{"id":1312,"date":"2015-01-07T13:43:27","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T18:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=1312"},"modified":"2015-07-09T10:15:54","modified_gmt":"2015-07-09T14:15:54","slug":"course-syllabus-spring-2015","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/course-materials\/rels-6615-seminar-in-the-religions-of-late-antiquity-2012\/course-syllabus-spring-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Course syllabus (Spring 2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"

RELS 6615
\nSeminar in the Religions of Late Antiquity
\nW 3:30-6:15
\nDr. John C. Reeves
\nMacy 204B
\nOffice hours: W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00; or by appointment
\njcreeves@uncc.edu<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018A symbol cannot be refuted\u2019\u00a0(\u0641\u0644\u0627 \u0631\u062f\u0651 \u0639\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0645\u0632) \u2014 Suhraward\u012b.\u00a0\u00a0Cited from the introduction \u00a74 of Suhraward\u012b, \u1e24ikmat al-i\u0161r\u0101q<\/em>; see Henry Corbin, \u0152uvres philosophiques et mystiques de Shihabaddin Yahya Sohrawardi (Opera metaphysica et mystica II), I<\/em> (Teheran\/Paris: Institut franco-iranien, 1952), 10.16; also John Walbridge and Hossein Ziai, The Philosophy of Illumination: A New Critical Edition of the Text of \u1e24ikmat al-ishr\u0101q with English Translation, Notes, Commentary, and Introduction<\/em> (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1999), 2.<\/p>\n

Course description<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2018Current and seminal issues related to the academic study of one or more of the religions practiced in the Roman and\/or Sasanian empires during late antiquity.\u2019\u00a0 The topic this semester will be gnosticism and Jewish literature of late antiquity<\/strong>.\u00a0 Starting in the mid-nineteenth century and continuing to the present day, some scholars suggest that the phenomenon of gnostic religiosity exhibited in eastern Mediterranean religions of late antiquity and described by church fathers like Irenaeus, Hippolytus, and Epiphanius can be traced to \u2018heterodox\u2019 Jewish circles and conventicles in disaffected diaspora locales such as Roman Egypt and Syria.\u00a0 We will subject this proposal to a critical inquiry via a close reading (in English translation) of the primary sources which are pertinent to an evaluation of the possible interrelationship of classical gnosis and Jewish traditions.\u00a0 We will include among the latter category various \u2018late\u2019 esoteric texts featuring ascent to the supernal realm, dialogues with otherworldly revealer figures, and alphabet mysticism (e.g., 3 Enoch<\/em>, Sefer Ye\u1e63irah<\/em>) as well as testimonia from Jewish and Muslim writers about demiurgic angels, secret books, and esoteric forms of scriptural exegesis.\u00a0 We moreover need to glance briefly at the complicated issues surrounding what some scholars have termed the \u2018Mandaean problem.\u2019\u00a0 Finally, we will unpack the critical category \u2018gnosticism\u2019 in the light of recent scholarship to assess whether it remains a useful taxonomic concept for the study of Near Eastern religions in late antiquity.<\/p>\n

Required textbooks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bentley Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions<\/em> (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, 1987).<\/p>\n

Alan F. Segal, Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism<\/em> (Leiden: Brill, 1977; repr., Waco: Baylor University Press, 2012).<\/p>\n

Birger A. Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions and Literature<\/em> (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007).<\/p>\n

Absent your capacity to work directly with the received text, any responsible western language translation of Bible, including the so-called Apocrypha.\u00a0 Web links to the KJV and RSV versions are available on the course website.<\/p>\n

A number of supplementary readings will be assigned or distributed by the instructor as needed.<\/p>\n

Course requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n

a. Readings<\/em>. The nature of this course entails a significant amount of close reading and reflection. Students are responsible for anticipating and completing the reading assignments (outlined below) in a timely manner.\u00a0 Every student is expected to read and critically expound the required textbooks mentioned above in their entirety.<\/p>\n

b. Seminar presentations\/papers<\/em>. At almost every class meeting, an individual student will be responsible for leading the first half of our collective discussion of that week\u2019s secondary readings assignment. Students should use the template found later in this syllabus as a rough guide for their presentation.\u00a0 All students (including the discussion leader) will prepare and submit to the instructor at the beginning of class a written summary and brief analysis (maximum length of five [5] typewritten or electronically printed pages) of that week\u2019s reading assignment.\u00a0 The instructor\u2019s evaluation of the student\u2019s collective written exercise performance (based on the scale \u221a+ = A; \u221a = B; \u221a- = C) will comprise 40% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

c. Research project<\/em>. One (1) formal research project to be presented in oral and written form (at least 15 double-spaced pages, exclusive of notes and list of sources) that focuses upon a particular topic relevant to the study of gnosticism and Jewish literature of late antiquity. After a close reading of primary and secondary sources and in consultation with the instructor, the student should select a topic of individual interest that permits such an extended exposition, analysis and\/or evaluation.\u00a0 The project will be presented orally (approximately 15 minutes) at the final class meeting (April 22); the written papers are due by 12:00 PM one week later (April 29).\u00a0 The research project accounts for 40% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

d. Individual involvement<\/em>. Almost perfect attendance (see below) is an essential requirement for this course. Each class meeting builds upon the knowledge gained during previous meetings.\u00a0 Moreover, in-class discussion, close reading, and analysis by both the instructor and class members comprise the bulk of every class meeting.\u00a0 Preparation for every class usually involves the completion of a series of required readings and\/or written assignment(s), and individual students initiate our collective examination and discussion of the weekly topics.\u00a0 Students are expected to contribute in an informed manner to the public analysis and discussion of any assigned topic.\u00a0 The instructor\u2019s collective assessment of one\u2019s attendance, apparent class preparation, presentations, and oral contributions will constitute 20% of the final course grade.<\/p>\n

e. Zakhor<\/em> (Remember!): Mastery of the assigned readings, the timely completion of written assignments, and diligent class attendance are necessary prerequisites for the successful completion of this course. Each student is responsible for all lectures, class discussions, hand-outs, assignments, and announcements, whether or not he\/she is present when they occur.<\/p>\n

Miscellaneous information<\/strong><\/h3>\n

a. The grading scale used in this course is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
91-95+ <\/span><\/td>\nA <\/span><\/td>\ndemonstrable mastery of material–outstanding
\nperformance<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
81-90 <\/span><\/td>\nB <\/span><\/td>\nsatisfactory performance of assignments<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
71-80 <\/span><\/td>\nC <\/span><\/td>\ninadequate and\/or faulty understanding of
\nmaterial<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
0-70 <\/span><\/td>\nU <\/span><\/td>\nunacceptable graduate-level work<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

b. One of the requirements of this course is to complete the work of the course on time. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for late work\u2014an illness or other emergency. \u2018Emergency,\u2019 however, does not include your social involvements, travel plans, job schedule, disk and\/or printer failures, the state of your love life, your obligations to other courses, or general malaise over the state of the world.\u00a0 The world has been in a mess as long as anyone can remember, and most of the world\u2019s work is done by people whose lives are a mass of futility and discontent.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is. Therefore:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) All missing work is averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade.<\/p>\n

2) All written work falls due on the dates scheduled in the syllabus, or on the date announced by the instructor in class (usually the next class meeting).\u00a0 \u2018Late\u2019 work will not be accepted from students who were privy to its oral evaluation and discussion (i.e., you were present while we \u2018went over it\u2019 but you neglected to do it beforehand).\u00a0 In the event of one\u2019s absence, \u2018late\u2019 submissions bear the following penalties: one day late\/one letter grade; two days late\/two letter grades; three or more days late\/U.\u00a0 Please note: these \u2018days\u2019 are calendar days, not class meeting days<\/span>.\u00a0 For accounting purposes, letter grades bear the following values: A=95; A-=92; B+=88; B=85; B-=82; C+=78; C=75; C-=72; U=35.\u00a0 Untyped written exercises, seminar papers, or final projects automatically receive the grade U, as do those typed submissions which violate the required parameters or which the instructor deems physically or grammatically substandard.<\/p>\n

3) Since your diligent physical participation is critical for the success of this course, attendance at class meetings will be monitored by the instructor.\u00a0 One absence is regrettable; two absences are the limit of tolerability.\u00a0 Three (3) or more absences will result in an automatic U for the course<\/span>.\u00a0 Please note that\u2014with the exception of religious holidays\u2014the instructor does not distinguish \u2018excused\u2019 from \u2018unexcused\u2019 absences.\u00a0 Unsanctioned late arrivals and early departures will be tallied as absences.<\/p>\n

