Philo's Influence on Valentinian Tradition

Philo's Influence on Valentinian Tradition PDF Author: Risto Auvinen
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 1628375760
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
In this book Risto Auvinen reevalutes the relationship between the exegetical and philosophical traditions found in the works of Philo and those of the Valentinian gnostic tradition, with a particular focus on the latter half of the second century, Valentinianism’s formative years. Texts examined include fragments of Valentinus, Heracleon, and Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora, in addition to the Valentinian source included in the Excerpta ex Theodoto by Clement of Alexandria and related sections in Irenaeus’s Adversus haereses. Auvinen asserts that the number of parallels with Philo in the Valentinian sources increases the likelihood that there was a historical relationship between Philo’s writings and Valentinian teachers. These connections expand our knowledge not only of the preservation and circulation of Philo’s texts in the latter part of the second century but also of the importance of the allegorical traditions of Hellenistic Judaism on Valentinus’s school of thought and on Gnosticism more broadly.

Philo's Influence on Valentinian Tradition

Philo's Influence on Valentinian Tradition PDF Author: Risto Auvinen
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 1628375760
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
In this book Risto Auvinen reevalutes the relationship between the exegetical and philosophical traditions found in the works of Philo and those of the Valentinian gnostic tradition, with a particular focus on the latter half of the second century, Valentinianism’s formative years. Texts examined include fragments of Valentinus, Heracleon, and Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora, in addition to the Valentinian source included in the Excerpta ex Theodoto by Clement of Alexandria and related sections in Irenaeus’s Adversus haereses. Auvinen asserts that the number of parallels with Philo in the Valentinian sources increases the likelihood that there was a historical relationship between Philo’s writings and Valentinian teachers. These connections expand our knowledge not only of the preservation and circulation of Philo’s texts in the latter part of the second century but also of the importance of the allegorical traditions of Hellenistic Judaism on Valentinus’s school of thought and on Gnosticism more broadly.

Valentinian Christianity

Valentinian Christianity PDF Author:
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520297466
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
Valentinus, an Egyptian Christian who traveled to Rome to teach his unique brand of theology, and his followers, the Valentinians, formed one of the largest and most influential sects of Christianity in the second and third centuries. But by the fourth century, their writings had all but disappeared suddenly and mysteriously from the historical record, as the newly consolidated imperial Christian Church condemned as heretical all forms of what has come to be known as Gnosticism. Only in 1945 were their extensive original works finally rediscovered, and the resurrected “Gnostic Gospels” soon rooted themselves in both the scholarly and popular imagination. Valentinian Christianity: Texts and Translations brings together for the first time all the extant texts composed by Valentinus and his followers. With accessible introductions and fresh translations based on new transcriptions of the original Greek and Coptic manuscripts on facing pages, Geoffrey S. Smith provides an illuminating, balanced overview of Valentinian Christianity and its formative place in Christian history.

Stoicism in Early Christianity

Stoicism in Early Christianity PDF Author: Tuomas Rasimus
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 0801039517
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
An international roster of scholars highlights the place of Stoic teaching in early Christian thought.

Tolerance, Intolerance, and Recognition in Early Christianity and Early Judaism

Tolerance, Intolerance, and Recognition in Early Christianity and Early Judaism PDF Author: Michael Labahn
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
ISBN: 9048535123
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
This collection of essays investigates signs of toleration, recognition, respect and other positive forms of interaction between and within religious groups of late antiquity. At the same time, it acknowledges that examples of tolerance are significantly fewer in ancient sources than examples of intolerance and are often limited to insiders, while outsiders often met with contempt, or even outright violence. The essays take both perspectives seriously by analysing the complexity pertaining to these encounters. Religious concerns, ethnicity, gender and other social factors central to identity formation were often intertwined and they yielded different ways of drawing the limits of tolerance and intolerance. This book enhances our understanding of the formative centuries of Jewish and Christian religious traditions. It also brings the results of historical inquiry into dialogue with present-day questions of religious tolerance.

Beyond Gnosticism

Beyond Gnosticism PDF Author: Ismo O. Dunderberg
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231512597
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Valentinus was a popular, influential, and controversial early Christian teacher. His school flourished in the second and third centuries C.E. Yet because his followers ascribed the creation of the visible world not to a supreme God but to an inferior and ignorant Creator-God, they were from early on accused of heresy, and rumors were spread of their immorality and sorcery. Beyond Gnosticism suggests that scholars approach Valentinians as an early Christian group rather than as a representative of ancient "Gnosticism"-a term notoriously difficult to define. The study shows that Valentinian myths of origin are filled with references to lifestyle (such as the control of emotions), the Christian community, and society, providing students with ethical instruction and new insights into their position in the world. While scholars have mapped the religio-historical and philosophical backgrounds of Valentinian myth, they have yet to address the significance of these mythmaking practices or emphasize the practical consequences of Valentinians' theological views. In this groundbreaking study, Ismo Dunderberg provides a comprehensive portrait of a group hounded by other Christians after Christianity gained a privileged position in the Roman Empire. Valentinians displayed a keen interest in mythmaking and the interpretation of myths, spinning complex tales about the origin of humans and the world. As this book argues, however, Valentinian Christians did not teach "myth for myth's sake." Rather, myth and practice were closely intertwined. After a brief introduction to the members of the school of Valentinus and the texts they left behind, Dunderberg focuses on Valentinus's interpretation of the biblical creation myth, in which the theologian affirmed humankind's original immortality as a present, not lost quality and placed a special emphasis on the "frank speech" afforded to Adam by the supreme God. Much like ancient philosophers, Valentinus believed that the divine Spirit sustained the entire cosmic chain and saw evil as originating from conspicuous "matter." Dunderberg then turns to other instances of Valentinian mythmaking dominated by ethical concerns. For example, the analysis and therapy of emotions occupy a prominent place in different versions of the myth of Wisdom's fall, proving that Valentinians, like other educated early Christians, saw Christ as the healer of emotions. Dunderberg also discusses the Tripartite Tractate, the most extensive account to date of Valentinian theology, and shows how Valentinians used cosmic myth to symbolize the persecution of the church in the Roman Empire and to create a separate Christian identity in opposition to the Greeks and the Jews.

