Gnostic World

Garry W. Trompf is Emeritus Professor in the History of Ideas, and Adjunct Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney, Australia.Gunner B. Mikkelsen is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.Jay Johnston is Associate Professor, School of Literature, Art and Media, University of Sydney, Australia.

"As a new wave of critical scholarship into Gnosticism, ancient and modern, begins, The Gnostic World is the ideal place to get caught up. Impressively combining concise entries on Gnosticisms familiar and unfamiliar, from the early Christianity to medieval Islam, fin de siècle occultists and 21st century cinema, with digestible summaries of the definitional and theoretical controversies, this will be the standard reference work for many years to come." David G. Robertson, The Open University, UK"The Gnostic World is a comprehensive, ground-breaking presentation of the diverse beliefs, practices, and social formations related to the movements previously known as "Gnostic." In over forty chapters ranging from the ancient world to contemporary culture, international experts address recent controversy regarding the historical reconstruction of such groups while also breaking new ground in following diverse but interconnected literary and intellectual traditions. The result is a major achievement in the comparative study of religions." Paul Dilley, The University of Iowa, USA"This broad and comprehensive volume not only includes chapters on Gnostic movements in late antiquity, but also covers more recent religions that are structurally similar to ancient Gnosticism, as well as such topics as anti-cult groups and Gnosticism in fiction and music. It will be an invaluable resource for scholars and other interested readers." Olav Hammer, University of Southern, Denmark. "The Gnostic World is an impressive collection of interdisciplinary studies of Gnosticism, a phenomenon that has intrigued (and often confused) many people from antiquity through today. Written by leading international experts, the volume explores all dimensions of the topic, often with new insights and fascinating cross-references to other cultural phenomena and theoretical discussions. The Gnostic World is an indispensable tool for students of Gnosticism and a milestone of critical research." Kocku von Stuckrad, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

• Introduction Garry W. Trompf Theoretical 1. Gnosticism, Gnostics, and Gnosis Dylan M. Burns 2. The Gnostic World: A History of Scholarship (until 2000) Garry W. Trompf 3. Gnostics and Temporality: From Myth to Macrohistory Garry W. TrompfAncient 4. Ancient Pre-Christian Gnosticisms: The State of the Questions Carl B. Smith II5. The Jewish Background to Gnosticism: A Guide for the Perplexed Garry W. Trompf6. Gnostic Motifs in the New TestamentPheme Perkins . On Ancient Gnosticism as a Problematic Category Michael A. Williams8. Gender Issues and the Study of Ancient GnosticismMajella Franzmann 9. The Gnostics in Early Christian Heresiology Mark Edwards 10. Genres of Gnostic Literature and the Classical Gnostic School of Thought John D. Turner 11. Sethian Gnostic SpeculationJohn D. Turner 12. Basilides and the Basilidians Jean-Daniel Dubois 13. Valentinus and the Valentinians Einar Thomassen 14. Is the Gospel of Thomas Gnostic? David W. Kim 15. The Gospel of Judas and the Tchacos CodexGarry W. Trompf and David W. Kim 16. The Mandaeans: Writings, Rituals, and ArtBrikha Nasoraia 17. Hermetism and GnosticismJean-Pierre Mahé18. Plotinus and the GnosticsFrancis Lacroix and Jean-Marc Narbonne 19. Gnostic Elements in Ancient Magical Papyri Malcolm Choat 0. Mani’s LifeIain Gardner 21. The Manichaean Path to SalvationJason D. BeDuhn 22. Insight and Means in Chinese Manichaean TextsGunner B. Mikkelsen