Characterizing Gnostic Scriptural Interpretation
Analysis of a range of Gnostic writings (the Secret Book of John, the Nature of the Rulers, On the Origin of the World, etc.) reveals that Gnostic interpretation of the Bible stands apart from other Jewish and Christian biblical exegesis insofar as it combines two formal features: (1) more-or-less e...
| Published in: | Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2017
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
Year: 2017, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Pages: 243-271 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Exodus
/ Exegesis
/ Church
/ Gnosis
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| RelBib Classification: | BF Gnosticism HB Old Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity |
| Further subjects: | B
Gnosticism
ancient biblical interpretation
early Christian attitudes to Mosaic law
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Analysis of a range of Gnostic writings (the Secret Book of John, the Nature of the Rulers, On the Origin of the World, etc.) reveals that Gnostic interpretation of the Bible stands apart from other Jewish and Christian biblical exegesis insofar as it combines two formal features: (1) more-or-less explicitly articulated statements of scriptural refutation; (2) more-or-less sustained and elaborate scriptural rewriting. Other Jewish and Christian writings display one feature or the other, and a number of New Testament texts in particular (Gal3:19–21; 2Cor3:7–4:6; Mark10:1–12) exemplify early Christian refutation of Moses. Notwithstanding, Gnostic exegetes uniquely conflate the two features into a hermeneutical posture toward the Bible that may be described as sustained contrarian revision. While this posture constitutes a peculiarly Gnostic approach to Scripture (i.e., the Bible), it represents a conventional late antique approach to scripture more broadly conceptualized, which would include Homeric epic. |
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| ISSN: | 1612-961X |
| Contains: | In: Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/zac-2017-0016 |