4) Policy regarding Audits<\/span>: the instructor expects auditors (whether formally enrolled as such or not) to meet the same attendance, preparation, and oral participation standards as those students who are taking the course for credit.\u00a0 The instructor does not expect auditors to prepare and submit any written assignments.<\/p>\n

c. Assistance and solicitation of criticism is your right as a member of the class. It is not a privilege to be granted or withheld. Do not hesitate to request it nor wait too late in the course for it to be of help.<\/p>\n

ROUGH COURSE OUTLINE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jan 7<\/p>\n

Case study: a curious Geniza text.<\/p>\n

Start your readings for next week!<\/p>\n

Jan 14
\nIntroduction: thinking about \u2018gnosticism\u2019 (1)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Layton, Gnostic Scriptures<\/em>, 5-22; 359-409.<\/p>\n

Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism<\/em>, 1-50; 256-72.<\/p>\n

John C. Reeves, \u201cLate Antique Gnosis, Judaism, and a Syro-Mesopotamian \u2018Crucible of Religions\u2019,\u201d (partially unpublished, from chapter 1 of Shades of Light and Darkness<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Thomasine \u2018wedding hymn\u2019 (Acts Thom<\/em>. 6-7).<\/p>\n

Thomasine \u2018Hymn of the Pearl\u2019 (apud<\/em> Layton).<\/p>\n

1QS \u2018Treatise on the Two Spirits\u2019<\/p>\n

Jan 21
\nThinking about \u2018gnosticism\u2019 (2)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism<\/em>, 51-131; 292-313.<\/p>\n

Irenaeus, Adv. haer<\/em>. 1.23.1-5.<\/p>\n

Layton, Gnostic Scriptures<\/em>, 52-64 (Revelation\/Apocalypse of Adam<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Other \u2018revelations\u2019 to\/by Adam (e.g., Jellinek\u2019s \u2018Sefer Noah<\/em>\u2019).<\/p>\n

Theodore bar Konai on the \u2018Audians & on the Manichaeans.<\/p>\n

Jan 28
\nThinking about \u2018gnosticism\u2019 (3)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Layton, Gnostic Scriptures<\/em>, 159-214; 413-44.<\/p>\n

Layton, Gnostic Scriptures<\/em>, 23-51 (Secret Book\/Apocryphon of John<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Layton, Gnostic Scriptures<\/em>, 65-76 (Reality of the Rulers\/Hypostasis of the Archons<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Feb 4
\nThinking about \u2018gnosticism\u2019 (4)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism<\/em>, 145-89.<\/p>\n

Layton, Gnostic Scriptures<\/em>, 217-353.<\/p>\n

Irenaeus, Adv. haer<\/em>. 1.13-22 on the Marcosians.<\/p>\n

John C. Reeves, \u201cSefer Ye\u1e63ira<\/em>\u201d (unpublished text and annotated translation of the so-called \u2018long version\u2019).<\/p>\n

Other exemplars of alphabet mysticism.<\/p>\n

Feb 11
\nA Jewish gnosis?<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gershom G. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism<\/em> (3d rev. ed.; New York: Schocken, 1961), 40-79.<\/p>\n

Gershom G. Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition<\/em> (2d ed.; New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1965), 1-8; 65-74.<\/p>\n

Gershom Scholem, \u201cMerkabah Mysticism,\u201d Encyclopaedia Judaica2<\/sup><\/em> 14:66-67 (access online via Atkins Library catalogue).\u00a0 Also available in idem, Kabbalah<\/em> (Jerusalem: Keter, 1974; repr., New York: Meridian, 1978), 373-76.<\/p>\n

Gershom G. Scholem, \u201cJaldabaoth Reconsidered,\u201d in M\u00e9langes d\u2019histoire des religions offerts \u00e0 Henri-Charles Puech <\/em>(Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1974), 405-21.<\/p>\n

Feb 18
\nA Jewish gnosis? (cont\u2019d)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alexander Altmann, \u201cThe Gnostic Background of the Rabbinic Adam Legends,\u201d Jewish Quarterly Review<\/em> n.s. 35 (1944-45): 371-91.<\/p>\n

