Gnosticism
Religion 222a, Haverford
College
Prof. Anne McGuire,
Fall 2011
amcguire@haverford.edu;
896-1028
This web-based syllabus
will be updated regularly. Students should check this webpage before
every class and follow the links to any additional assigned or
recommended materials.
Course
Description
Course Description: This
course offers a critical examination of "Gnosticism" and the texts of the
Nag Hammadi library. The meaning and usefulness of the category "Gnosticism" are
currently under debate among scholars. Some scholars advocate dropping the
term altogether. Others use the term in the traditional sense of an ancient
Chrisitan heresy of the second to fourth centuries C.E. Others use the term
in the broader sense of any religious worldview grounded in the spiritual
experience of gnosis,
or esoteric religious knowledge. Many scholars hold the view that "Gnosticism" can
remain a useful category only when it is recognized as a category of modern
scholarship that runs the risk of reifying, devaluing, and/or distorting
those religious phenomena it seeks to describe.
In this
course we'll use the term "Gnosticism" to designate a particular type
of religious movement and worldview that emerged within the culture of the
ancient Mediterranean world, and that is represented in many texts of the
Nag Hammadi Library. Crucial to these sources
is an emphasis on the saving power of "gnosis," a
particular kind of esoteric or secret knowledge, grounded in spiritual experience
and in revelations which often
take the form of mythic narratives of creation and redemption. In most of
these sources, gnosis,
or true understanding, is presented as the key to
salvation. One classic text of Christian Gnosticism, for example, states: "It
is not baptism alone that makes us free, but the knowledge (gnosis)
of who we are, what we have become; where we were; where we have been cast
out of; where we are bound for; from what we are delivered; what birth is;
and what rebirth is."
[Excerpts from Theodotus 78.2]. Those who possess such "gnosis"
understand themselves to have been
redeemed from ignorance and evil and and to have achieved salvation through
their acquisition of Gnosis and their participation in rituals
of rebirth and redemption.
Under this broad definition, "Gnosticism" flourished
in its "classic" form in the ancient Mediterranean world of the second to
fourth centuries C.E, but has reappeared in various forms among religious
thinkers and communities that have cultivated a similar spirituality with
an emphasis on the saving power of esoteric religious knowledge or
"Gnosis." Readings
in the course will focus on the ancient evidence for Gnosticism, especially
the writings of the Nag Hammadi library, discovered in 1945, as well as recent
scholarly studies. The primary goals of the course are to develop the skills
of reading and analysing Gnostic texts critically and to become familiar with
the varieties of Gnostic thought, especially those of the Valentinian school,
the Thomas
traditions, Sethianism, and contemporary forms of Gnosis. We
will also consider efforts to relate the evidence for
"Gnosticism" to other varieties of religious thought, including Platonism,
Christianity, and Judaism. Throughout the course, we will explore the literary
form of the texts, their uses of gender imagery, and their varying conceptions
of gnosis, salvation, and union with the divine.
Course
Outline
- Introduction to the
Course: What is Gnosticism?
- Knowledge of the Self and Salvation
in the Thomas Traditions
- The Creation of the 'Gnostic'
World: Plato, Genesis, and the Myth of Sophia in Sethian Gnosis
- Creation and Redemption in
the Thought of Valentinus and his School
- Gnosticism and Gnosis in
the Contemporary World; Topics in the Study of Gnosticism
Required
Readings
Required Readings, available
for purchase in Haverford College Bookstore:
- Bentley Layton, ed. The Gnostic
Scriptures.
- Karen L. King, The Gospel of Mary of Magdala
- Birger Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism:
Traditions and Literature.
- D. Unger, ed. St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Book I: Against the Heresies.
- Robert A. Segal, ed. The Allure of Gnosticism.
- Philip K. Dick, Valis.
- Additional readings available
on Reserve in Magill Library, at the course web site, and in class handouts.
- Recommended Readings:
- Holy Bible: New Revised
Standard Version with Apocrypha
- The
Gnostic Society Library (Nag
Hammadi Library in English translations online
- Karen King, What is Gnosticism? and Other Readings on Reserve
- Many readings for the course will be linked to this web syllabus. Some
are pdf files that require Adobe
Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, or Apple Preview. If you need Acrobat Reader or
an Acrobat Reader plug-in for your web browser, you can download these
programs for free.
Course
Requirements
- Preparation of all reading
assignments before class; regular attendance in class and active
participation in class discussion (10%).
- 3 papers of 4-5 pages
(20% each)
- 2 short papers of textual
analysis and interpretation prepared for class discussion and
revised after class
- 1 survey of recent
scholarship on the topic of your research paper.
- 1 final research
paper of 12-15 pages, to be submitted in stages (30%) .
- Fuller
description of Course Requirements to be posted soon
WWW Resources
Click here for links
to some of the most useful WWW
Resources
for the Study of Gnosticism and Nag Hammadi.
[under construction]
Syllabus
T 8/30 Introduction
to the Course: What is Gnosticism? Definitions, Origins, Approaches
Th 9/1 "Gnosticism"
as System of Thought, Religious Movement, Modern Construct; Major Varieties
of "Gnosticism"
- Begin to familiarize yourself
with the contents of Layton's Gnostic
Scriptures and the Gnostic Society Library online: Online
Resource on The Nag Hammadi Library and Gnosis Archive (from
Gnostic Society Library [GSL])
- Look over one
example of each "type" of Gnostic literature we'll be studying:
- Thomasine: The
Gospel of Thomas [NHL II.2 (Codex II, tractate 2)]
- Sethian: The
Hypostasis of the Archons [NHL II.4]
- Valentinian: The Fragments of Valentinus; The Gospel of
Truth [NHL
I.3]
- Birger Pearson, "What is Gnosticism?" Ancient
Gnosticism, 7-24
- Anne McGuire, "Gnosis and Nag Hammadi," Routledge
Companion to Early Christian Thought, 2010
- Selected
Definitions of "Gnosticism"
Recommended for further
reading: R. Segal, "Introduction," The
Allure of Gnosticism, 1-9;
R. Miller, "The Experience of Gnosis," Allure, 199-203; C.
Markschies, "Gnosis: An Introduction", 1-27
II. Knowledge of the Self and
Salvation in the Thomas Traditions (1/29-19)
T 9/6 Self and Salvation in
the Thomas Traditions: The Gospel of Thomas and The Hymn of the Pearl
- Layton, "Historical Introduction," in
B. Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures (GS), 359-365
- B. Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism, 256-272
- The Gospel according to Thomas [NHC
II,2], in The Nag Hammadi Library in English (GSL) and in GS,
380-399
- The
Gospel of Thomas HomePage,
by Stevan Davies
- The Hymn of the Pearl,
in Layton, Gnostic Scriptures, 359-375
- Some
Themes of the Gospel of Thomas
Th 10/8 Creation and Redemption
in the Gospel of Thomas
Recommended for further reading:
Other translations of GThomas available online:
Gospel
of Thomas trans. by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer
Suggested Topics for Study/Papers: 1)
Analyse and interpret 2-3 of GT's Parables. 2) Analyse the
representation of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden in GT. 3)
Consider the relation of opposites and other kinds of difference -- such
as beginning and end; inside and out; two and one; male and female. 4)
How is the notion of redemption (or salvation) connected to the theme
of creation in GT?
T 9/13 Finding the
Hermeneia, Entering the Kingdom, and Knowing the Self in The
Gospel of Thomas
- The Gospel of Thomas (reread
closely again)
- Harold Bloom, "'Whoever
discovers the interpretation of these sayings'...A Reading," in M.
