The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity

Brakke, David

ISBN 10: 0674046846 / ISBN 13: 9780674046849

Published by Harvard University Press, 2011

About this Item

Hardcover with dust jacket. Bound in black cloth with gold lettering along spine. Black jacket with blue and white detailing and lettering across covers and along spine. Corners gently bumped, covers very slightly scuffed due to shelf wear. Covers are otherwise clean, no damage to lettering or structural integrity. Binding is tight and secure. A few marginal pencil annotations from former owner, professor of early Christianity Jim Goehring. Title page inscribed by David Brakke, "For Jim, with friendship. David. 11/2010" in black ink. Harvard University Press. Pages otherwise clean and bright. A very nice copy. We ship everyday from a real neighborhood bookstore. This description is written by an actual person, who is holding the book in front of them to make sure it?s properly described. Please contact us with questions or if you would like to see photographs.

Seller Inventory # F-14366

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674046846
• ISBN 13: 9780674046849
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 15 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

Who were the Gnostics? And how did the Gnostic movement influence the development of Christianity in antiquity? Is it true that the Church rejected Gnosticism? This book offers an illuminating discussion of recent scholarly debates over the concept of “Gnosticism” and the nature of early Christian diversity. Acknowledging that the category “Gnosticism” is flawed and must be reformed, David Brakke argues for a more careful approach to gathering evidence for the ancient Christian movement known as the Gnostic school of thought. He shows how Gnostic myth and ritual addressed basic human concerns about alienation and meaning, offered a message of salvation in Jesus, and provided a way for people to regain knowledge of God, the ultimate source of their being.

Rather than depicting the Gnostics as heretics or as the losers in the fight to define Christianity, Brakke argues that the Gnostics participated in an ongoing reinvention of Christianity, in which other Christians not only rejected their ideas but also adapted and transformed them. This book will challenge scholars to think in news ways, but it also provides an accessible introduction to the Gnostics and their fellow early Christians.

About the Author

David Brakke is Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity and Professor of History, Ohio State University.