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The Spiritual Seed ― The Church of the 'Valentinians'
This book is a comprehensive study of “Valentinianism,” the most important Gnostic Christian movement in Antiquity. It is the first attempt to make full use of the Valentinian documents from Nag Hammadi as well as the reports of the Church Fathers.
The book discusses the difference between the Eastern and the Western branches of Valentinianism, and argues that individual sources must always be understood in the context of the historical development of Valentinian doctrines. It also analyses the ideas about the incarnation, protological theories, and initiation practice, as well as the dynamic relationship between these building-blocks of Valentinian doctrine. A final chapter studies anew the doctrine of Valentinus himself and outlines the history of the movement. The book’s usefulness lies in its attempt to bring together for the first time all the sources so as to construct a coherent picture of Valentinian Christianity.
The book discusses the difference between the Eastern and the Western branches of Valentinianism, and argues that individual sources must always be understood in the context of the historical development of Valentinian doctrines. It also analyses the ideas about the incarnation, protological theories, and initiation practice, as well as the dynamic relationship between these building-blocks of Valentinian doctrine. A final chapter studies anew the doctrine of Valentinus himself and outlines the history of the movement. The book’s usefulness lies in its attempt to bring together for the first time all the sources so as to construct a coherent picture of Valentinian Christianity.
- GenresGnosticism
566 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2005
38 people want to read
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March 19, 2025
It all started when I asked my Valentinian Gnosticism group on Facebook for book suggestions on Valentinianism. The two that were recommended were Matthew Twigg’s book The Valentinian Temple and this one. Of the two, this one is more comprehensive and therefore better. I love this book! I would give it ten stars if I could.
This is a book I would buy right now if it didn’t cost $228. So I have a plan to buy it by Christmas time. In preparation I plan to read Irenaeus’s Against Heresies, which was frequently referred to in this book. It seems as though anyone at all interested in Valentinianism needs to read this book. I also plan to read Clement’s Excerpta ex Theodoto in Greek. I have read it in translation a few times, but this book references the Greek on a number of occasions.
I found Valentinian cosmology, protology, and soteriology to be very complicated. This is due in large part to the fact that there is not in fact a unified Valentinian system, but various related systems which all differ from one another. I reread some of the shorter chapters along with the Nag Hammadi texts they referenced. These included The Interpretation of Knowledge, The Gospel of Truth, The Tripartite Tractate, and A Valentinian Exposition. I had read all these before, but like biblical texts they need to be read over and over to be understood. I can’t say I have begun to understand these texts!
A Nag Hammadi text that was often referenced in this book that I did not read was The Gospel of Philip. This is because I have read that one several times and was pretty well able to follow the discussion.
The method of reading a chapter, then reading the gnostic text it referenced, then rereading the chapter worked very well for me. This is the plan I plan on following when I reread this book. I did not reread the two chapters on the Tripartite Tractate because they were rather long and I have a backlog of reading to do. (Gotta keep on movin’ on!) The author is an expert on The Tripartite Tractate, having done his dissertation on that work. This dissertation is available via Interlibrary Loan and I have reserved it. The work is interesting but less popular, I think, than the Apocryphon of John, likely because the cosmology of the Apocryphon of John is clearer.
To sum up, this is a very nice survey of the various Valentinian systems. Why did Gnosticism die out while proto-Catholicism grew and survived? The answer, I think, was organization. It does not seem to me that early proto-orthodox Christianity was any less fractured than Gnosticism, but what they did have was the will to come together and forge an orthodoxy which more or less stands to this day.
This is a book I would buy right now if it didn’t cost $228. So I have a plan to buy it by Christmas time. In preparation I plan to read Irenaeus’s Against Heresies, which was frequently referred to in this book. It seems as though anyone at all interested in Valentinianism needs to read this book. I also plan to read Clement’s Excerpta ex Theodoto in Greek. I have read it in translation a few times, but this book references the Greek on a number of occasions.
I found Valentinian cosmology, protology, and soteriology to be very complicated. This is due in large part to the fact that there is not in fact a unified Valentinian system, but various related systems which all differ from one another. I reread some of the shorter chapters along with the Nag Hammadi texts they referenced. These included The Interpretation of Knowledge, The Gospel of Truth, The Tripartite Tractate, and A Valentinian Exposition. I had read all these before, but like biblical texts they need to be read over and over to be understood. I can’t say I have begun to understand these texts!
A Nag Hammadi text that was often referenced in this book that I did not read was The Gospel of Philip. This is because I have read that one several times and was pretty well able to follow the discussion.
The method of reading a chapter, then reading the gnostic text it referenced, then rereading the chapter worked very well for me. This is the plan I plan on following when I reread this book. I did not reread the two chapters on the Tripartite Tractate because they were rather long and I have a backlog of reading to do. (Gotta keep on movin’ on!) The author is an expert on The Tripartite Tractate, having done his dissertation on that work. This dissertation is available via Interlibrary Loan and I have reserved it. The work is interesting but less popular, I think, than the Apocryphon of John, likely because the cosmology of the Apocryphon of John is clearer.
To sum up, this is a very nice survey of the various Valentinian systems. Why did Gnosticism die out while proto-Catholicism grew and survived? The answer, I think, was organization. It does not seem to me that early proto-orthodox Christianity was any less fractured than Gnosticism, but what they did have was the will to come together and forge an orthodoxy which more or less stands to this day.
Displaying 1 of 1 review