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Gnostic revisions of Genesis stories and early Jesus traditions / by Gerard P. Luttikhuizen.
Van Pelt Library BT1392.A752 L88 2006
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Luttikhuizen, Gerard P.
- Series:
- Nag Hammadi and Manichaean studies ; 58.
- Nag Hammadi and Manichaean studies, 0929-2470 ; v. 58
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Apocryphon of John--Criticism, interpretation, etc.
- Apocryphon of John.
- Gnostic literature--Relation to the Old Testament.
- Gnostic literature.
- Gnosticism.
- Physical Description:
- xviii, 208 pages ; 25 cm.
- Place of Publication:
- Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2006.
- Summary:
- This book argues that the intellectuals behind early Gnostic revisions of Genesis stories were second-century Christians with an ideological background in Greek-Hellenistic philosophy, who adopted and reinterpreted biblical narrative materials with a view to exposing the inferiority of the creator-God of Genesis and the ignorance of those Christians who continued to worship this God. It also discusses controversies between Gnostic and early orthodox Christians about the person and the mission of Jesus Christ. The first part examines the possible polemical function, the philosophical thought structure, and the narrative scheme of the Genesis rewritings, and continues with studies of individual episodes of the Gnostic myth, from the creation of Adam up to the story of Noah and the Flood. The second part focuses on Gnostic reinterpretations of the teaching and the passion of Jesus. The book includes essays about Gnostic theology, ancient and modern readings, of Gnostic texts, and an appendix dealing with the ancient baptist community in which Mani was reared.
- Contents:
- I Introduction: Gnostic Interpreters 1
- The Apocryphon of John 1
- The Letter of Peter to Philip 3
- The revisionary power of a Gnostic thought pattern 4
- Did the critical Gnostic approach to the Jewish Scriptures originate in a Jewish environment? 6
- A dual hypothesis 10
- The scope of this investigation 12
- Part 1 Genesis Interpretations
- II Polemical Context and Function (ApJohn) 17
- The frame story of ApJohn and the teaching it conveys 17
- Early Christian ideas about the meaning and value of the Old Testament 20
- Understanding the Scriptures after Christ 21
- The Old Testament as a Christian book 22
- Rejection of the Jewish Bible 24
- More and less valuable passages in the Scriptures 25
- III Philosophical Thought Pattern (ApJohn) 29
- Aristotelian philosophy in post-classical antiquity 31
- Aristotelian elements in Middle-Platonism 32
- Theology 35
- Anthropology 37
- The soul 37
- The divine element in humanity 39
- IV Narrative Scheme (ApJohn) 44
- A prehistoric tragedy 45
- A combat story 50
- Yaldabaoth is enticed a) to create man and b) to transmit the power of his Mother into man 50
- Yaldabaoth and his powers imprison the spiritual substance in a) a physical body and b) in fate 51
- A helper is sent from above 52
- The creation of an opposing spirit 54
- An attempt made by the demiurgical God to take the spiritual power away from Adam 55
- The further dispersion of the light power 55
- Covering and mixing the light substance with darkness 56
- V The Creation of Adam and Eve (ApJohn) 59
- The creation of Adam 59
- The creation of Adam's psychic body (the soul) 59
- The reception of the divine pneuma 62
- The creation of Adam's material body 65
- Eve's separation from Adam 67
- VI Paradise (ApJohn, TestTruth) 72
- The Testimony of Truth 73
- The creator God and the serpent 75
- Historical context 78
- A Gnostic midrash? 81
- VII Eve's Children and the Salvation of Humanity (ApJohn, HypArch) 83
- Introduction: A heresiological cliche 83
- The Apocryphon of John 87
- The True Nature of the Archons 91
- VIII Noah and the Flood (ApJohn, HypArch, ApocAdam) 97
- The motivation of the creator God 98
- The purpose of the Gnostic revisions 100
- ApJohn 101
- HypArch 103
- ApocAdam 105
- IX The Ineffable God (ApJohn, TrimProt) 108
- The-One-who-is 108
- A God beyond being and comprehension 112
- Part 2 Early Jesus Traditions
- X The Teaching of Jesus 119
- Introduction: The Letter of Peter to Philip 119
- How were the Gnostic revelations of the exalted Christ related to his prepaschal teachings? 120
- Witnesses and mediators of the teaching of Jesus 123
- Peter 123
- John 124
- James 124
- Jude-Thomas 126
- Mary Magdalene 127
- XI The Passion of Jesus: The Suffering Jesus and the Impassible Christ (ApocPet) 130
- Physical and spiritual realities 132
- Jesus' Arrest and Crucifixion 133
- Peter's example 136
- XII The Passion of Jesus: The Wooden Cross and the Cosmic Cross of Light (ActsJohn) 140
- ActsJohn 94-96 141
- ActsJohn 97-102 145
- Conclusion: two levels of understanding 149
- XIII Johannine Vocabulary and Gnostic thought (LetPetPhil, TrimProt) 152
- The Prologue of John's Gospel 152
- The Letter of Peter to Philip 136.16-137.4 153
- Trimorphic Protennoia 157
- XIV Epilogue: Readers of Gnostic Texts 163
- 1a The intended readers 164
- 1b Gnostic Christian readers of the fourth century 166
- 2a Irenaeus 167
- 2b Modern readers 168
- Appendix The Baptists of Mani's Youth and the Elchasaites 170
- The cyclic incarnation of the True Prophet 172
- Hippolytus 173
- Epiphanius 176
- A Syrian Christology? 178
- Water rites 179
- Interim conclusion 181
- Elchasai and Elxai-Alchasaios/al-Hasih/'lxs' 182.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [185]-197) and index.
- ISBN:
- 9004145109
- OCLC:
- 61652862
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