Meyer, ed. The Gospel of Thomas, 111-121
- Recommended for further reading:
P.-H. Poirier, "The Writings Ascribed to Thomas and the Thomas Tradition,"
NHL After 50 Years, ed. J. Turner and A. McGuire;
Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic
Gospels, 119-141
Topics for Study/Papers:
1) Analyse and interpret the images of the Kingdom and their relation
to the themes of gnosis, making the two into one, and salvation in the
Gospel of Thomas. 2) Compare and contrast the interpretive approaches of
E. Pagels and H. Bloom.
III. The Creation of
the 'Gnostic' World: Genesis, Plato, and the Myth of Sophia in
'Sethian' Gnosis
Th 9/15 Stories of
Creation Retold: Genesis, Wisdom Literature, and Plato in Gnostic Myth
- Irenaeus, AH I.29-30 on the
BarbeloGnostics, in Unger, 93-95
- The Hypostasis of the Archons,
or "The Reality of the Rulers," in Layton, 65-76
- The
Hypostasis of the Archons at
the Gnostic Society Library website
- Bentley Layton, The
Gnostic Scriptures, xv-xvi, note in particular what Layton says about "classic
gnostic (Sethian) scripture" on p. xv
- Genesis
1-3
- B. Pearson, "Gnostic Biblical
Interpretation: The Gnostic Genesis," Ancient
Gnosticism, 101-133
- Plato, Selections from the Timaeus, Part
I [Sections
17, 29-39]; Part
II [Sections 40-46; 69-73];
Part III [Sections 69-73, 87-92]
- George
W. MacRae, "The Jewish Background of the Gnostic Sophia Myth"
- Study Guides for HypArch
- Recommended for further
reading:
- Philo of Alexandria, Allegorical
Interpretation of Genesis and On the Creation, Selections
- Topics for Study/Papers: 1)
Compare and contrast the accounts of creation in Genesis 1-3, Wisdom literature,
and HypArch with particular attention to: the structure and nature of the
cosmos and its creator; the creation of the first humans, male and female.
What are the major points of similaritiy and dissimilarity? What is the
significance of these differences for understanding human life in the world?
2) Compare Irenaeus' summary of the teachings of the Gnostics (AH I.29,
also known as the Barbelo-Gnostics) with The Hypostasis of the Archons.
3) Compare the representation of the Creator/Demiurge in Genesis, Plato,
and HypArch.
Th 9/22 The Mythic
World of the Hypostasis of the Archons: Ialdabaoth and his Offspring
in the HypArch; "Sethianism"
- Outline and Introductory Notes on the
Reality of the Rulers (in- class
projection)
- Reread The Hypostasis of
the Archons (HypArch)
aka The Reality of the Rulers [NHC II.4]in
GSL and Layton, GS 65-76
- Irenaeus, AH I.29-30 (see also Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism, 45-48
- B. Pearson, "Sethian or Classic Gnosticism," Ancient
Gnosticism,
51-101
- Genesis 1-6 (again; this time focus on the figures of Seth and Noah;
compare with the HA's account of NOREA)
- Anne
McGuire, "Virginity
and Subversion: Norea against the Powers in the Hypostasis of the
Archons" [pdf]
- Karen L. King, "Ridicule and Rape, Rule and Rebellion" [pdf to be posted)
Topics for
Study/Papers: 1) Read the selections from Irenaeus and HypArch
closely alongside Genesis 1-6, focusing on the accounts of human
creation in Gen 1:26-28 (P) and 2:7 ff. (J) and their gnostic
parallels. 2) Who is the Creator in the Hypostasis of the Archons?
How does he fit into the structure of the cosmos? How does this
figure relate to the God of Genesis 1-3? 3) Who are Adam and Eve,
and what is their relation to one another, to the Creator, and
to the two realms in the HypArch? What is the significance of
these differences for the reader's perspectives on the nature
of the world, its creator, and the human self?
