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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:What Is Gnosticism?: ,by Karen L. King
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A distinctive Christian heresy? A competitor of burgeoning Christianity? A pre-Christian folk religion traceable to "Oriental syncretism"? How do we account for the disparate ideas, writings, and practices that have been placed under the Gnostic rubric? To do so, Karen King says, we must first disentangle modern historiography from the Christian discourse of orthodoxy and heresy that has pervaded--and distorted--the story. Exciting discoveries of previously unknown ancient writings--especially the forty-six texts found at Nag Hammadi in 1945--are challenging historians of religion to rethink not only what we mean by Gnosticism but also the standard account of Christian origins. The Gospel of Maryand The Secret Book of John, for example, illustrate the variety of early Christianities and are witness to the struggle of Christians to craft an identity in the midst of the culturally pluralistic Roman Empire. King shows how historians have been misled by ancient Christian polemicists who attacked Gnostic beliefs as a "dark double" against which the new faith could define itself. Having identified past distortions, she is able to offer a new and clarifying definition of Gnosticism. Her book is thus both a thorough and innovative introduction to the twentieth-century study of Gnosticism and a revealing exploration of the concept of heresy as a tool in forming religious identity. Review:[King's] is the pithiest and fairest overview to date of the subject. Review:Essential reading for serious students of Christian origins. Review:Essential reading forserious students of Christian origins. Review:[King's] volume offers a carefully considered, well-researched reflection on the state of Gnostic scholarship and a clear call for new approaches. Review:King's exposure of the confessional prejudices which have shaped the accounts of Gnosticism in Harnack and his successors is a valuable supplement to previous studies which have shown how our modern nomenclature fails to match the ancient sources. Where others have shown how scholarship has gone astray, she sets out to tell us why. About the AuthorKaren L. King is Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the <>Divinity School, Harvard University. Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Introduction 1. Why Is Gnosticism So Hard to Define? 2. Gnosticism as Heresy 3. Adolf von Harnack and the Essence of Christianity 4. The History of Religions School 5. Gnosticism Reconsidered 6. After Nag Hammadi I: Categories and Origins 7. After Nag Hammadi II: Typology 8. The End of Gnosticism? Note on Methodology What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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