Gnosticism and Later Platonism: Themes, Figures, and Texts (Symposium Series (Society of Biblical Literature)

Cover	
......Page 1
GNOSTICISM AND LATER PLATONISM: Themes, Figures, and Texts......Page 4
CONTENTS......Page 6
PREFACE......Page 8
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 10
Einar Thomassen: THE DERIVATION OF MATTER IN MONISTIC GNOSTICISM......Page 16
2. “Extension” (ἔκτασις)......Page 20
3. “Passion”......Page 21
4. “Otherness” (ἐτερότης)......Page 24
6. “Formlessness”......Page 25
7. “Division” and “Separation.”......Page 26
9. “Limit”......Page 28
Conclusion......Page 32
Kevin Corrigan: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MATTER IN LATER PLATONISM: THE UNCOVERING OF PLOTINUS’S DIALOGUE WITH THE GNOSTICS......Page 34
1. Positive and Negative Matter in Platonism......Page 36
2. The Ancient Philosophy and the Inner Level of Argumentationin Enn. 2.4 [12]......Page 39
3. The Generation of Matter and Some Difficult Passages in the Enneads: A Hidden Dialogue with the Gnostics?......Page 44
4. The Großschrift: Ancient Philosophy (Aristotle), Productive Contemplation, and the Dialogue with the Gnostics......Page 57
5. Conclusion......Page 68
Gregory Shaw: AFTER APORIA: THEURGY IN LATER PLATONISM......Page 72
1. The Platonic Background......Page 73
2. The Puzzle of Plotinus......Page 77
3. Iamblichean Paideia: Aporia to Theourgia......Page 82
4. Conclusion......Page 95
John D. Turner: RITUAL IN GNOSTICISM......Page 98
1. Baptism......Page 102
2. Investiture......Page 122
3. Chrismation......Page 124
4. Sacral Meal......Page 125
5. Sacral Marriage......Page 126
6. Sexual Sacramentalism......Page 134
7. Verbal Performances......Page 135
8. Ascensional and Contemplative Practices......Page 143
9. Concluding Observations......Page 152
Kevin Corrigan: PLATONISM AND GNOSTICISM. THE ANONYMOUS COMMENTARY ON THE PARMENIDES: MIDDLE OR NEOPLATONIC?......Page 156
1. The Anonymous Commentary on the Parmenides......Page 159
2. Plotinus and the Sethian Gnostic Texts......Page 171
Appendix I: The Theses of Pierre Hadot on the Anonymous Parmenides Commentary and Porphyry......Page 176
Appendix II: Intellectual Participation in the Anonymous Parmenides Commentary, Plotinus (and Numenius and Amelius), but Not in Porphyry......Page 180
Appendix III: Did the Existence-Life-Mind Triad Originate with Porphyry?......Page 182
Appendix IV: The Pre-Plotinian Character of the Gnostic Triads......Page 183
Appendix V: Numenius and Amelius......Page 185
Appendix VI: Plotinus’s Independence from Zostrianos and Allogenes......Page 190
1. The Position of the Platonizing Treatises within Sethianism......Page 194
2. The Triadic Metaphysics of the Platonizing Sethian Treatises......Page 196
3. The Position of the Platonizing Sethian Treatises in the Platonic Tradition......Page 213
4. The Platonizing Sethian Treatises As Post-Porphyrian: Abramowski and Majercik......Page 216
5. The Platonizing Sethian Treatises Are Middle Platonic: Corrigan contra Majercik......Page 218
6. The Parmenides Commentary Is Anonymous and Middle Platonic: Corrigan contra Hadot......Page 220
7. Plotinus’s Antignostic Großschrift Presupposes the Platonizing Sethian Treatises......Page 222
8. Results for the Historical Setting of the Parmenides Commentary, Zostrianos, and Allogenes......Page 227
9. Life: A Prefigurative Intelligible Biology and the Gnostic Contribution......Page 229
John F. Finamore: IAMBLICHUS, THE SETHIANS, AND MARSANES......Page 240
1. The System of Iamblichus......Page 242
2. The System of Allogenes......Page 243
3. The System of Zostrianos......Page 253
4. The System of the Three Steles of Seth......Page 256
5. Comparison of the Sethian Systems......Page 258
6. The System of Marsanes......Page 259
7. Iamblichus and Marsanes......Page 264
8. Conclusion......Page 269
Metaphysical Schemata......Page 271
John Peter Kenney: ANCIENT APOPHATIC THEOLOGY......Page 274
1. Apophasis and Transcendence......Page 275
2. Apophatic and Kataphatic Theology......Page 279
3. Hellenic Theology......Page 282
4. Soteriology and Sacred Hierarchy......Page 287
5. Noetic Postscript......Page 289
1. Introduction......Page 292
2. Absence/Presence of Negative Theological Discourse......Page 294
3. Negative Theologies: Patterns......Page 295
4. Negative Theologies and Knowledge of God......Page 302
5. Negative Theologies and Sensibility about the Cosmos......Page 305
6. Summary and Conclusions......Page 314
1. Introduction......Page 318
2. Hierarchy and Connectedness......Page 321
3. Providence and Human Salvation......Page 326
4. Some Thoughts about Plotinian Providence and Gnosis......Page 330
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 334