T 9/27 Adam, Eve,
and their Descendants in the HypArch and the Apocalypse of
Adam
Topics for
Study/Papers: 1) 1) Compare and contrast the roles of Adam,
Eve, and/or Seth & Norea in the HypArch and the ApocAdam. What
significance should be attached to the differences in their
depiction? 2) Evaluate the arguments of Martin on genealogy and
sociology. How useful is his argument on genealogy and group
identity in ApocAdam? 3) What is the relation between the
categories of existence (matter, soul, spirit) and the categories
of genealogy or group membership in either the ApocAdam or the
HypArch.
T 10/4 Sophia and
the Creator in the Apocryphon of John: The Origins of the Gnostic Sophia
Myth
- The Apocryphon of John,
in GSL and Layton, 23-51
- The Construction of the Divine World in ApocJn: ApocJn Charts
- Hans-Martin
Schenke, "The Sethian System according to the Nag Hammadi Manuscripts"
- Excerpts from Karen L. King, The Secret Revelation of John
- Part 1 from Chapters 1-2: "The
Ideal: The Divine Realm" and "The Problem: Rupture"
Review Luther Martin essay and conceptions of the redeemed "Seed" with
reference to both divine prototype and communal identity in Apocalypse
of Adam and HypArch. Compare with ApocJohn's more explicitly "Christian"
notions of redemption.
- Recommended for further
reading: Nils A. Dahl, "The Arrogant Archon and the Lewd Sophia," The
Rediscovery of Gnosticism, Vol. II.
Topics for Study/Papers: 1)
Consider MacRae's argument about the Jewish background of the Sophia
myth in light of your reading of the primary texts. What are its
strengths? What is not accounted for? 2) Consider the relation
between "Gnostic"
representations of Sophia (and Christ) and the early Christian use
of Wisdom/Sophia traditions in the conceptualization of Jesus as
the pre-existent Word (Logos) of God; 3) What do you make of Pagels'
argument about the relation between the gnostic image of the Creator
and attitudes toward such religious authorities as the bishops? Does
this argument have relevance for your thinking about the social contexts
of the primary texts (HypArch, ApocAdam, or ApocJohn)?
T 10/4 The Relation
of Sophia and Christ; Adam, Eve, and Seth in the Apocryphon of John
- The Apocryphon of John, Layton,
23-51
- Gospel of John 1; Irenaeus,
AH I.29-30 in Layton, 163-181
- Excerpts from Karen L. King, The Secret Revelation of John
- Part
2 from Chapters 3-4: "The Solution: Salvation" and "Utopian
Desire, Social Critique and Resistance"
- Recommended for further reading: Birger
Pearson, "The Figure of Seth in Gnostic Literature," Gnosticism, Judaism,
and Egyptian Christianity, 52-83
Topics for Study/Papers:
1) Compare the account of Irenaeus, esp. in 1.29, with the ApocJohn. What
do you make of the similarities and differences? 2) Analyse the depiction
of the Christ figure/s in ApocJohn. Compare with the prologue of the Gospel
of John and with Wisdom imagery discussed on Tuesday. What does this text
say of Christ's role in creation? in redemption? What is his relation to
Sophia?
Th 10/6 Language,
Ritual, and Visionary Experience in Sethian Gnosticism; Debates on the
Theory of a "Sethian System" and "Sethian Gnosticism"
- Patricia Cox Miller, "In
Praise of Nonsense," Ancient Mediterranean Spirituality
- The Holy Book of the Great
Invisible Spirit in GSL and Layton, 101-120
- The Three Tablets of Seth in
Layton, 149-158
- Hans-Martin
Schenke, "The Sethian System according to the Nag Hammadi Manuscripts"
- Bentley Layton, "Historical
Introduction to Classic Gnostic Scripture," GS 5-22
- "Gnostics," "Sethians," and "Archontics," according
to Porphyry, Epiphanius, and others, in Layton, 182-214; review
pasages on "Gnostics" and "Ophites" in Layton,
163-181
Topics for
Study/Papers: 1) Examine the use of vowels and other formulae
in the Holy Book and the 3 Tablets. What sort of theory of language,
symbol, and ritual appears to underlie these texts? 2)
How does the evidence for ritual practices and communal self-understanding
in the 'Sethian' texts we've read affect your view of Schenke's
argument about the Sethian corpus, the Sethian system, and a Sethian
social group?
