Gnosticism and Its Metamorphoses. Dynamics of Development and Reworking of Gnostic Texts and Motifs from Antiquity to the Twentieth Century

Andrea Annese, Francesco Berno (eds). Pages: 252 p.Illustrations:1 b/w, 2 tables b/w. Language(s):English, Coptic, Greek. Publication Year:2025. Brepols. ISBN: 978-2-503-61699-5. Paperback -- ummary The complex and multifaceted religious phenomenon called Gnosticism continues to fascinate both specialists and the wider audience. This volume explores the metamorphoses of Gnosticism, through the analysis of selected examples. Late antique Gnostic groups and schools of thought developed and even changed their ideas when interacting with other religious groups and with various sources. Confrontation and polemics with the so-called Great Church and with other Christian groups were crucial to doctrinal elaboration of all parties involved. On a different side, one can trace the metamorphoses of Gnostic ideas through the centuries, as these ideas influenced, and were reinterpreted by, other religious and cultural traditions and currents, from Manichaeism to medieval dualistic movements, modern esotericism, and even contemporary literature. The essays gathered in this volume focus on two main topics, namely how ancient Gnostic groups developed their doctrines by interpreting and reworking their wide range of sources (Jewish, early Christian, Platonic ones, etc.), and how ancient Gnostic ideas and motifs survived with new forms in later philosophical, religious, and literary works, up to the twentieth century. The volume consists of three sections, the first being dedicated to early anti-Gnostic controversy in texts embedding Jewish-Christian and Petrine traditions and using Gnostic motifs for polemical purposes; the second to some treatises from the Nag Hammadi corpus and other Gnostic manuscripts (plus Epiphanius Panarion) so as to provide fresh insights into late antique Gnostic texts and groups; and the third to three case studies of the modern reception and reworking of Gnostic writings and ideas. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction. The Metamorphoses of Gnosticism (Andrea Annese & Francesco Berno) Gnostic Motifs and Anti-Gnostic Polemics The Coptic Act of Peter (P. Berol. 8502.4): A “Misplaced” Composition? (Francesco Berno) The Pseudo-Clementines as Witnesses of “Gnostic Jewish-Christianity”? Assessing Ancient Christian Discourses on Religious Knowledge (Philippe Therrien) Gnostic Texts and Groups in Late Antiquity Notes and Subscriptions of the Nag Hammadi Codices. Questions of Definition, Problems of Interpretation (Marta Addessi) The Insertion of Five Doxologies in the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit (NHC III.2 & IV.2) (Elena Sol) Mapping Valentinians in Fourth-Century Egypt according to Epiphanius of Salamis (Panarion 31.7.1) (Przemyslaw Piwowarczyk) The Anonymous Writing in the Bruce Codex. Similarities and Differences with Other “Gnostic” Texts (Anne Pasquier) The Christology and Soteriology of the Pistis Sophia Texts. Connections with Mainstream Christianity and “Eastern” Valentinianism (Andrea Annese) Reception of Gnosticism in the 19th and 20th Centuries The Reception and Reimagination of Ancient Gnosticism within the Église Gnostique de France. Simon Magus, a Case Study (Alberto Alfredo Winterberg) A Decadent Reading of Gnosticism and Early Christianity. Simon Magus in Boito’s Nerone (Chiara Ombretta Tommasi) Myth, Heresy, Gnosis: Mario Pomilio’s Fifth Gospel and a Rewriting of Apocryphal Literature (Maria Fallica).…