Christian gnosis : Christian religious philosophy in its historical development / Ferdinand Christian Baur ; edited by Peter C. Hodgson ; translated by Robert F. Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baur, Ferdinand Christian, author.

Contributor:

Hodgson, Peter C., editor.

Brown, Robert F., translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gnosticism--History.

Gnosticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (506 pages)

Place of Publication:

Eugene, Oregon : Cascade Books, [2020]

Summary:

Baur published Die christliche Gnosis in 1835. It was his first great religio-historical study and the most important book on Gnosticism published in the nineteenth century. It is now recognized as having a pivotal status in Baur studies. In it Baur offers a unique thesis about a link between ancient and modern religious philosophy. Gnosis is a type of religious philosophy that contains ideas about the relationship between God, world, and human beings, as expressed in concrete religious traditions and practices. As such, it makes an important contribution to Christian theology. In the first part, Baur develops a concept of gnosis in dialogue with his predecessors and contemporaries. He classifies the gnostic systems in terms of how they conceive the relationship of Christianity to Judaism and paganism, and then describes them in detail (Valentinus, Ophites, Bardesanes, Saturninus, Basilides, Marcion, Pseudo-Clementines). Following transitional sections on the criticism of and reaction to gnosis in church history, the book ends with modern religious philosophy (Boehme, Schelling, Schleiermacher, and Hegel--Baur's first discussion of these major thinkers). This book was written over a hundred years before the manuscript discovery at Nag Hammadi, which awakened a lively interest in Gnosticism that continues to the present day.

Contents:

Baur's introduction: The topic of this investigation and how it has been treated: Massuet, Mosheim, Neader

Part 1. The concept and origin of gnosis, the division of gnosis as its various principal forms, and their general determination. The concept of gnosis

The origins of gnosis

Classification of the gnostic systems

Part 2. The various principal forms of gnosis. The form of gnosis linking Christianity glosely to Judaism and paganism

The form of gnosis separating Christianity from Judaism and paganism: the system of Marcion

The form of gnosis identifying Christianity and Judaism, and setting forth both of them in opposition to paganism: the Pseudo-Clementine system

Part 3. The conflict of gnosis with Neoplatonism and with the teaching of the church: the further development of gnosis in virtue of this conflict. The polemic of the Neoplatonists against the gnostics

The polemic against gnosis by the Church Fathers: Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria

Part 4. Ancient gnosis and more recent religious philosophy. The transition from ancient gnosis to the more recent religious philosophy

The more recent religious philosophy.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781532677410

1532677413