Wow! eBook
The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity Reprint Edition
Author(s): Brakke (Author)
- Publisher: Harvard University Press
- Publication Date: 1 Sept. 2012
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Print length: 180 pages
- ISBN-10: 0674066030
- ISBN-13: 9780674066038
Book Description
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. 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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Brakke has a growing reputation for his studies on the history and literature of ancient Christianity, and he moves easily among the sources, making good sense of the sometimes scanty evidence…The Gnostics is a book to be warmly commended to those who have an interest in the development of Christianity.”– Nicholas King, Times Literary Supplement, 21st January 2011
” Perhaps the finest aspect of this book is the way that Brakke successfully nuances the conflict models of early Christian history that remain current in most introductory texts. Rather than merely keying students to the varieties of early Christianity, Brakke introduces beginners to a more open narrative that has emerged recently. This model focuses on the agonistic production of orthodox and heterodox identities through processes of textual production, interpretation, ritual, and so forth. Brakke accomplishes this through a style that is lucid without falling into oversimplification.” –J. Schott, Choice, 1st July 2011
About the Author
David Brakke is Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity and Professor of History, Ohio State University.
