Cambridge Platonist Henry More (1614–87). For More, “Gnosticism” designates one of the earliest Christian heresies, connected to controversies addressed in Revelation 2:18–29 and in his own day.1 The term “gnosis,” on the other hand, is one of several ancient Greek nouns for “knowledge,” speci!cally experiential or esoteric knowledge based on direct experience, which can be distinguished from mere perception, understanding, or skill. For Plato and other ancient thinkers, “gnosis” refers to that knowledge which enables perception of the underlying structures of reality, Being itself, or the divine.2 Such gnosis was valued highly in many early Christian communities,3 yet the claims of some early Christians to possess gnosis came under suspicion and critique in the post-Pauline letter of 1 Timothy, which urges its readers to “avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of falsely so-called gnosis.”4 With this began the polemical contrast between “false gnosis” and “true faith.” It is this polemical sense of “false gnosis” that Bishop Irenaeus of Lyons took up in the title of his major anti-heretical work: Refutation and Overthrow of Falsely So-Called Gnosis, or Against Heresies, written c. "# 180.5 Irenaeus used 1 Timothy’s phrase not only to designate his opponents’ gnosis as false, but, even more important, to construct a broad category of -
Nag Hammadi Codex II in Its Fourth
2 CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . 5 ABSTRACT . 8 DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT STATEMENT . 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 10 1. INTRODUCTION . 11 The Nag Hammadi Codices after ‘Gnosticism’. 11 Order and Themes: Alternative Scripture? . 15 Pachomian Ownership? Arguments from Codicology . 21 Ideological Affinity? . 29 Introducing the Pachomian Sources . 29 Pachomian Ideology and Practice . 35 2. THE APOCRYPHON OF JOHN AS A THEMATIC PROLOGUE . 45 The Significance and Prominence of the Apocryphon of John . 45 The Narrative . 48 Sexual Complexity: Asceticism and Anti-Feminism? . 62 Carnal Union and Spiritual Unity . 64 Feminine Wiles: The Placement of Sexual Desire in Codex II . 67 Sex: Despicable or Distorted? . 72 Knowledge Revealed and Preserved . 77 The Struggle of the Soul . 79 3 3. ETHICS AND PRACTICE: ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE BODY, THE WORLD, AND OTHERS IN THE GOSPELS OF THOMAS AND PHILIP . 83 Defining ‘Asceticism’ . 83 The Gospel of Thomas . 86 Origins of the Text and the ‘Ascetic’ Argument . 86 The Counter Debate . 89 A More Nuanced Position? . 92 The Gospel of Philip . 108 Metaphorical Marriage? The Bridal Chamber . 108 ‘Appropriate’ Sexuality . 114 Social Responsibility and Attitudes towards Other Christians . 127 4. THE DEMISE OF COSMIC THREAT AND REWARD FOR THE DEVOTED: THE HYPOSTASIS OF THE ARCHONS AND ON THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD . 135 The Consequences of Earthly Actions . 135 The Hypostasis of the Archons . 138 Making a Mockery of Malice . 145 Sexuality: The Roles of Eve and Norea . 156 Reinterpreting the ‘Chosen Generation’ . 161 On the Origin of the World . 164 Eschatology Cosmic and Individual . 164 5. UNDERSTANDING AND LIBERATING THE SOUL: THE EXEGESIS ON THE SOUL AND THE BOOK OF THOMAS THE CONTENDER . -
EARL 8/2 No. 2
ATTRIDGE/VALENTINIAN AND SETHIAN APOCALYPSES 173 Valentinian and Sethian Apocalyptic Traditions* HAROLD W. ATTRIDGE The paper reexamines the relationship between “apocalyptic” and “gnostic” traditions, on the assumption that global definitions of these phenomena are problematic. Valentinian and Sethian corpora in the Nag Hammadi collection display different appropriations of apocalyptic literary forms and conceptual schemes. Apart from a few late works with traces of Valentinian positions, this tradition largely ignores features characteristic of apocalyptic literature. Valentinian eschatology seems to be founded primarily on philosophical cosmology and psychology. Sethian texts preserve many features of Jewish revelatory literature, and many details associated with various eschatological schemes familiar from apocalyptic sources. The most extensive use of the characteristic “heavenly ascent” topos in Sethian literature, however, seems to be a third-century development, perhaps responding to contemporary forms of religious propaganda. It has been almost forty years since R. M. Grant made his famous, and frequently discussed, suggestion that Gnosticism was born out of disap- pointed apocalyptic hopes.1 While containing an element of truth, the very formulation seems curiously dated. At the end of the millennium we are much more aware of the difficulties of dealing with each term of *A version of this paper was presented to the joint session of the Nag Hammadi and Pseudepigrapha groups at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Orlando, November 22, 1998. The subject of the joint session was the relationship of “apocalyptic” and “Gnosticism.” 1. Robert M. Grant, Gnosticism and Early Christianity (New York: Columbia University Press, 1959; rev. ed. 1966), 27–38. -
The Apocryphal Gospels
