Rethinking "Gnosticism" - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Michael Allen Williams) 1996 book by Michael Allen Williams

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.
Find sources: "Rethinking "Gnosticism"" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Part of a series on Gnosticism

Gnostic concepts Adam kasia Adam pagria Aeon Anima mundi Archon Barbelo Demiurge Five Seals Gnosis Kenoma Luminary Manda Monad Ogdoad Pleroma Sophia Uthra World of Light World of Darkness Yaldabaoth
Gnostic sects and founders List of Gnostic sects Proto-Gnosticism Maghāriya Thomasines Judean / Israelite Adam Mandaeism Elksai Elkasaites Samaritan Baptist Dositheos Simon Magus (Simonians) Menander Quqites Christian Gnosticism Apelles Cerinthus Justin Marcion Marcionism Nicolaism Perates Saturninus Ophites Sethianism Basilides Basilideans Valentinus Valentinianism Marcus Marcosians Florinus Naassenes Thomasine Barbelo Borborites Carpocratians (Gnostic sect) Cerdo (Gnostic) Persian Gnosticism Mani Manichaeism Chinese Gnosticism Chinese Manichaeism Islamic Gnosticism Druze Nusayrism Modern Modern schools
Scriptures List of Gnostic texts Texts Nag Hammadi library Pseudo-Abdias Clementine literature Gnosticism and the New Testament Mandaean scriptures Codices Codex Tchacos Cologne Mani-Codex Askew Codex Bruce Codex Berlin Codex Codex Nasaraeus
Influenced by Apocalyptic literature Early Christianity Christology Docetism Paul and Gnosticism Merkabah mysticism Middle Platonism Philo Wisdom (personification)
Influence on Carl Jung Esoteric Christianity Christian theosophy Gnosticism in modern times Neoplatonism and Gnosticism Perennial philosophy Thelema Theosophy (Blavatskian) Western esotericism René Guénon Rudolf Steiner
v t e

Rethinking "Gnosticism": An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category, is a 1996 book by Michael Allen Williams.

This is one of the first critical works that goes about comparing the established academic definitions of gnosticism to the texts discovered at Nag Hammadi. The main points of the book are that there is no established definition of "gnosticism" by people who use the term, let alone the academic world; and that the groups referred to as "gnostic" by the Christian Church apologists referred to themselves often by their leader or leaders' names, but no group referred to themselves as "gnostic" or "gnostics".

Also, Williams mentions the argument that none of the groups labeled "gnostic" shared a common set of beliefs that put them in a group together. The only things close to this would be the Christian heresiographical use of referring to these varied groups as "gnostics". As well as the varied set of interruptions of the creator of the material world (Yahweh or demiurge) by these early groups. Finally Williams clarifies that the ancient "gnosticism" of the Nag Hammadi groups and the misused "gnosticism" of modern groups and academia have little if anything in common. Williams suggests a better and more adequate term for these heretical groups would be "biblical demiurgical traditions".

References

Williams, Michael allen (1996). Rethinking "Gnosticism:" An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01127-3.
"Full C.v". Faculty.washington.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-29.

This article about a philosophy-related book is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

This article related to a book about religion is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: