- This article is about the Gnostic Valentinus. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems The history of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation Early Gnosticism refers to a point in Gnosticism that occurred following the Fathers of Christian Gnosticism and related groups but prior to the shift to Syrian-Egyptian Gnostic Schools were ancient Gnostic sects from around the Middle East. Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century AD. The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church is a term used in Catholic and Orthodox forms of Christianity to refer to the early and Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) known also as Philo of Alexandria (gr Φίλων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria Valentinus (also spelled Valentius) ( c 100 - c160 CE) was the best known and for a time most successful Early Christian gnostic Cerinthus ( c 100 was an Early Christian originator of a heretical sect a " Heresiarch " in the view of the Church Fathers "Basilides" redirects here For the 17th century Ethiopian Emperor see Fasilides of Ethiopia. Gnosticism used a number of Religious texts that are preserved in part or whole in ancient Manuscripts or are lost but mentioned critically in Patristic The term gnostic gospels refers to Gnostic collections of writings about the teachings of Jesus, written around the 2nd century AD. Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the The Codex Tchacos is an ancient Egyptian Coptic Papyrus containing early Christian Gnostic texts from approximately 300 A The Bruce Codex (also called the Codex Brucianus) is a gnostic manuscript acquired by the British Museum. This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being Pythagoreanism is a term used for the Esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers the Pythagoreans who were much influenced Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of Hellenistic philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating The Bosnian Church ( crkva bosanska, ecclesia bosniensis) seems to have been a Catholic monastic order that separated itself from the wider Church possibly over the Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a Mystery religion, and profess the existence This article is about the philosophy introduced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky For the martyr of the same (in Latin) name, see Saint Valentine
Valentinus (c.100 - c. Saint Valentine (in Latin, Valentinus) is the name of several Martyred Saints of Ancient Rome. Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" 160CE) was the best known and for a time most successful early Christian Gnostic theologian. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective He founded his school in Rome. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Tertullian, in Adversus Valentinianos iv, said that Valentinus was a candidate for bishop - presumably of Rome (about the year 143 AD) - but that, when the choice fell instead on one who had been a confessor for the faith, Valentinus broke with the Church and developed his Gnostic doctrine. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight However, few historians believe Tertullian's account. It is more likely that the break was initiated by the orthodox church rather than Valentinus as many of his teachings implicitly undermined the divine authority claimed by the orthodox clergy.
Valentinus produced a variety of writings, but only fragments survive, not enough to reconstruct his system except in broad outline. [1] His doctrine is known to us only in the developed and modified form given to it by his disciples. [1] He taught that only some Christians, his own followers, received the gnosis (knowledge) that allowed them to return to the divine pleroma, while other Christians would attain a lesser form of salvation, while the rest of humankind was doomed to eternal perdition. [1]
Valentinus had a large following. [1] It later divided into an Eastern and a Western or Italian branch. [1] The Marcosians belonged to the Western branch. [1]
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Biography
Married to Saint Sabina, Valentinus was born in Phrebonis in the Nile delta and educated in Alexandria, an important and metropolitan early Christian centre. Saint Sabina, matron and martyr from Rome. The widow of Valentinus and daughter of Herod Metallarius, suffered martyrdom about 126 just after The Nile Delta ( Arabic: دلتا النيل) is the delta formed in Northern Egypt ( Lower Egypt) where the Nile River spreads Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια There he may have heard the Christian philosopher Basilides and certainly became conversant with Hellenistic Middle Platonic philosophy and the culture of Hellenized Jews like the great Alexandrian Jewish allegorist and philosopher Philo Judaeus. "Basilides" redirects here For the 17th century Ethiopian Emperor see Fasilides of Ethiopia. Middle Platonism was the development of certain philosophical doctrines associated with Plato from approximately 130 B Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) known also as Philo of Alexandria (gr Φίλων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria His Alexandrian followers said that Valentinus was a follower of Theudas and that Theudas in turn was a follower of St. Theudas was allegedly the name of a Christian Gnostic thinker who was a follower of Paul of Tarsus. Paul of Tarsus. Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Valentinus said that Theudas imparted to him the secret wisdom that Paul had taught privately to his inner circle, which Paul publicly referred to in connection with his visionary encounter with the risen Christ (Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Acts 9:9-10), when he received the secret teaching from him. Such esoteric teachings were becoming downplayed in Rome after the mid-2nd century.
