Rethinking 'Gnosticism', An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category

356 Pages·1996·1.34 MB·English

by  Michael A. Williams

Rethinking “Gnosticism”
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Rethinking “Gnosticism”
AN ARGUMENT FOR DISMAN TLING
A DUBIOUS CATEGORY
MICHAEL ALLEN WILLIAMS
P R I N C E T O N U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S
P R I N C E T O N , N E W J E R S E Y
Copyright1996byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,Chichester,WestSussex
AllRightsReserved
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Williams,MichaelA.
Rethinking“Gnosticism”:anargumentfordismantling
adubiouscategory/MichaelAllenWilliams.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-691-01127-3(cl:alk.paper)
1.Gnosticism. 2.Rome—Religion. I.Title.
BT1390.W475 1996
229′.932—dc20 96–6490
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinAdobeGalliard
PrincetonUniversityPressbooksareprintedonacid-freepaperandmeettheguidelinesfor
permanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeonProductionGuidelinesforBook
LongevityoftheCouncilonLibraryResources
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyPrincetonAcademicPress
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TO MY PARENTS
“A G O D L Y H E A R T P R O D U C E S
A H A P P Y L I F E”
SentencesofSextus326b
(NagHammadiCodexXII28,22–24)
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C O N T E N T S
LISTOFFIGURESANDTABLES xi
PREFACE xiii
ABBREVIATIONS xvii
INTRODUCTION 3
CHAPTERONE
What Kind of Thing Do Scholars Mean by “Gnosticism”?
A LOOK AT FOUR CASES 7
Introduction 7
TheApocryphonofJohn 8
PtolemyandValentinianChristianity 14
JustintheGnostic 18
MarcionofSinope 23
WhatIs“Gnosticism”? 26
CHAPTERTWO
“Gnosticism”as a Category 29
Introduction 29
“Gnosticism”andSelf-Definition 31
“Gnosticism”asTypologicalConstruct 43
Alternativesto“Gnosticism”asaCategory 51
CHAPTERTHREE
Protest Exegesis? or HermeneuticalProblem-Solving? 54
Introduction 54
HermeneuticalValueReversalsNotThoroughgoing 57
ValueReversalsUsuallyLinkedtoSpecificProblems 63
Conclusion 76
CHAPTERFOUR
Parasites? or Innovators? 80
Introduction 80
SpecialOrganismversusOrdinaryProcess 83
TheAgentsofInnovation 84
InnovationasaDynamicProcess 90
MetaphorsversusExplanations 93
Conclusion 94
viii C O N T E N T S
CHAPTERFIVE
Anticosmic World-Rejection? or Sociocultural Accommodation? 96
Introduction 96
MythologicalSymbolandSocialReality 97
GeneralLevelofSocialInteractionandInvolvement 101
DegreeofSociopoliticalDeviance 103
AttemptstoReduceCulturalDistance 107
SocialDropouts? 108
BreakingOfftheFrontEnd 109
Conclusion 113
CHAPTERSIX
Hatredof the Body? or the Perfectionof the Human? 116
Introduction 116
TheBodyNegative 118
TheBodyDivine 123
Conclusion 136
CHAPTERSEVEN
Asceticism... ? 139
Introduction 139
AsceticPracticesandLifestyles 140
PerfectionandtheFamily 150
Conclusion 160
CHAPTEREIGHT
... or Libertinism? 163
Introduction 163
TheProblematicEvidence 164
TheOneInstanceofDirectTestimony 184
Conclusion 187
CHAPTERNINE
DeterministicElitism? or Inclusive Theories of Conversion? 189
Introduction 189
EthicalParenesis 190
SpiritualEthnicity,Conversion,andGrowth 193
Providence,Fate,andFreeWill 202
RecruitmentandConversion 208
Conclusion 211
CHAPTERTEN
Where They Came From ... 213
Introduction 213
TheProblemwithDefining“Gnosticism”astheInnovation 214
C O N T E N T S ix
AccountingfortheInnovationsinQuestion 219
Conclusion 231
CHAPTERELEVEN
... and What They Left Behind 235
Introduction 235
SuccessfulMovementsandUnsuccessfulMovements 236
PreviousTheoriesabouttheRelationoftheLibrary’sContentto
ItsSocialContext 241
SelectionandArrangementsofTractateswithinthe
NagHammadiCodices 247
Conclusion 260
CONCLUSION 263
NOTES 267
MODERNWORKSCITED 311
INDEX 329