A NOW YOU KNOW MEDIA W R I T T E N GUID E The Apocryphal Gospels: Exploring the Lost Books of the Bible by Fr. Bertrand Buby, S.M., S.T.D. LEARN WHILE LISTENING ANYTIME. ANYWHERE. THE APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS: EXPLORING THE LOST BOOKS OF THE BIBLE WRITTEN G U I D E Now You Know Media Copyright Notice: This document is protected by copyright law. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You are permitted to view, copy, print and distribute this document (up to seven copies), subject to your agreement that: Your use of the information is for informational, personal and noncommercial purposes only. You will not modify the documents or graphics. You will not copy or distribute graphics separate from their accompanying text and you will not quote materials out of their context. You agree that Now You Know Media may revoke this permission at any time and you shall immediately stop your activities related to this permission upon notice from Now You Know Media. WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 800- 955- 3904 / © 2010 2 THE APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS: EXPLORING THE LOST BOOKS OF THE BIBLE WRITTEN G U I D E Table of Contents Topic 1: An Introduction to the Apocryphal Gospels ...................................................7 Topic 2: The Protogospel of James (Protoevangelium of Jacobi)...............................10 Topic 3: The Sayings Gospel of Didymus Judas Thomas...........................................13 Topic 4: Apocryphal Infancy Gospels of Pseudo-Thomas and Others .......................16 Topic 5: Jewish Christian Apocryphal Gospels ..........................................................19 -
The Enigma of the Life and Work of Judas Iscariot
THE ENIGMA OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF JUDAS ISCARIOT by SYBIL PENNINGTON (Under the Direction of Wayne Coppins) ABSTRACT This thesis evokes a genuine and historical curiosity about the life and work of Judas Iscariot beginning with the New Testament Gospels and continuing to modern times. It is an attempt to draw a composite picture of Judas in light of a thorough examination of the data and research garnered from such a study. INDEX WORDS: Judas Iscariot, Gospels, Church Fathers, Gnosticism, Greek apologists, Middle Ages, Legends, Passion plays, Anti-Semitism, Renaissance, Reformation, Martin Luther, Modernism THE ENIGMA OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF JUDAS ISCARIOT by SYBIL PENNINGTON B.A., The University of Georgia, 2006 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2010 © 2010 Sybil Pennington All Rights Reserved THE ENIGMA OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF JUDAS ISCARIOT by SYBIL PENNINGTON Major Professor: Wayne Coppins Committee: Carolyn Medine Sandy Martin Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2010 iv DEDICATION To my husband, Joseph Allen Pennington, who cupped the little spark of my dream in his hands and blew it into a living flame. You nurtured it, encouraged it, and guarded it from burning out. You never lost faith in me. Such a teacher is co-creator with God. You helped to shape a mind, a life, a destiny. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of planning and preparing this thesis, I have been fortunate to have the support, advice, and assistance of many people. -
Download Ancient Apocryphal Gospels
MARKus BOcKMuEhL Ancient Apocryphal Gospels Interpretation Resources for the Use of Scripture in the Church BrockMuehl_Pages.indd 3 11/11/16 9:39 AM © 2017 Markus Bockmuehl First edition Published by Westminster John Knox Press Louisville, Kentucky 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the pub- lisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202- 1396. Or contact us online at www.wjkbooks.com. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission. Map of Oxyrhynchus is printed with permission by Biblical Archaeology Review. Book design by Drew Stevens Cover design by designpointinc.com Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Bockmuehl, Markus N. A., author. Title: Ancient apocryphal gospels / Markus Bockmuehl. Description: Louisville, KY : Westminster John Knox Press, 2017. | Series: Interpretation: resources for the use of scripture in the church | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016032962 (print) | LCCN 2016044809 (ebook) | ISBN 9780664235895 (hbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781611646801 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Apocryphal Gospels—Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Apocryphal books (New Testament)—Criticism, interpretation, etc. Classification: LCC BS2851 .B63 2017 (print) | LCC BS2851 (ebook) | DDC 229/.8—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016032962 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48- 1992. -
An Historian's View of the "Gospel of Judas" Author(S): David Frankfurter Source: Near Eastern Archaeology, Vol
An Historian's View of the "Gospel of Judas" Author(s): David Frankfurter Source: Near Eastern Archaeology, Vol. 70, No. 3 (Sep., 2007), pp. 174-177 Published by: The American Schools of Oriental Research Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20361323 . Accessed: 01/12/2014 13:02 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The American Schools of Oriental Research is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Near Eastern Archaeology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 75.32.237.230 on Mon, 1 Dec 2014 13:02:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions the range and depth of early Christian diversity from An Historian's View of manuscript discoveries like the Nag Hammadi Library, the an extensive cache of ancient revelatory documents Gospel of]udas most of them Christian in orientation-that had been hidden in jars in a cave as a result of some fourth- or fifth-century library purge. The Nag Hammadi Library The general public may be forgivenfor thinking that was rediscovered in the mid-twentieth century and is the newly released Gospel of Judas has meaning now widely available in several paperback editions. -
The Gospels of Judas,Peter, and Thomas: Is Their Exclusion from the Canon Merited?
