Editing Gnosticism (section)

==== Valentinianism ====
{{Main|Valentinianism}}
Valentinianism was named after its founder [[Valentinus (Gnostic)|Valentinus]] ({{Circa|100|180}}), who was a candidate for [[bishop]] of Rome but started his own group when another was chosen.<ref>''Adversus Valentinianos'' 4.</ref> Valentinianism flourished after mid-second century. The school was popular, spreading to Northwest Africa and Egypt, and through to Asia Minor and Syria in the east,{{sfn|Green|1985|p=244}} and Valentinus is specifically named as ''gnostikos'' by Irenaeus. It was an intellectually vibrant tradition,{{sfn|Markschies|2003|p=94}} with an elaborate and philosophically "dense" form of Gnosticism. Valentinus' students elaborated on his teachings and materials, and several varieties of their central myth are known.

Valentinian Gnosticism may have been monistic rather than dualistic.{{refn|group=note|Quotes:<br>* Elaine Pagels: "Valentinian gnosticism [...] differs essentially from dualism";{{sfn|Pagels|1979|p={{page needed|date=January 2024}}}}<br>* Schoedel: "a standard element in the interpretation of Valentinianism and similar forms of Gnosticism is the recognition that they are fundamentally monistic".<ref name="schoedel">{{cite book|last=Schoedel|first=William|title="Gnostic Monism and the Gospel of Truth" in ''The Rediscovery of Gnosticism, Vol.1: The School of Valentinus'', (ed.) Bentley Layton|publisher=E.J. Brill|location=Leiden|year=1980}}</ref>}} In the Valentinian myths, the creation of a flawed materiality is not due to any moral failing on the part of the Demiurge, but due to the fact that he is less perfect than the superior entities from which he emanated.<ref name="val_mon">{{cite web|title=Valentinian Monism|publisher=The Gnostic Society Library|url=http://www.gnosis.org/library/valentinus/Valentinian_Monism.htm|access-date=2009-02-12}}</ref> Valentinians treat physical reality with less contempt than other Gnostic groups, and conceive of materiality not as a separate substance from the divine, but as attributable to an ''error of perception'' which becomes symbolized mythopoetically as the act of material creation.<ref name="val_mon" />

The followers of Valentinus attempted to systematically decode the Epistles, claiming that most Christians made the mistake of reading the Epistles literally rather than allegorically. Valentinians understood the conflict between ''Jews'' and ''Gentiles'' in [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] to be a coded reference to the differences between ''Psychics'' (people who are partly spiritual but have not yet achieved separation from carnality) and ''[[Pneumatic (Gnosticism)|Pneumatics]]'' (totally spiritual people). The Valentinians argued that such codes were intrinsic in Gnosticism, secrecy being important to ensuring proper progression to true inner understanding.{{refn|group=note|Irenaeus describes how the [[Valentinians]] claim to find evidence in [[Ephesians]] for their characteristic belief in the existence of the [[Aeon (Gnosticism)|Æons]] as supernatural beings: "Paul also, they affirm, very clearly and frequently names these Æons, and even goes so far as to preserve their order, when he says, "To all the generations of the Æons of the Æon." (Ephesians 3:21) Nay, we ourselves, when at the giving of thanks we pronounce the words, 'To Æons of Æons' (for ever and ever), do set forth these Æons. And, in fine, wherever the words Æon or Æons occur, they at once refer them to these beings." ''[[On the Detection and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So Called]]'' Book 1. Ch.3}}

According to [[Bentley Layton]] "Classical Gnosticism" and "The School of Thomas" antedated and influenced the development of Valentinus, whom Layton called "the great [Gnostic] reformer" and "the focal point" of Gnostic development. While in Alexandria, where he was born, Valentinus probably would have had contact with the Gnostic teacher [[Basilides]], and may have been influenced by him.{{sfn|Layton|1987}} Simone Petrement, while arguing for a Christian origin of Gnosticism, places Valentinus after Basilides, but before the Sethians. According to Petrement, Valentinus represented a moderation of the anti-Judaism of the earlier Hellenized teachers; the demiurge, widely regarded as a mythological depiction of the Old Testament God of the Hebrews (i.e. [[Jehova]]), is depicted as more ignorant than evil.{{sfn|Petrement|1990}}