The Egyptian Background of Gnostic Mythology

The mythologies recorded by Irenaeus that he ascribes to the Gnostics contain many features that are difficult to explain by reference solely to Jewish sources, whether orthodox or heterodox. Previously, Douglas Parrott proposed an Egyptian background for the pattern of divinities found in the Gnost...

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Détails bibliographiques
Publié dans:Numen
Auteur principal: Gaston, Thomas (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Brill 2015
Dans: Numen
Sujets non-standardisés:B Egyptian Religion Gnosticism ennead of Heliopolis Khonsu cosmology Barbelo myth Ophite myth
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Résumé:The mythologies recorded by Irenaeus that he ascribes to the Gnostics contain many features that are difficult to explain by reference solely to Jewish sources, whether orthodox or heterodox. Previously, Douglas Parrott proposed an Egyptian background for the pattern of divinities found in the Gnostic text Eugnostos. In this article, it is argued that the so-called Ophite mythology recorded by Irenaeus is earlier than Eugnostos and has more compelling parallels with Egyptian theogony. An Egyptian background for the Barbeloite mythology is also speculated. These parallels demonstrate that there is scope for further research into the Egyptian origins of Gnosticism.
ISSN:1568-5276
Contient:In: Numen
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685276-12341378