Didymus the Blind and the Alexandrian Christian Reception of Philo

Didymus the Blind and the Alexandrian Christian Reception of Philo PDF Author: Justin M. Rogers
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 0884142647
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Explore the Jewish traditions preserved in the commentaries of a largely neglected Alexandrian Christian exegete Justin M. Rogers surveys commentaries on Genesis, Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Zechariah by Didymus the Blind (ca. 313–398 CE), who was regarded by his students as one of the greatest Christian exegetes of the fourth century. Rogers highlights Didymus’s Jewish sources, zeroing in on traditions of Philo of Alexandria, whose treatises were directly accessible to Didymus while he was authoring his exegetical works. Philonic material in Didymus is covered by extensive commentary, demonstrating that Philo was among the principle sources for the exegetical works of Didymus the Blind. Rogers also explores the mediating influence of the Alexandrian Christian tradition, focusing especially on the roles of Clement and Origen. Features Fresh insights into the Alexandrian Christian reception of Philo A thorough discussion of Didymus’s exegetical method, particularly in the Commentary on Genesis Examination of the use and importance of Jewish and Christian sources in Late Antique Christian commentaries

ARCHAEOLOGY & THE NEW TESTAMENT

ARCHAEOLOGY & THE NEW TESTAMENT PDF Author: Edward D. Andrews
Publisher: Christian Publishing House
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
"Archaeology & the New Testament" is the perfect book for those interested in the world of the New Testament and the history of early Christianity. This comprehensive volume brings together the latest discoveries and research from the field of archaeology to provide a unique perspective on the material culture of the ancient world and its contributions to our understanding of the biblical text. Each chapter is organized thematically, providing a comprehensive overview of the ways in which archaeology can enhance our understanding of the New Testament. With its interdisciplinary approach to the past, this book is a valuable resource for scholars and students of archaeology, biblical studies, and related fields, as well as for general readers with an interest in the history and culture of the ancient world. By reading "Archaeology & the New Testament," you will gain new insights into the world of the first century CE and the development of the history of Christianity, from its beginnings up to the present day.

Philo of Alexandria: On the Change of Names

Philo of Alexandria: On the Change of Names PDF Author: Michael B. Cover
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004687424
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 666

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Book Description
In the treatise On the Change of Names (part of his magnum opus, the Allegorical Commentary), Philo of Alexandria brings his figurative exegesis of the Abraham cycle to its fruition. Taking a cue from Platonist interpreters of Homer's Odyssey, Philo reads Moses's story of Abraham as an account of the soul's progress and perfection. Responding to contemporary critics, who mocked Genesis 17 as uninspired, Philo finds instead a hidden philosophical reflection on the ineffability of the transcendent God, the transformation of souls which recognize their mortal nothingness, the possibility of human faith enabled by peerless faithfulness of God, and the fruit of moral perfection: joy divine, prefigured in the birth of Isaac.

The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria

The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria PDF Author: Kathleen Gibbons
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1315511487
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
In The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria, Kathleen Gibbons proposes a new approach to Clement’s moral philosophy and explores how his construction of Christianity’s relationship with Jewishness informed, and was informed by, his philosophical project. As one of the earliest Christian philosophers, Clement’s work has alternatively been treated as important for understanding the history of relations between Christianity and Judaism and between Christianity and pagan philosophy. This study argues that an adequate examination of his significance for the one requires an adequate examination of his significance for the other. While the ancient claim that the writings of Moses were read by the philosophical schools was found in Jewish, Christian, and pagan authors, Gibbons demonstrates that Clement’s use of this claim shapes not only his justification of his authorial project, but also his philosophical argumentation. In explaining what he took to be the cosmological, metaphysical, and ethical implications of the doctrine that the supreme God is a lawgiver, Clement provided the theoretical justifications for his views on a range of issues that included martyrdom, sexual asceticism, the status of the law of Moses, and the relationship between divine providence and human autonomy. By contextualizing Clement’s discussions of volition against wider Greco-Roman debates about self-determination, it becomes possible to reinterpret the invocation of “free will” in early Christian heresiological discourse as part of a larger dispute about what human autonomy requires.

Judaism and Christianity

Judaism and Christianity PDF Author: W. O. E. Oesterley
Publisher: Aeterna Press
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 576

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Book Description
Christianity and Judaism are so intertwined in their origins and destinies that neither can be understood without the other. Every attempt to cut Christianity off from its Old Testament roots is doomed to failure. Similarly Christianity helps the Jews to understand the composite nature of Judaism prior to A.D. 70, some of the tendencies in which came to fulfilment only in Christianity.