Diligence: Journal of the Liberty University Online Religion Capstone in Research and Scholarship Volume 1 Article 4 September 2016 The Gospels of Judas,Peter, and Thomas: Is Their Exclusion from the Canon Merited? David Heady Liberty University Online, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/djrc Recommended Citation Heady, David (2016) "The Gospels of Judas,Peter, and Thomas: Is Their Exclusion from the Canon Merited?," Diligence: Journal of the Liberty University Online Religion Capstone in Research and Scholarship: Vol. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/djrc/vol1/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Divinity at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Diligence: Journal of the Liberty University Online Religion Capstone in Research and Scholarship by an authorized editor of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Heady: Apocryphal Gospels: Exclusion Merited? The Gospels of Peter, Judas, and Thomas: Is Their Exclusion from the Canon Merited? David Heady RLGN 490-D01: Research and Scholarly Capstone April 24, 2017 Published by Scholars Crossing, 2016 1 Diligence: Journal of the Liberty University Online Religion Capstone in Research and Scholarship, Vol. 1, Iss. 1 [2016], Art. 4 1 Introduction Throughout all human history, tension has existed between truth and error. When God placed humanity in Eden, He instructed, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).1 Not long after this, Satan came and flatly contradicted God by saying, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4b). -
The "Unhistorical" Gospel of Judas
BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 45 Issue 2 Article 4 5-1-2006 The "Unhistorical" Gospel of Judas Thomas A. Wayment Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Recommended Citation Wayment, Thomas A. (2006) "The "Unhistorical" Gospel of Judas," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 45 : Iss. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol45/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Wayment: The "Unhistorical" Gospel of Judas The “Unhistorical” Gospel of Judas Thomas A. Wayment ttributed to Jesus’ disciple Judas Iscariot, the Gospel of Judas (Codex A Tchacos) purports to preserve a private conversation between the mortal Savior and the Apostle who would betray him. A major ques- tion arising from this recently rediscovered Gnostic gospel is whether it contains any credible historical information about Judas, Jesus, or any of Jesus’ other disciples. There are several features that can be used to assess the historical value of this document, namely the physical or external his- tory of the document, internal literary clues or references, and compara- tive analysis based on the historical setting of the text. The Physical History of the Manuscript The Gospel of Judas was discovered nearly three decades ago, and its text, restored from thousands of fragments, was made public only recently. The Gospel of Judas, however, was not unknown to early Christians. -
THE GOSPEL of JUDAS Its Protagonist, Its Composition, and Its Community
THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS Its Protagonist, its Composition, and its Community Gesine Schenke Robinson We have come a long way in our interpretation of Judas and the assess- ment of the manuscript in which he features so prominently. Aft er the fi rst overexcited view of Judas as a role model for all those who want to be Jesus’ disciples,1 and the provocative notion of the document turning Christianity on its head,2 a more measured approach followed, sometimes along with amended translations and re-evaluations.3 In recent publications however, Judas again is depicted in surprisingly extreme terms. He is either compared to Sophia, trapped in a mortal body and yearning to return to his celestial home,4 or he is an evil demon and undercover agent of the arch-archon, with Jesus teaching him about his future so that he will suff er even more because he will step open-eyed into his demise.5 As a narrative character, Judas obviously can be all of this. Yet there is the nagging question: Does the text at hand support any of these interpretations?6 Th e Gospel of Judas is full of irony and ciphers that the original audience would easily have understood, but that we have to unearth laboriously. Since it is a Gnostic text, everything has to be construed from a Gnostic point of view, not seen through a New Testament lens. Th is may seem self-evident, but the two kinds of representation are easily confused, resulting in statements still to be 1 See e.g. -
The Gospel of Judas: Introduction Marvin Meyer, Ph.D
The Gospel of Judas: Introduction Marvin Meyer, Ph.D. Reprinted with permission from the book The Gospel of Judas, 2nd edition. Copyright © 2006, 2008 National Geographic Society. arvin Meyer (Ph.D., Claremont Judas is as ignominious as his actions. He University) is Griset Professor of takes blood money from the authorities for M Bible and Christian Studies at his betrayal of Jesus, and either he hangs Chapman University, Director of the Albert himself (as in Matthew) or he dies in a Schweitzer Institute, and Director of the ghastly fashion (as in Acts), falling headlong Coptic Magical Texts Project of the Institute and causing his body to rip open. for Antiquity and Christianity. In this article, Yet, even in the New Testament, there Professor Meyer introduces us to The Gospel of is something captivating about Judas Judas (which had been lost for 1,600 years) told Iscariot. The account of Judas betraying from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, history’s Jesus remains a story of great power and ultimate traitor. In this radical reinterpretation, poignancy: Jesus is handed over by one Jesus asks Judas to betray him. of his closest friends. Furthermore, in the New Testament gospels, there are hints of a more favorable figure of Judas Iscariot. Over the years the sands of Egypt Judas is part of the inner circle of disciples of have surrendered countless treasures and Jesus, and according to the Gospel of John, archaeological wonders, and now they Judas acts as the treasurer of the group and have yielded another spectacular find—the is entrusted with whatever funds Jesus and Gospel of Judas, recently discovered and the disciples might have had.