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pelikan quote
"history is usually dictated by the victors"
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Gnosis, gnosticism, gnostic (broader and narrower)
- gnosis - knowledge, act of knowing
- gnosticism - understandings of christian which understand knowledge as salvific
- gnostic broad - Christian religious movements emphasizing gnosis
- narrow - gnostic, self-given name of individual Christian - originally respectable, but later pejorative
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pelikan - what is gnosticism?
may be defined as a system which taught cosmic redemption of spirit through knowledge
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roots of gnosticism
- judaism
- persian - zoroastrian
- hellenistic theology/philosophy
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4 gnostic leaders
- simon magus
- basilides (130-150)
- valentinus (140-160)
- heracleon
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main teachings of valentinus
- a school of interpretation within the church
- necessity for gnosis (Scripture important)
- allegorical interpretation of Scripture (borrowing from plato)
- dualistic world view (absolute dualism, 2 coequal principles) (mitigated dualism (evil found within the divine itself)
- creation myth
- anthropology - main is rational actor
- soteriology - redemption through knowledge/revelation - required ascetic life
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positive influences on Christianity
- emenations to explain trinitarian relationship
- hypostasis - later incorporated
- 1st systematic exegetes of Scripture
- forced re-interpretation of traditional texts
- forced new readings of OT texts
- Christianity put limits of allegorical interpretation
- new level of Christian philosophy
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MARCION BIOGRAPHY
- 135-140 in Rome
- 144 excommunicated
- justin martyr said still active in 150
- dies in 154-160
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marcion ecclesiology
- apostles apostacized,
- own scriptures (puriifed Luke, paul, and dropped O.T.)
- literal interpretation
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arguments of marcion
- paul was only legitimate apostle
- faith works of law
- creator God (just) / Jesus God (loving)
- says messiah of OT is not Christ
- modalist from the father, docetic
- material body is bad
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significance for Christian thought
- i. stimulated appeal for canon
- ii. development of pauline theoloy
- iii. stimulated reflection on trinitarian relations between God the Father and Jesus Christ
- question of orogin of evil
- humanity of Christ
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origins of montanism
montanus - all prophets, 2 female - claimed new revelation from God - effort to shape Church - opposed on all in church that took on permanent place
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teachings of montanism
- apocalyptic coming of Jesus
- christian moralism
- spirit: 1) paracelte fulfilled in montanus 'i am paracelete'
- 2) content was ethical
- 3) gifts of spirit absent from church due to morality..
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significance of montanism
- a) need for fixed dogma and creed -> canon
- b) apostles pushed second coming until later
- c) no new revelations
- d) new understanding of holy spirit
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PELIKAN ON MONTANISM
- altered conception of activity of the HOly Spirit that had figured prominently in earlier history. doesn't look to future or present, but to the past:
- 1) apostolic canon
- 2) apostolic creed
- 3) apostolic episcopate
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