Gedaliahu A. G. Stroumsa, Another Seed: Studies in Gnostic Mythology<\/em> (NHS 24; Leiden: Brill, 1984), 1-34; 125-34.<\/p>\n

Joseph Dan, \u201cJewish Gnosticism?\u201d Jewish Studies Quarterly<\/em> 2 (1995): 309-28.<\/p>\n

John C. Reeves, \u201cSefer ha-Bahir<\/em>\u201d (unpublished annotated partial translation of Ms. Munich 209).<\/p>\n

Feb 25
\nA Jewish gnosis? (cont\u2019d)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Philip S. Alexander, \u201cComparing Merkavah Mysticism and Gnosticism: An Essay in Method,\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 35 (1984): 1-18.<\/p>\n

Howard M. Jackson, \u201cThe Origins and Development of Shi\u2018ur Qomah<\/em> Revelation in Jewish Mysticism,\u201d Journal for the Study of Judaism<\/em> 31 (2000): 373-415.<\/p>\n

Ra\u2018anan S. Boustan, \u201cThe Study of Heikhalot Literature: Between Mystical Experience and Textual Artifact,\u201d Currents in Biblical Research<\/em> 6 (2007): 130-60.<\/p>\n

Representative passages from Hekhalot literature.<\/p>\n

March 4<\/p>\n

No class (spring break)<\/p>\n

March 11
\nJewish ditheism?<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segal, Two Powers<\/em>, 3-83.<\/p>\n

Appropriate illustrative texts.<\/p>\n

March 18
\nJewish ditheism? (cont\u2019d)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segal, Two Powers<\/em>, 84-155.<\/p>\n

Appropriate illustrative texts.<\/p>\n

March 25
\nJewish ditheism? (cont\u2019d)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segal, Two Powers<\/em>, 159-205.<\/p>\n

Appropriate illustrative texts.<\/p>\n

Apr 1
\nJewish ditheism? (cont\u2019d)<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segal, Two Powers<\/em>, 205-67.<\/p>\n

Appropriate illustrative texts.<\/p>\n

Apr 8
\nFurther echoes of \u2018two powers\u2019 speculative complexes<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Hayman, \u201cMonotheism \u2013 A Misused Word in Jewish Studies?\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 42 (1991): 1-15.<\/p>\n

Menahem Kister, \u201cSome Early Jewish and Christian Exegetical Problems and the Dynamics of Monotheism,\u201d Journal for the Study of Judaism<\/em> 37 (2006): 548-93.<\/p>\n

Daniel Boyarin, \u201cBeyond Judaisms: Me\u1e6da\u1e6dron and the Divine Polymorphy of Ancient Judaism,\u201d Journal for the Study of Judaism<\/em> 41 (2010): 323-65.<\/p>\n

Appropriate illustrative texts.<\/p>\n

Apr 15
\nThe Mandaean \u2018Problem\u2019<\/p>\n

Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pearson, Ancient Gnosticism<\/em>, 314-32.<\/p>\n

Kurt Rudolph, \u201cProblems of a History of the Development of the Mandaean Religion,\u201d History of Religions<\/em> 8 (1969): 210-35.<\/p>\n

John C. Reeves, \u201cThe Kantaeans, Ba\u1e6d\u1e6dai, the Nerigiyya, and the D\u014dstaeans,\u201d (unpublished, from chapter 2 of Shades of Light and Darkness<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Selected Mandaean texts.<\/p>\n

Apr 22
\nResearch projects and concluding business<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEMPLATE FOR SEMINAR PAPERS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Each seminar paper will have a similar structure.\u00a0 You will first concisely summarize and highlight the primary points or arguments of the secondary sources assigned for each week\u2019s meeting.\u00a0 Then you will (1) identify and briefly assess the implications of these points, arguments, etc. for the postulated existence of a \u2018Jewish gnosticism,\u2019 and\/or (2) discuss how the assigned primary source readings lend support to or undermine their points, arguments, etc.\u00a0 The papers should be no longer than five (5) typed pages (single-spaced is fine) and fall due the beginning of each class (beginning January 14) that is dedicated to a particular theme or work.<\/p>\n

SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR RELS 6615<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Philip S. Alexander, \u201cComparing Merkavah Mysticism and Gnosticism: An Essay in Method,\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 35 (1984): 1-18.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Fall into Knowledge: The Garden of Eden\/Paradise in Gnostic Literature,\u201d in A Walk in the Garden: Biblical, Iconographical and Literary Images of Eden<\/em> (ed. P. Morris and D. Sawyer; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992), 91-104.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cJewish Elements in Gnosticism and Magic c. CE 70-c. CE 270,\u201d in The Cambridge History of Judaism, Volume Three: The Early Roman Period<\/em> (ed. William Horbury, W. D. Davies, and John Sturdy; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 1052-78.<\/p>\n

Alexander Altmann, \u201cThe Gnostic Background of the Rabbinic Adam Legends,\u201d Jewish Quarterly Review<\/em> n.s. 35 (1944-45): 371-91; reprinted in his Essays in Jewish Intellectual History<\/em> (Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1981), 1-16.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cGnostic Motifs in Rabbinic Literature,\u201d in his The Meaning of Jewish Existence: Theological Essays 1930-1939<\/em> (ed. Alfred I. Ivry; Hanover, N.H.: Brandeis University Press, 1991), 117-32.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cA Note on the Rabbinic Doctrine of Creation,\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 6-7 (1955-56): 195-206; reprinted in his Studies in Religious Philosophy and Mysticism<\/em> (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969), 128-39.<\/p>\n

Bernard Barc, \u201cSama\u00e8l \u2013 Saklas \u2013 Yaldaba\u00f4th: Recherche sur la gen\u00e8se d\u2019un mythe gnostique,\u201d in Colloque international sur les texts de Nag Hammadi (Qu\u00e9bec, 22-25 ao\u00fbt 1978)<\/em> (ed. Bernard Barc; Louvain: Peeters, 1981), 123-50.<\/p>\n

David Biale, Gershom Scholem: Kabbalah and Counter-History<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1979).<\/p>\n

Matthew Black, \u201cAn Aramaic Etymology for Jaldabaoth?\u201d in The New Testament and Gnosis: Essays in Honour of Robert McLachlan Wilson<\/em> (ed. A. H. B. Logan and A. J. M. Wedderburn; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1983), 69-72.<\/p>\n

David Brakke, The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2010).<\/p>\n

Roelof van den Broek, Gnostic Religion in Antiquity<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013).<\/p>\n

Adolph B\u00fcchler, \u201cThe Minim of Sepphoris and Tiberias in the Second and Third Centuries,\u201d in his Studies in Jewish History<\/em> (ed. I. Brodie and J. Rabbinowitz; London: Oxford University Press, 1956), 245-74.<\/p>\n

Dylan M. Burns, Apocalypse of the Alien God: Platonism and the Exile of Sethian Gnosticism<\/em> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014).<\/p>\n

Nils A. Dahl, \u201cThe Arrogant Archon and the Lewd Sophia: Jewish Traditions in Gnostic Revolt,\u201d in The Rediscovery of Gnosticism: Proceedings of the International Conference on Gnosticism at Yale \u2026<\/em> (2 vols.; ed. Bentley Layton; Leiden: Brill, 1981), 2:689-712.<\/p>\n

Joseph Dan, Gershom Scholem and the Mystical Dimension of Jewish History<\/em> (New York: New York University Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cJewish Gnosticism?\u201d Jewish Studies Quarterly<\/em> 2 (1995): 309-28; reprinted in his Jewish Mysticism<\/em> (4 vols.; Northvale, N.J.: Jacob Aronson, 1998-99), 1:1-25.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cSamael and the Problem of Jewish Gnosticism,\u201d in Perspectives on Jewish Thought and Mysticism<\/em> (ed. A. L. Ivry; Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998), 257-76.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cSamael, Lilith, and the Concept of Evil in Early Kabbalah,\u201d AJS Review<\/em> 5 (1980): 17-40.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cYaldabaoth and the Language of the Gnostics,\u201d in Geschichte-Tradition-Reflexion: Festschrift f\u00fcr Martin Hengel zum 70. Geburtstag<\/em> (T\u00fcbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1996), 1:557-64.<\/p>\n

Nathaniel Deutsch, The Gnostic Imagination: Gnosticism, Mandaeism, and Merkabah Mysticism<\/em> (Leiden: Brill, 1995).<\/p>\n