T 10/18 The Female Voice
of the Divine: Language, Spirit, and Wisdom in Thunder,
Perfect Mind
- Thunder, Perfect Mind
[NHC VI.2] GSL and Layton, 77-85 [I suggest that you look
at at least one other translation]
- Trimorphic Protennoia or First Thought in Three Forms
(Layton, 86-100)
- Voices Divine: Discourses
of Isis, the Lord God, and Wisdom
- B. Pearson, Ancient
Gnosticism,
235-37
- Reread relevant portions
of Patricia Cox Miller, "In
Praise of Nonsense," Ancient Mediterranean Spirituality
- Bentley Layton, "The
Riddle of the Thunder: The Function of Paradox in a Gnostic Text
from Nag Hammadi"
- J. Buckley, "Sex, Suffering, and Incarnation: Female Symbolism in
Gnosticism," Allure, 94-106
- Recommended for further reading:
Recommended: George W. MacRae, "The Ego Proclamation in Gnostic Sources," Studies
in the New Testament and Gnosticism, 203-217
Topics for Study/Papers:
1) Can you discern a theory of language and symbol in the Gospel of the Egyptians,
Thunder, and/or Trimorphic Protennoia? Look to Miller's article for some help
on this question. 2) Who is the speaker in Thunder, Perfect Mind? Compare
with the self-proclamations of Jesus in the Gospel of John, Wisdom in Proverbs,
and Isis in the Cyme aretalogy. Compare and contrast Layton's argument about
the identity of the speaker with Miller's discussion of Thunder at the beginning
of her article. 3) What is the relation between the speaker in Trimorphic
Protennoia and the speaker at the end of the ApocJohn? What relation does
each have to the Invisible Spirit, to Barbelo, to the Anointed, Seth, Jesus,
or any other divine figure?
Th 10/20 Mary
Magdalene in the New Testament, The Gospel of Mary, and Nag Hammadi
Texts
Double Class Session will begin at 9 a.m. in Gest 101
- Mary
Magdalene in the New Testament
- Gospel of Mark 15:40-16:9;
Gospel of Matthew 27:56-28:1; Gospel of Luke 8:2, 24:10; Gospel
of John 19:25, 20:1-18
- The Gospel of Mary in Karen L. King, The Gospel of Mary of Magdala,
3-34; Chapters 4-9 (pp. 37-90)
- B. Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism, 249-252
- B. TePaske, "Mary Magdalene
in the Canonical an Gnostic Gospels," The Allure of Gnosticism,
84-93
- Mary Magdalene in Nag
Hammadi Texts:
- Antti Marjanen, "Introduction," "Conclusion," Mary
Magdalene: A Beloved Disciple, in Mariam, the Magdalen,
and the Mother, ed. D. Good
Th 10/20 Representations
of Mary Magdalene in Ancient Christianity and Contemporary Culture
IV. Creation and
Redemption in the Thought of Valentinus and his School
T 10/25
Language, Creation, and Redemption in the Fragments of
Valentinus
Th 10/27 The Thought
of Valentinus: Fragments and The Gospel of
Truth
- Reread the Fragments of Valentinus
- Harold Bloom, "Lying Against Time: Gnosis, Poetry, Criticism," The
Rediscovery of Gnosticism, ed. B. Layton
- The Gospel of Truth (NHL
I,3 & XII,2) GS 250-264
- Recommended for further reading:
David Dawson, "Valentinus: The Apocalypse of the Mind," Allegorical Readers
and Cultural Revision in Ancient Alexandria.
