Beyond Gnosticism : myth, lifestyle, and society in the school of Valentinus
by
Ismo O. Dunderberg
suggests that scholars approach Valentinians as an early Christian group rather than as a representative of ancient "Gnosticism". shows that Valentinian myths of origin are filled with references to lifestyle (such as the control of emotions), the Christian community, and society, providing students with ethical instruction and new insights into their position in the world. Online available.
Apocalypse of the Alien God
by
Dylan M. Burns
proposes a radical interpretation of these long-lost apocalypses, placing them firmly in the context of Judeo-Christian authorship rather than ascribing them to a pagan offshoot of Gnosticism. Sethian literature emerged along the fault lines between Judaism and Christianity, Online available.
Paradise Reconsidered in Gnostic Mythmaking: rethinking Sethianism in light of the Ophite evidence
by
Tuomas Rasimus
This book offers a new understanding of Sethianism and the origins of Gnosticism by examining the mythology in and social reality behind a group of texts to which certain leaders of the early church occasionally attached the label 'Ophite.' In the unique Ophite mythology, which rewrites the Genesis paradise story and is attested, for example, in Irenaeus' Adversus haereses 1.30, The Apocryphon of John and On the Origin of the World, the snake's advice to eat of the tree of knowledge is considered positive, the creator and his angels are turned into demonic beasts and the true Godhead is presented as an androgynous heavenly projection of Adam and Eve. It is argued that Hans-Martin Schenke's influential model of the 'Sethian system' only reveals part of a larger whole to which the Ophite material belongs as an important and organic component. Online available.
What Is Gnosticism?
by
Karen L. King
disentangles modern historiography from the Christian discourse of orthodoxy and heresy that has pervaded - and distorted - the story. Online available.
Ecrits gnostiques : codex de Berlin
by
Michel Tardieu
French translations from the Berlin codex, and of versions of the same texts from the Nag Hammadi codices: Evangile selon Marie (B), Livre des secrets, de Jean (B II III), Sagesse de Jésus (B) et Eugnoste (III), Sagesse de Jésus (III), Acte de Pierre (B).
Nag Hammadi bibliography online
cross-searchable database of books, articles and reviews, which contribute to the study of Gnosticism and early Christianity. Online available.