______, Guardians of the Gate: Angelic Vice Regency in Late Antiquity<\/em> (Leiden: Brill, 1999).<\/p>\n

Jean Doresse, The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics: An Introduction to the Gnostic Coptic Manuscripts Discovered at Chenoboskion<\/em> (trans. Philip Mairet; New York: Viking Press, 1960).<\/p>\n

Francis T. Fallon, The Enthronement of Sabaoth: Jewish Elements in Gnostic Creation Myths<\/em> (NHS 10; Leiden: Brill, 1978).<\/p>\n

Michael Fishbane, \u201cThe \u2018Measures\u2019 of God\u2019s Glory in the Ancient Midrash,\u201d in Messiah and Christos: Studies in the Jewish Origins of Christianity presented to David Flusser on the Occasion of his Seventy-fifth Birthday<\/em> (ed. Ithamar Gruenwald, Shaul Shaked, and Gedaliahu G. Stroumsa; T\u00fcbingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1992), 53-74.<\/p>\n

Jarl E. Fossum, \u201cGen 1,26 and 2,7 in Judaism, Samaritanism, and Gnosticism,\u201d Journal for the Study of Judaism<\/em> 26 (1985): 202-39.<\/p>\n

______, The Name of God and the Angel of the Lord<\/em> (WUNT 36; T\u00fcbingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1985).<\/p>\n

Moritz Friedl\u00e4nder, Der vorchristliche j\u00fcdische Gnosticismus<\/em> (G\u00f6ttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1898).<\/p>\n

Heinrich Graetz, Gnosticismus und Judenthum<\/em> (Krotoschin: B. L. Monasch, 1846).<\/p>\n

Henry Green, \u201cGnosis and Gnosticism: A Study in Methodology,\u201d Numen<\/em> 24 (1977): 95-134.<\/p>\n

Ithamar Gruenwald, \u201cAspects of the Jewish-Gnostic Controversy,\u201d in his From Apocalypticism to Gnosticism<\/em> (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1988), 221-32.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cJewish Merkavah Mysticism and Gnosis,\u201d in his From Apocalypticism to Gnosticism<\/em> (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1988), 191-205.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cJewish Sources for the Gnostic Texts from Nag Hammadi?\u201d in his From Apocalypticism to Gnosticism<\/em> (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1988), 207-20.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cKnowledge and Vision: Towards a Clarification of Two \u2018Gnostic\u2019 Concepts in the Light of Their Alleged Origins,\u201d Israel<\/em> Oriental Studies<\/em> 3 (1973): 63-107.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Problem of the Anti-Gnostic Polemic in Rabbinic Literature,\u201d in Studies in Gnosticism and Hellenistic Religions presented to Gilles Quispel on the Occasion of his 65th<\/sup> Birthday<\/em> (ed. R. van den Broek and M. J. Vermaseren; Leiden: Brill, 1981), 171-89.<\/p>\n

Peter Hayman, \u201cMonotheism \u2013 A Misused Word in Jewish Studies?\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 42 (1991): 1-15.<\/p>\n

______, Sefer Ye\u1e63ira: Edition, Translation and Text-Critical Commentary<\/em> (TSAJ 104; T\u00fcbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2004).<\/p>\n

Moshe Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives<\/em> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cSubversive Catalysts: Gnosticism and Messianism in Gershom Scholem\u2019s View of Jewish Mysticism,\u201d in The Jewish Past Revisited: Reflections on Modern Jewish Historians<\/em> (ed. David N. Myers and David B. Ruderman; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998), 39-76.<\/p>\n

Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity<\/em> (2d rev. ed.; Boston: Beacon Press, 1963).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cResponse to G. Quispel\u2019s \u2018Gnosticism and the New Testament\u2019,\u201d in The Bible in Modern Scholarship: Papers Read at the 100th<\/sup> Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, December 28-30, 1964<\/em> (ed. J. Philip Hyatt; Nashville: Abingdon, 1965), 279-93.<\/p>\n

Richard Kalmin, \u201cChristians and Heretics in Rabbinic Literature of Late Antiquity,\u201d Harvard Theological Review<\/em> 87 (1994): 155-69.<\/p>\n

Karen L. King, What is Gnosticism?<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003).<\/p>\n