- Topics for Study/Papers: 1)
What evidence do you find to support the argument that the author of the Fragments
of Valentinus is the author of the Gospel of Truth? What similarities do you
find in style and/or content? 2) Compare the significance of Jesus in the
Fragments and the GTruth with the role he plays in the Sethian and Thomas
texts. 3) How are New Testament images of Jesus reinterpreted in the Gospel
of Truth? Consider in particular his role as a teacher and the significance
attached to his death & resurrection. 4) What is the relation between
individual experience and the Entirety in the Gospel of Truth? How does the
retelling of the Sophia myth as a mythic narrative of Error suggest both a
personal /psychological and a universal/cosmic interpretation of the myth?
T 11/1 and Th 11/3 The Mystical
Theology of Valentinus: The Gospel of Truth
- The Gospel of Truth (NHL
I,3 & XII,2) GS 250-264
- Patricia Cox Miller, "Words
with an Alien Voice: Gnostics, Scripture, and Canon"
- Harold Attridge, "The Gospel
of Truth as an Exoteric Text," Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism, and Early Christianity,
239-256 [pdf to be posted]
- Topics for Study/Papers: 1)
What evidence do you find to support the argument that the author of the Fragments
of Valentinus is the author of the Gospel of Truth? What similarities do you
find in style and/or content? 2) Compare the significance of Jesus in the
Fragments and the GTruth with the role he plays in the Sethian and Thomas
texts. 3) How are New Testament images of Jesus reinterpreted in the Gospel
of Truth? Consider in particular his role as a teacher and the significance
attached to his death & resurrection. 4) What is the relation between
individual experience and the Entirety in the Gospel of Truth? How does the
retelling of the Sophia myth as a mythic narrative of Error suggest both a
personal /psychological and a universal/cosmic interpretation of the myth?
T 11/8 The Teachings
of the Valentinian School: Ptolemy's Letter to Flora
- Layton, "Historical
Introduction," GS 267-75
- Irenaeus, AH I.1-10,
first reading; focus on Irenaeus's presentation of Ptolemy's account of
the Sophia myth
- Ptolemy's Epistle
to Flora, 306-315
- Topics for
Study/Papers: 1) How are the various parts of the Law
distinguished in Ptolemy's Letter to Flora? On what basis and with
what implications?
Th 11/10 Ptolemy's Version of
the Sophia Myth; Irenaeus's vs. the Valentinians
(esp. Ptolemy and Marcus)
- Layton, "Historical Introduction," GS
267-75
- Irenaeus, AH I.1-11 in
Unger; see also Layton, 276-302 for Ptolemy's
Version of the Gnostic Myth -
Review all of AH Book I, with particular attention to I.1-11 and skim briefly
I.22, 23-31, paying attention to Irenaeus's polemical
method; his appeal to authority; his construction of a succession of heretics
- Elaine Pagels, "One God, One Bishop," The Gnostic Gospels
- Topics for Study/Papers: Compare
Ptolemy's version of the Sophia myth with those found in the Sethian texts
and in Valentinus's writings.
T, 11/15 The Mystery of the
Bridal Chamber in The Gospel of Philip: Gender, Sexuality, and Images of
Union
- The Gospel of Philip [NHC
II.3] GSL and GS 325-353
- "Introduction," [PDF]
The Gospel of Philip Annotated and Explained, by S. Davies and
Andrew Philip Smith
- Elaine
Pagels, "Ritual in the
Gospel of Philip," The Nag Hammadi Library After 50 Years, The
Nag Hammadi Library after Fifty Years, ed. J. Turner & A. McGuire,
280-291 (also posted at Blackboard)
- Elizabeth A. Clark, "Ideology, History and
the Construction of Woman," JECS 2 (1994) 155-184
- The Gospel of Philip [NHC
II.3] GSL and GS 325-353
- Clement of Alexandria, "On
Marriage," Miscellanies (Stromateis), Book III.1-2, 4, 7-9
- Topics: 1) Examine closely
the GPhil's use of New Testament images and themes, especially those concerning
baptism, eucharist, marriage, and resurrection. 2) Analysse the GPhil's
reinterpretation of Genesis 1-3; compare with rereadings of Genesis in
GThomas, HypArch, and/or ApocJohn. 3) Examine closely
the GPhil's use of bridal imagery, esp. its sayings about the bridal
chamber.