Valentinus taught first in Alexandria and went to Rome about 136 AD, during the pontificate of Pope Hyginus, and remained until the pontificate of Pope Anicetus. Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Pope In Adversus Valentinianos, iv, Tertullian says:
- Valentinus had expected to become a bishop, because he was an able man both in genius and eloquence. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca Being indignant, however, that another obtained the dignity by reason of a claim which confessorship had given him, he broke with the church of the true faith. Just like those (restless) spirits which, when roused by ambition, are usually inflamed with the desire of revenge, he applied himself with all his might to exterminate the truth; and finding the clue of a certain old opinion, he marked out a path for himself with the subtlety of a serpent.
According to a later tradition, he withdrew to Cyprus, where he continued to teach and draw adherents. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía He died probably about 160 or 161 AD.
While Valentinus was alive he made many disciples, and his system was the most widely diffused of all the forms of Gnosticism, although, as Tertullian remarked, it developed into several different versions, not all of which acknowledged their dependence on him ("they affect to disavow their name"). Among the more prominent disciples of Valentinus, who, however, did not slavishly follow their master in all his views, were Bardasanes, invariably linked to Valentinus in later references, as well as Heracleon, Ptolemy and Marcus. Bardaisan (ܒܪܕܝܨܢ Bardaiṣān; 154–222 also Latinized as Bardesanes) was a Syriac Gnostic, founder of the Bardaisanites Heracleon was a Gnostic who flourished about AD 175, probably in the south of Italy. There were others named Ptolemy see Ptolemy (disambiguation Ptolemy the Gnostic was a disciple of the Gnostic teacher Valentinius Many of the writings of these Gnostics, and a large number of excerpts from the writings of Valentinus, existed only in quotes displayed by their orthodox detractors, until 1945, when the cache of writings at Nag Hammadi revealed a Coptic version of the Gospel of Truth, which is the title of a text that, according to Irenaeus, was the same as the Gospel of Valentinus mentioned by Tertullian in his Adversus Valentinianos. Nag Hammadi ( Arabic نجع حمادي is a city in Upper Egypt. The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices ("NHC" Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca
The Christian heresiologists also wrote details about the life of Valentinus, often scurrilous. In Theology or the history of religion (particularly of Christianity) heresiology is the study of Heresy. As mentioned above, Tertullian claimed that Valentinus was a candidate for bishop, after which he turned to heresy in a fit of pique. Epiphanius wrote that Valentinus gave up the true faith after he had suffered a shipwreck in Cyprus and became insane. Epiphanius (ca 310&ndash320 &ndash 403 was bishop of Salamis and metropolitan of Cyprus at the end of the 4th century AD Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía These descriptions can be reconciled, and are not impossible; but few scholars cite these accounts as other than rhetorical insults.
Theological system
Valentinus professed to have derived his ideas from Theodas or Theudas, a disciple of St. Theudas was allegedly the name of a Christian Gnostic thinker who was a follower of Paul of Tarsus. Paul. Valentinus drew freely on some books of the New Testament. Unlike a great number of other 'Gnostic' systems, which are expressly dualist, Valentinus developed a system that could be more monistic, albeit expressed in dualistic terms. Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". 'Valentinian gnosticism [. . . ] differs essentially from dualism' (Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospel, 1978); 'a standard element in the interpretation of Valentinianism and similar forms of Gnosticism is the recognition that they are fundamentally monistic' (William Schoedel, 'Gnostic Monism and the Gospel of Truth' in The Rediscovery of Gnosticism, Vol. Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey (born February 13, 1943) is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) 1: The School of Valentinus, edited by Bentley Layton, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1980). Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)
Valentinian literature described the Primal Being or Bythos as the beginning of all things who, after ages of silence and contemplation, gave rise to other beings by a process of emanation. In many Gnostic systems (and heresiologies) God is known as the Monad, the One, The Absolute Aion teleos (The The first series of beings, the aeons, were thirty in number, representing fifteen syzygies or pairs sexually complementary. The word aeon, also spelled eon or æon, means "age" "forever" or "for Eternity " In broadest terms Syzygy (ˈsɪzɪʤi is a kind of unity especially through coordination or alignment most commonly used in the Astronomical and/or Astrological Through the error of Sophia, one of the lowest aeons, and the ignorance of Sakla, the lower world with its subjection to matter is brought into existence. Sophia (Σoφíα Greek for " Wisdom " is a central term in Hellenistic philosophy and religion, Platonism, Man, the highest being in the lower world, participates in both the psychic and the hylic (material) nature, and the work of redemption consists in freeing the higher, the spiritual, from its servitude to the lower. This was the word and mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Valentinus' Christology may have posited the existence of three redeeming beings, but Jesus while on Earth had a supernatural body which, for instance, "did not experience corruption" by defecating (Clement, Stromateis 3. 59. 3 translated B. Layton p. 239); there is also no mention of 1 Peter's nor any other account of Jesus's suffering in any Valentinian text. The Valentinian system was comprehensive, and was worked out to cover all phases of thought and action.
