A Proposition that Thomas's 'Doctrine of Mystical Salvation' Influenced Valentinus

[MrMacSon]

The Gnostic Scriptures, Bentley Layton

Five collections of scripture are included in this book: the classic 'gnostic' (Sethian) scripture, the writings of Valentinus, the works by his followers, the scripture of 'the school of 'St' Thomas', and a selection of other, related writings ...

Part One is classic gnostic scripture, authoritative works read by an ancient group that called themselves “gnostics”—“people fit to have acquaintance (gnōsis) with god.” The name “gnostic” most properly applies to members of this group. In modern scholarship they are sometimes called “Sethians,” “Barbeloites,” “Barbelognostics,” “Ophians,” or “Ophites.” Most of their scripture comes down to us in an obviously Christian or Christianized form. The received Christian form is what is translated here. Some scholars consider the Christian elements to be foreign to the original text.

Part Two consists of writings by Valentinus (AD ca.100—ca.175), the great Christian reformer of 'gnostic' theology. The Gospel of Truth is included here, and its attribution to Valentinus is accepted, following B. Standaert. Valentinus revised 'classic 'gnostic'' tradition in the light of another ['tradition', a so-called] School of 'St' Thomas (represented in Part Four)...stamping the result with his own rhetorical genius (see Table 1).

Part Three illustrates at some length the various kinds of literature written by the followers of Valentinus. It is not feasible in a book such as this to make a complete survey of the Valentinian school in its Eastern and Western branches, since much of the evidence consists of fragments or excerpts whose significance is best conveyed by a detailed discussion of the original Greek. Instead, complete works (in one case a long ancient summary) have been selected, to demonstrate the brilliance of Valentinian scholasticism and the character of Valentinian Christianity. The select bibliographies in Part Three provide the means for interested readers to pursue the history of Valentinian theology in even greater detail.

Part Four presents traditional Christian scripture from northern Mesopotamia, whose patron saint was St. Thomas (Didymus Jude Thomas). Despite their Mesopotamian origin, the works included here enjoyed a wide international circulation in several languages, starting in the second century A.D. In itself the Thomas scripture shows no influence of the gnostic sect. But it expresses a mystical concept of salvation through self-acquaintance, which is identical with one of the main 'Christian' components in Valentinus’s revisionism. In modern discussion, this mystical component seems to be what some scholars mean by “gnosticism,” but in any case it has no direct connection with the gnostics of Part One. The Hymn of the Pearl has been included in this part because it comes down to us as part of the Thomas scripture and because its story and language correspond to the myth presupposed by The Gospel According to Thomas and The Book of Thomas.

Part Five illustrates two other early currents that probably had an influence on the young Valentinus: the system of Basilides (according to St. Irenaeus’s summary) and the Hermetic writings, a non-Christian esoteric philosophy somewhat resembling gnostic myth and imagery. Unlike the Hermetic writings, Basilides’ Christian philosophy is very different from the other scripture translated in this book; its historical relevance lies in a very shadowy connection with Valentinus. It was during his education in Alexandria, A.D. ca. 120, that Valentinus could have encountered these two currents. Further components of his education, including the exegesis of the Jewish Platonist Philo Judaeus and other aspects of Middle Platonic philosophy, are referred to in the appropriate bibliographies.

The five parts thus fit together in a hypothetical family tree (see Table 1) whose focal point is the great reformer Valentinus.

ValentinusRelationships.PNG (87.52 KiB) Viewed 592 times

The Gnostic Scriptures, Bentley Layton
This start to the Introduction is in both the 1987 1st edition, Doubleday (first paperback edition, 1995); and the 2nd, edited by David Brakke, Yale University Press, 2021.

[MrMacSon]

Part One is classic gnostic scripture, authoritative works read by an ancient group that called themselves “gnostics”—“people fit to have acquaintance (gnōsis) with god.” The name “gnostic” most properly applies to members of this group. In modern scholarship they are sometimes called “Sethians,” “Barbeloites,” “Barbelognostics,” “Ophians,” or “Ophites.” Most of their scripture comes down to us in an obviously Christian or Christianized form. The received Christian form is what is translated here. Some scholars consider the Christian elements to be foreign to the original text.

Part Two consists of writings by Valentinus (AD ca.100—ca.175), the great Christian reformer of 'gnostic' theology. The Gospel of Truth is included here, and its attribution to Valentinus is accepted, following B. Standaert. Valentinus revised 'classic 'gnostic'' tradition in the light of another ['tradition', a so-called] School of 'St' Thomas (represented in Part Four)...stamping the result with his own rhetorical genius (see Table 1).

Part Three illustrates at some length the various kinds of literature written by the followers of Valentinus. It is not feasible in a book such as this to make a complete survey of the Valentinian school in its Eastern and Western branches, since much of the evidence consists of fragments or excerpts

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The Gnostic Scriptures, Bentley Layton
This start to the Introduction is in both the 1987 1st edition, Doubleday (first paperback edition, 1995); and the 2nd, edited by David Brakke, Yale University Press, 2021.

It wasn't only the 'Sethians', 'Barbeloites', 'Barbelognostics' or 'Ophites/Ophians' who called themselves 'Gnostics', and such terminology was not restricted to the early to mid 2nd century: many of these groups persisted in various branches for many decades or even centuries

The author of Refutation of All Heresies says that the Naassenes persisted in calling themselves 'the Only True Christians' or 'Gnostics' in the sense of the Knowers, yet probably did not intend 'gnostic' as a technical group designation (and this may have been the case for followers of Marcellina and Prodicus). He came to know about Naassene Christians after obtaining one of their documents in Rome, called the Naassene Report: apparently a kind of sermon addressed by a preacher to a group of insiders in which the main speaker refers to his group of 'spirituals', 'perfect people', and 'elect'.

"The Naaassene Report is a piece of extraordinary learning, a kaleidoscope of scriptural text, poetic tags, and cultic lore that washes over readers, threatening to overwhelm them at every turn", David Litwa. The author quotes Plutarch; used key terms from Valentinian theology (eg. 'the Fullness'); a specific self-designation from the Seed of Seth, (the 'kingless generation'); and his use of the terms 'Human' and 'Child of the Human' may derive from Ophite Christian influence or even from Monoϊmus.

It made extensive use of the Hebrew scriptures. It made use of the Gospel of Thomas at least twice. It makes allusion to or quoted passages which are in Matthew and Paul.

They practised Christian rituals like baptism and anointing; they read Christian scriptures such as the Gospel according to the Egyptians using well-honed techniques of Christian allegory; and they 'Christianized' non-Christian texts and entities, such as Attis, seeing in them manifold symbols of exclusive Christian truth.

While he referred to his group as the 'angelic church', he said Jesus had a physical birth and was genuinely human. However, evidently, he thought Jesus' physical birth was also a virgin birth because the preacher, like Tatian (and probably Marcion), viewed sex as impure. The divine Human in Jesus encompassed three different aspects : earthly, inverted comma and spiritual.

While their tradition was traced back to Jesus, with claims his teaching was passed to them through two apostolic figures, James the brother of Jesus, and 'Mariamme' (apparently Mary Magdalene), it's unlikely their tradition was that old. The group likely flourished 180 to 220 CE.

[schillingklaus]

Already Stuart Waugh realized that Valentinus is no historical figure, but Valentinians are "strong ones", as opposed to the feeble ones in 1 Cor 8 .