Bentley Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions<\/em> (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1987).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cProlegomena to the Study of Ancient Gnosticism,\u201d in The Social World of the First Christians: Essays in Honor of Wayne A. Meeks<\/em> (ed. L. Michael White and O. Larry Yarbrough; Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1995), 334-50.<\/p>\n

Saul Lieberman, \u201cAppendix: How Much Greek in Jewish Palestine?\u201d reprinted in his Texts and Studies<\/em> (New York: Ktav, 1974), 228-34.<\/p>\n

George W. MacRae, \u201cThe Jewish Background of the Gnostic Sophia Myth,\u201d Novum Testamentum Studies<\/em> 12 (1970): 86-101.<\/p>\n

Arthur Marmorstein, \u201cThe Background of the Haggadah,\u201d Hebrew<\/em> Union College<\/em> Annual<\/em> 6 (1929): 141-204.<\/p>\n

Stuart S. Miller, \u201cThe Minim<\/em> of Sepphoris Reconsidered,\u201d Harvard Theological Review<\/em> 86 (1993): 377-402.<\/p>\n

Sergey Minov, \u201cNoah and the Flood in Gnosticism,\u201d in Michael E. Stone, Aryeh Amihay, and Vered Hillel, eds., Noah and His Book(s)<\/em> (SBLEJL 28; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010), 215-36.<\/p>\n

Birger A. Pearson, \u201cFriedl\u00e4nder Revisited: Alexandrian Judaism and Gnostic Origins,\u201d Studia Philonica Annual<\/em> 2 (1973): 23-39.<\/p>\n

______, Gnosticism, Judaism, and Egyptian Christianity<\/em> (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cJewish Sources in Gnostic Literature,\u201d in Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Sectarian Writings, Philo, Josephus<\/em> (CRINT 2:2; ed. Michael E. Stone; Assen\/Philadelphia: Van Gorcum\/Fortress Press, 1984), 443-81.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cPhilo and Gnosticism,\u201d in ANRW<\/em> II.21.1 (1984), 295-342.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Problem of \u2018Jewish Gnostic\u2019 Literature,\u201d in Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism, & Early Christianity<\/em> (ed. Charles W. Hedrick and Robert Hodgson, Jr.; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1986), 15-35.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cUse, Authority and Exegesis of Mikra in Gnostic Literature,\u201d in Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading and Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity<\/em> (CRINT 2:1; ed. Martin Jan Mulder; Assen\/Philadelphia: Van Gorcum\/Fortress Press, 1988), 635-52.<\/p>\n

Gilles Quispel, \u201cJudaism, Judaic Christianity and Gnosis,\u201d in The New Testament and Gnosis: Essays in Honour of Robert McLachlan Wilson<\/em> (ed. A. H. B. Logan and A. J. M. Wedderburn; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1983), 47-68.<\/p>\n

Tuomas Rasimus, \u201cOphite Gnosticism, Sethianism and the Nag Hammadi Library,\u201d Vigilae Christianae<\/em> 59 (2005): 235-63.<\/p>\n

John C. Reeves, \u201cGnosticism,\u201d in John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow, eds., The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism<\/em> (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 678-81.<\/p>\n

______, Heralds of That Good Realm: Syro-Mesopotamian Gnosis and Jewish Traditions<\/em> (NHMS 41; Leiden: Brill, 1996).<\/p>\n

______, Review of Deutsch, Guardians of the Gate<\/em> \u2026, in Jewish Quarterly Review<\/em> 92 (2002): 628-31.<\/p>\n

Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism<\/em> (trans. Robert McL. Wilson; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cProblems of a History of the Development of the Mandaean Religion,\u201d History of Religions<\/em> 8 (1969): 210-35.<\/p>\n

Peter Sch\u00e4fer, Geniza-Fragmente zur Hekhalot-Literatur<\/em> (TSAJ 6; T\u00fcbingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1984).<\/p>\n

______, The Hidden and Manifest God: Some Major Themes in Early Jewish Mysticism<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

______, Mirror of His Beauty: Feminine Images of God from the Bible to the Early Kabbalah<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002).\u00a0 See esp. pp. 58-146.<\/p>\n

______, Synopse zur Hekhalot-Literatur<\/em> (TSAJ 2; T\u00fcbingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1981).<\/p>\n