Valentinus was among the early Christians who attempted to align Christianity with Platonism, drawing dualist conceptions from the Platonic world of ideal forms (pleroma) and the lower world of phenomena (kenoma). Platonism is the Philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". Pleroma (Greek grc πλήρωμα generally refers to the totality of divine powers Valentinius, a mid-2nd century Gnostic thinker and preacher was among the early Christians who attempted to align Christianity with middle Platonism Of the mid-2nd century thinkers and preachers who were declared heretical by Irenaeus and later mainstream Christians, only Marcion is as outstanding as a personality. Marcion (Μαρκίων (ca 110 - 160) was a Christian Theologian who was excommunicated by the Early Christian church The contemporary orthodox counter to Valentinus was Justin Martyr. Saint Justin Martyr (also Justin the Martyr, Justin of Caesarea, Justin the Philosopher, Latin Iustinus Martyr or Flavius
In the fourth-century, Marcellus of Ancyra declared that the idea of the Godhead existing as three hypostases (hidden spiritual realities) came from Plato through the teachings of Valentinus. Marcellus of Ancyra (? - c 374 CE) was one of the Bishops present at the Councils of Ancyra and of Nicaea. [2] Valentinus is quoted as teaching that God is three and three prosopa (persons) called the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit:
- Now with the heresy of the Ariomaniacs, which has corrupted the Church of God. . . These then teach three hypostases, just as Valentinus the heresiarch first invented in the book entitled by him 'On the Three Natures'. For he was the first to invent three hypostases and three persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he is discovered to have filched this from Hermes and Plato. Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece [3]
Since Valentinus had used the term hypostases, his name came up in the Arian disputes in the fourth century. Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. Marcellus of Ancyra, who was a staunch opponent of Arianism but also denounced the belief in God existing in three hypostases as heretical (and was later condemned for his views), attacked his opponents (On the Holy Church, 9) by linking them to Valentinus:
- "Valentinus, the leader of a sect, was the first to devise the notion of three subsistent entities (hypostases), in a work that he entitled On the Three Natures. Marcellus of Ancyra (? - c 374 CE) was one of the Bishops present at the Councils of Ancyra and of Nicaea. For, he devised the notion of three subsistent entities and three persons — father, son, and holy spirit. " [1]
It should be noted that Nag Hammadi library Sethian text such as Trimorphic Protennoia identify Gnosticism as professing Father, Son and feminine spirit Sophia or as Professor John D Turner denotes, God the Father, Sophia the Mother, and Logos the Son. Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the The Sethians were a group of ancient Gnostics who date their existence to before Christianity The ' Trimorphic Protennoia' is a Sethian Gnostic text from the New Testament apocrypha. Sophia (Σoφíα Greek for " Wisdom " is a central term in Hellenistic philosophy and religion, Platonism, John D Turner is a professor of religious studies at the University of Nebraska
The Valentinians
"Valentinians" is the name for the school of Gnostic philosophy tracing back to Valentinus. Valentinianism is a Gnostic movement that was founded by Valentinus in the second century CE. It was one of the major gnostic movements, having widespread following throughout the Roman Empire and provoking voluminous writings by Christian heresiologists. Notable Valentinians included Heracleon, Ptolemy, Florinus, and Axionicus. Heracleon was a Gnostic who flourished about AD 175, probably in the south of Italy. There were others named Ptolemy see Ptolemy (disambiguation Ptolemy the Gnostic was a disciple of the Gnostic teacher Valentinius The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church is a term used in Catholic and Orthodox forms of Christianity to refer to the early and
Valentinus' detractors
