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The Books of Jeu and the Pistis Sophia : System , P Ractice , and Development of a Religious Group

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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. THE BOOKS OF JEU AND THE PISTIS SOPHIA : SYSTEM , P RACTICE , AND DEVELOPMENT OF A RELIGIOUS GROUP Erin M. Evans Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh December 2011 ABSTRACT The primary objective of this thesis is to argue that the Books of Jeu (in the Bruce Codex) and the Pistis Sophia (the Askew Codex) are the product of a hitherto largely unrecognized religious group or community emerging from the dynamic religious climate of the first four centuries of the Common Era. It presents evidence that they have their own coherent system of theology, cosmology and soteriology, and demonstrates the strong ties that bind the individual tractates contained within these texts to one another. Chapter One provides a brief introduction to the history of the manuscripts, discusses methodology, presents definitions and a short thesis outline, and delivers a review of literature on the subject. Chapter Two examines each of the texts under consideration, giving a brief overview of their contents; arguments are presented for their chronological order, the exclusion of certain texts and fragments from the wider codices, and reasons these texts should be considered products of a religious group as opposed to being pure literary products of individual thinkers. Chapter Three traces the cosmology from the earliest to the latest of the texts, outlining shifts that take place and proposing explanations for these changes within an overall developmental framework. Chapter Four examines the roles of individual figures from the earliest to the latest texts; it demonstrates that although on the surface these roles may seem to change, their underlying nature remains constant, supporting the notion that they are the products of a group with a consistent underlying system. Chapter Five analyses the profusion of diagrams found in the two Books of Jeu , breaking them down into categories based on their nature and use as expressed by the texts. It further demonstrates that such images had a precedent in the religious and cultural atmosphere of Greco-Roman society. Chapter Six discusses potential outside religious influences present in these texts, and shows that while they are highly syncretistic, outside ideas are always incorporated within the existing framework of the group’s system: conflicting notions are subordinated to the existing theology and soteriology. The thesis concludes that these texts represent evidence of a practicing religious group that remained active over a period of time, producing multiple texts by multiple authors, adapting to a changing religious climate but maintaining the ideas that remained central to their underlying theological and soteriological system. i DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that I have composed this thesis, the work is my own, and that this work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Erin Evans ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was made possible by scholarships awarded by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme, for which I am very grateful. It further could not have been accomplished without the time and support of several individuals. These people have read my work, offered advice, and given invaluable encouragement, which fanned the flames of academic passion and inquiry. First, my thanks go to Dr. Paul Foster, without whose advice and supervision both this thesis and the Masters that led to it would have been impossible. From the day I came into his office having just discovered the unfamiliar texts, the Books of Jeu , his encouragement and support of this project have helped it grow from amorphous interest into the present volume. I am exceedingly thankful for his guidance and patience over the course of this research. I am indebted to my second supervisor, Dr. Sara Parvis, who was always ready with astute questions and sage advice. Her calm insight and fresh outlook helped me in times of academic frustration or stress. Deep gratitude also goes to Prof. April DeConick. Her generous invitation to spend a term researching at Rice University and participating in the Mellon Seminar, “Mapping Death,” resulted in great strides in both this research and my confidence as a fledgling academic. Her enthusiasm for my work and her immense erudition have been of great help, both during my time there and since my return. I would furthermore like to thank my friends both in Edinburgh and back in the US. Their encouragement, and the number of them both willing to and interested in hearing about my research, was a great help for my morale. My thanks must go especially to Lee Bynum, who not only encouraged me to take the leap of faith, change academic paths, and apply to study in Edinburgh, but who was also was iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS willing to check out and mail to Scotland the University of Illinois’ copy of the Books of Jeu on my whim of curiosity, which then became the focus of this research. My family has also been greatly supportive, once the shock had worn off of discovering the school I had applied to “out East” was in fact across the Atlantic. Their acceptance of my unorthodox journey has been immensely appreciated, and their constant love and encouragement must be gratefully acknowledged. In particular my mother, Linda Evans, has been willing to proofread, check my reasoning, and listen to the frustrations of the moment. I would like to end this section, however, with greatest thanks to my partner, Richard Walker. From times of elation to moments of despair he has been by my side, ready with words of encouragement, immense patience, an engineer’s insight on this foreign humanities field, and technical skills that have saved this document on more than one occasion. I am immensely thankful for his psychological support and optimism over the course of completing this thesis, and I look forward to the future, with both our PhDs in hand. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ......................................................................................................................... i Declaration of Originality ............................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... v List of Tables and Figures........................................................................................... ix Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... x Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE TEXTS AND HISTORY OF SCHOLARSHIP ................. 1 1.1 Research Objectives....................................................................................... 2 1.2 Methodology.................................................................................................. 4 1.3 A Terminological Conundrum: What is ‘Gnostic’?....................................... 6 1.4 Review of Scholarship................................................................................. 10 1.4.1 Translations and transcriptions........................................................ 10 1.4.2 Descriptions and interpretations...................................................... 11 1.5 Definitions of Key Terms ............................................................................ 22 1.5.1 Emanation........................................................................................ 22 1.5.2 Aeon................................................................................................. 23 1.5.3 Archon ............................................................................................. 23 1.5.4 Watcher............................................................................................ 24 1.5.5 Receivers ......................................................................................... 25 1.5.6 The “Jeuians”................................................................................... 26 1.6 Conclusions.................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 2: THE JEUIAN TEXTS AND THEIR USE ......................................................... 29 2.1 The Jeuian Texts .......................................................................................... 30 2.1.1 The First Book of Jeu ....................................................................... 31 2.1.2 The Second Book of Jeu ..................................................................
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