Overview

Despite the surge of interest in Gnostic texts following the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library, the Coptic Books of Jeu and Pistis Sophia remain understudied. Often dismissed as convoluted, confused, and repetitious, Erin Evans convincingly shows that these texts represent the writings of a distinct religious group with a consistent system of theology, cosmology, and ritual practice. This book offers an in-depth examination of these texts, their relationship to other contemporary Gnostic ideas, and their use in the context of a practicing religious group. Three thematic sections demonstrate how the collection of texts functions as a whole, covering baptisms and mystical ascent procedures, guides to moral living, and introductory texts and myths.

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9789004284463

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Reviews

'die Erlauterungen von E. zum Verstandnis der Texte anregend und mussen in eine quellenvergleichende, philologische und religions- und ideengeschichtliche Arbeit an den Schriften einbezogen werden. E. ist zu danken, dass sie die Aufmerksamkeit der Forschung wieder auf diese Texte gelenkt hat.' Clemens Scholten, Universitat zu Koln, Vigiliae Christianae 71 (2017) 'This book fills a significant gap, and attempts to reconstruct the groups behind the 'Jeuian' texts. [...] Evans' presentation is extremely acccessible, with essential concepts summed up clearly, and will be an asset to scholars of Gnosticism, early Christianity, and late-antique religion more broadly.' Kimberley Fowler, University of Manchester, The Expository Times 128 (9) 2017

'die Erlauterungen von E. zum Verstandnis der Texte <sind> anregend und mussen in eine quellenvergleichende, philologische und religions- und ideengeschichtliche Arbeit an den Schriften einbezogen werden. E. ist zu danken, dass sie die Aufmerksamkeit der Forschung wieder auf diese Texte gelenkt hat.' Clemens Scholten, Universitat zu Koln, Vigiliae Christianae 71 (2017)

Author Information

Erin Evans, Ph.D. (2012), University of Edinburgh, is currently an ACLS Public Fellow at the U.S. Department of State. She has published articles on Gnosticism in both historical and modern pop cultural contexts.

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