Shortly after Valentinus' death, Irenaeus began his massive work Adversus Haereses with a highly-colored and negative view of Valentinus and his teachings that occupies most of his first book. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work A modern student, M. T. Riley, observes that Tertullian's Adversus Valentinianos retranslated some passages from Irenaeus, without adding original material [2]. Later, Epiphanius of Salamis discussed and dismissed him (Haer. Epiphanius (ca 310&ndash320 &ndash 403 was bishop of Salamis and metropolitan of Cyprus at the end of the 4th century AD , XXXI). As with all the non-traditional early Christian writers, Valentinus has been known largely through quotations in the works of his detractors, though an Alexandrian follower also preserved some fragmentary sections as extended quotes. A Valentinian teacher Ptolemy refers to "apostolic tradition which we too have received by succession" in his Letter to Flora. There were others named Ptolemy see Ptolemy (disambiguation Ptolemy the Gnostic was a disciple of the Gnostic teacher Valentinius Until the discovery of Gnostic works among the hidden cache at Nag Hammadi, few authentic Gnostic works survived Ptolemy is known only for this letter to a wealthy Gnostic lady named Flora, a letter itself only known by its full inclusion in Epiphanius' Panarion; it relates the Gnostic view of the Law of Moses, and the situation of the Demiurge relative to this law. Epiphanius (ca 310&ndash320 &ndash 403 was bishop of Salamis and metropolitan of Cyprus at the end of the 4th century AD term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos The possibility should not be ignored that the letter was composed by Epiphanius, in the manner of composed speeches that ancient historians put into the mouths of their protagonists, as a succinct way to sum up.
The Gospel of Truth
In this situation, a new field in Valentinian studies opened when the Nag Hammadi library was discovered in Egypt in 1945. The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices ("NHC" Nag Hammadi library (popularly known as The Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the Among the very mixed bag of works branded as "gnostic" was a series of writings which could very well be associated with Valentinus, particularly the Coptic text called the Gospel of Truth which bears the same title reported by Irenaeus as belonging to a text by Valentinus (Adversus Haereses 3. The Gospel of Truth is one of the Gnostic texts from the New Testament apocrypha found in the Nag Hammadi codices ("NHC" 11. 9). It is a declaration of the unknown name of the Father, possession of which enables the knower to penetrate the veil of ignorance that has separated all created beings from the Father, and declares Jesus Christ as Savior has revealed that name through a variety of modes laden with a language of abstract elements.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Cross, F. L. , ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, article Valentinus
- ^ A. H. B. Logan, "Marcellus of Ancyra (Pseudo-Anthimus), 'On the Holy Church': Text, Translation and Commentary. Verses 8-9. " Journal of Theological Studies, NS, 51. 1, April 2000:95.
- ^ Source: Logan 2000:95
References
- Francis Legge, Forerunners and Rivals of Christianity, From 330 B. C. to 330 A. D. (1914), reprinted in two volumes bound as one, University Books New York, 1964. LC Catalog 64-24125.
- Valentinus and the Valentinian Tradition - an extremely comprehensive collection of material on Valentinian mythology, theology and tradition (from the Gnosis Archive website).
- Valentinus - A Gnostic for All Seasons Excellent introductory essay by Stephan A. Hoeller (from the Gnosis Archive website).
- Patristic Material on Valentinus Complete collection of patristic sources mentioning Valentinus, including the works of Tertullian. Use the index search function to search the texts for specific references (again at the Gnosis Archive website).
- Catholic Encyclopedia Valentinus.
- Early Christian Writings: Valentinus, introductions and e-texts.
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Valentinius |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Valentinus |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Christian theologian and Gnostic heretic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | c. 100 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Phrebonis in the Nile delta |
| DATE OF DEATH | c. The Nile Delta ( Arabic: دلتا النيل) is the delta formed in Northern Egypt ( Lower Egypt) where the Nile River spreads 153 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Cyprus |
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