Th 11/17 Gnosis,
Language, Ritual, and Salvation: Mysteries of Union
in The Gospel of Philip
- The Gospel of Philip [NHC
II.3] GSL and GS 325-353
- The Gospel of Philip [NHC
II.3] GSL and GS 325-353
- Jorunn Buckley and Deirdre Good, "Sacramental
Language and Verbs of Generating, Creating, and Begetting in the Gospel
of Philip" in Journal of Early Christian Studies 5 (1997)
1-19.
- Anne McGuire, "Mysteries of Union: Language,
Ritual, and Gender in the Gospel of Philip"; Handout
on GPhil
- Topics: 1) Re-examine
the GPhil's use of bridal imagery, esp. its sayings about the bridal
chamber. How do these images of union relate to other kinds of union in
GPhil? 2) Scholars continue to debate the significance of the GPhil's
use of sexual and marital imagery.Some argue the language of union in the
bridal chamber is purely spiritual and symbolic, while others argue that
it bears a direct relation to the practices of marriage and sexual union
among Valentinian Christians, to which Clement of Alexandria, Strom. III.1
attests. What do you make of the evidence of the Gospel of Philip? 3)
Consider Patricia Cox Miller's analysis of theories of language in the
Valentinian Gospel of Truth. To what extend does GPhilip provide evidence
of similar theorizing about language and meaning?
T 11/22 No Class; Attending
Annual Meeting of Society of Biblical Literature, San Francisco
- Due in Gest by 4 p.m.
Tuesday: 5-page
survey of recent scholarship on the topic of your research paper
V. Gnosticism and Gnosis in
the Contemporary World: Philip K. Dick's Valis and Contemporary Gnostic Groups
T
11/29 Gnosis,
Science Fiction, and Alternative Realities : "By
now Fat had finally lost touch with reality" (Valis, p. 100)
Th
12/1 Reading Valis as Spiritual Autobiography (2-3-74)
and Gnostic Myth
- Valis, 101-241
- Eric Hale, Excerpts from "Human
and Divine Redemption in Philip K. Dick's Valis,
Haverford College Senior Thesis 1997
- Paul Rydeen, "Philip
K. Dick: The Other Side," The Gnosis Archive [This site emphasizes
the relation of Dick's experimentation with drugs, his 'revelatory' experiences,
and the 'gnostic' elements in Dick's work]
- Recommended: Michel Desjardins,
"Retrofitting Gnosticism: Philip K. Dick and Christian Origins," Violence,
Utopia, and the Kingdom of God, ed. Tina Pippin and George Aichele, 122-133
For further reading: Richard Behrens and Allen B. Ruch, "Philip
K. Dick (1928-1982),." This is a very thorough biography of PKD with
numerous links [http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/dick.html]
T
12/6 Gnosticism
in Contemporary Culture
- Readings to be selected by student
interest; possible topics include: Contemporary Gnostic churches; Gnosticism
in popular fiction and film; Jungian approaches to Gnostic myth, etc.
- B. Pearson, "The Persistence of Gnosticism," Ancient
Gnosticism, 333-342
- Richard Smith, "The Revival of Ancient Gnosis," Allure, 204-223
- Overview
of Gnosticism in Contemporary Times from Wikipedia
- Web Pages of Contemporary Gnostic Churches and Movements -
Select a few of the webpages below and explore. I encourage you also to do
your own web searches and email the class with any particular links you discover.
Th
12/8 Presentation
of Research Topics
- Due
in Class: Draft of a 5-6 page excerpt from your final research paper
- This final class session will be devoted to discussion of Research
Papers in progress
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