The Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis: Heracleon's Commentary on John

The Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis: Heracleon's Commentary on John

Heracleon, the Gnostic
Gnosticism
Valentinians
Bible. John -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600

Elaine H. Pagels

Nashville : Abingdon Press

Robert A. Kraft, editor

Series: Society of Biblical Literature monograph series ; no. 17

Introduction: -- The Jesus of history and the gnostic Christ -- Significance of "gospels" in gnostic exegesis -- Historical data and theological insight: two points of view -- Exegesis of John in gnostic circles -- How representative in Heracleon? -- 1. Jn 1.1-4 in Gnostic exegesis -- Naassene exegesis -- Peratae exegesis -- Valentinian exegesis -- The theological basis of Valentinian hermeneutics -- Three Valentinian exegeses of Jn 1.3-4 correlated -- 2. The Johannine prologue in Valentinian exegesis -- Clement's attack on Valentinian exegesis -- Irenaeus' attack -- Heracleon on the prologue -- 3. John the Baptist (Jn 1.19-34) in Valentinian exegesis -- Three levels of interpretation -- Heracleon's criticism of non-Valentinian baptism -- The Valentinian sacrament of "apolytrosis" -- 4. The temple (Jn 2) in Valentinian exegesis -- The temple as an image of the eclesia -- Heracleon's criticism of non-Valentinian eucharistic theology -- The Valentinian sacrament of the "bridechamber" -- 5. Two types of conversion (Jn 4) -- The "centurion's so": an image of psychic salvation -- The "Samaritan woman": an image of pneumatic redemption -- Two "standpoints" in relation to the pneumatic "marriage" -- 6. Valentinian anthropology: "Generation" (Jn 8) and "seed" (Jn 4.35 f) -- Two interpretations: "determinism" and "free will" -- The "adoption" of psychics "by choice" and "by merit" -- "Natural generation" as election: the pneumatic "seed" -- Anti-gnostic polemics: the development of a theory of "free will" -- Synthesis: The experiential focus of Valentinian theology -- Psychic worship of "the image" -- the demiurge -- Psychic salvation and gospel history -- Pneumatic worship of the father of truth -- Pneumatic redemption as recognition of election.

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