Gershom G. Scholem, \u201cJaldabaoth Reconsidered,\u201d in M\u00e9langes d\u2019histoire des religions offerts \u00e0 Henri-Charles Puech<\/em> (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1974), 405-21.<\/p>\n

______, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition<\/em> (2d ed.; New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1965).<\/p>\n

______, Kabbalah<\/em> (Jerusalem: Keter, 1974; repr. New York: Meridian, 1978).<\/p>\n

______, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism<\/em> (3d rev. ed.; New York: Schocken, 1961).<\/p>\n

______, On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism<\/em> (trans. Ralph Manheim; New York: Schocken, 1965).<\/p>\n

______, On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah<\/em> (trans. Joachim Neugroschel; New York: Schocken Books, 1991).<\/p>\n

______, Origins of the Kabbalah<\/em> (trans. Allan Arkush; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

Alan F. Segal, Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism<\/em> (Leiden: Brill, 1977).<\/p>\n

Carl B. Smith, No Longer Jews: The Search for Gnostic Origins<\/em> (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004).<\/p>\n

Gedaliahu A. G. Stroumsa, Another Seed: Studies in Gnostic Mythology<\/em> (NHS 24; Leiden: Brill, 1984).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cGnosis and Judaism in Nineteenth-Century Christian Thought,\u201d Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy<\/em> 2 (1992-93): 45-62.<\/p>\n

Isaiah Tishby, \u201cGnostic Doctrines in Sixteenth Century Jewish Mysticism,\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 6-7 (1955-56): 146-52.<\/p>\n

Karl-Wolfgang Tr\u00f6ger, \u201cThe Attitude of the Gnostic Religion towards Judaism as Viewed in a Variety of Perspectives,\u201d in Colloque international sur les texts de Nag Hammadi (Qu\u00e9bec, 22-25 ao\u00fbt 1978)<\/em> (ed. Bernard Barc; Louvain: Peeters, 1981), 86-98.<\/p>\n

Michael Waldstein, \u201cHans Jonas\u2019 Construct \u2018Gnosticism\u2019: Analysis and Critique,\u201d Journal of Early Christian Studies<\/em> 8 (2002): 341-72.<\/p>\n

Michael A. Williams, Rethinking \u2018Gnosticism\u2019: An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996).<\/p>\n

Robert McL. Wilson, The Gnostic Problem: A Study of the Relations Between Hellenistic Judaism and the Gnostic Heresy<\/em> (London: A. R. Mowbray, 1958).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cJewish \u2018Gnosis\u2019 and Gnostic Origins: A Survey,\u201d Hebrew<\/em> Union College<\/em> Annual<\/em> 45 (1974): 179-89.<\/p>\n

Orval Wintermute, \u201cA Study of Gnostic Exegesis of the Old Testament,\u201d in The Use of the Old Testament in the New and Other Essays: Studies in Honor of William Franklin Stinespring<\/em> (ed. James Efird; Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1972), 241-70.<\/p>\n

Elliot R. Wolfson, \u201cBeyond the Spoken Word: Oral Tradition and Written Transmission in Medieval Jewish Mysticism,\u201d in Transmitting Jewish Traditions: Orality, Textuality, and Cultural Diffusion<\/em> (ed. Yaakov Elman and Israel Gershoni; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000), 166-224.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Tree That is All: Jewish-Christian Roots of a Kabbalistic Symbol in Sefer ha-Bahir<\/em>,\u201d Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy<\/em> 3 (1993): 31-76; reprinted in his Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995), 63-88, 187-223.<\/p>\n

Edwin M. Yamauchi, Pre-Christian Gnosticism: A Survey of the Proposed Evidences<\/em> (2d ed.; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1983).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RELS 6615 Seminar in the Religions of Late Antiquity W 3:30-6:15 Dr. John C. Reeves Macy 204B Office hours: W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00; or by appointment jcreeves@uncc.edu http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/ \u2018A symbol cannot be refuted\u2019\u00a0(\u0641\u0644\u0627 \u0631\u062f\u0651 \u0639\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0645\u0632) \u2014 Suhraward\u012b.\u00a0\u00a0Cited from the introduction \u00a74 of Suhraward\u012b, \u1e24ikmat al-i\u0161r\u0101q; see Henry Corbin, \u0152uvres philosophiques et mystiques de Shihabaddin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":581,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1312","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-la","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1348,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312\/revisions\/1348"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}