Rethinking Gnosticism An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category

Name: Rethinking Gnosticism An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category
Price: 32.82 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780691005423

ISBN-10: 0691005427

ISBN-13: 9780691005423

Edition: 1996

Authors: Michael Allen Williams

List price: $58.00

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Description:

Most anyone interested in such topics as creation mythology, Jungian theory, or the idea of "secret teachings" in ancient Judaism and Christianity has found "gnosticism" compelling. Yet the term "gnosticism," which often connotes a single rebellious movement against the prevailing religions of late antiquity, gives the false impression of a monolithic religious phenomenon. Here Michael Williams challenges the validity of the widely invoked category of ancient "gnosticism" and the ways it has been described. Presenting such famous writings and movements as theApocryphon of Johnand Valentinian Christianity, Williams uncovers the similarities and differences among some major traditions widely…

Book details

List price: $58.00
Copyright year: 1996
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 5/2/1999
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 360
Size: 6.73" wide x 9.13" long x 0.88" tall
Weight: 1.100
Language: English



List of Figures and Tables


Preface


Abbreviations


Introduction



What Kind of Thing Do Scholars Mean by "Gnosticism"?: A Look at Four Cases



"Gnosticism" as a Category



Protest Exegesis? or Hermeneutical Problem-Solving?



Parasites? or Innovators?



Anticosmic World-Rejection: or Sociocultural Accommodation?



Hatred of the Body? or the Perfection of the Human?



Asceticism...?



...or Libertinism?



Deterministic Elitism? or Inclusive Theories of Conversion?



Where They Came From...



...and What They Left Behind


Conclusion


Notes


Modern Works Cited


Index