Editing Gnosticism (section)

==Sources==

===Heresiologists===
Prior to the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library in 1945 Gnosticism was known primarily through the works of [[heresiologist]]s, [[Church Fathers]] who opposed those movements. These writings had an antagonistic bias against Gnostic teachings, and were incomplete. Several heresiological writers, such as Hippolytus, made little effort to exactly record the nature of the [[sect]]s they reported on, or transcribe their sacred texts. Reconstructions of incomplete Gnostic texts were attempted in modern times, but research on Gnosticism was coloured by the orthodox views of those heresiologists.

[[Justin Martyr]] ({{Circa|100/114|162/168}}) wrote the ''[[First Apology]]'', addressed to [[Roman emperor]] [[Antoninus Pius]], which criticised [[Simon Magus]], [[Menander (gnostic)|Menander]] and [[Marcion]]. Since then, both Simon and Menander have been considered as 'proto-Gnostic'.{{sfn|Markschies|2003|p=37}} [[Irenaeus]] (died {{Circa|202|lk=no}}) wrote ''[[On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis|Against Heresies]]'' ({{Circa|180–185|lk=no}}), which identifies [[Simon Magus]] from [[Flavia Neapolis]] in [[Samaria]] as the inceptor of Gnosticism. Irenaeus charted an apparent spread of the teachings of Simon through the ancient "knowers" into the teachings of Valentinus and other contemporaneous Gnostic sects.{{refn|group=note|This understanding of the transmission of Gnostic ideas, despite Irenaeus' certain antagonistic bias, is often utilized today, though it has been criticized.}} [[Hippolytus (writer)|Hippolytus]] (170–235) wrote the ten-volume ''[[Refutatio Omnium Haeresium|Refutation Against all Heresies]]'', of which eight have been found. It also focuses on the connection between pre-Socratic ideas and the false beliefs of early Gnostic leaders. Thirty-three of the groups he reported on are considered Gnostic by modern scholars, including 'the foreigners' and 'the [[Seth]] people'. Hippolytus further presents individual teachers such as Simon, [[Valentinus (Gnostic)|Valentinus]], Secundus, [[Ptolemy (gnostic)|Ptolemy]], [[Heracleon]], [[Marcus (Marcosian)|Marcus]] and [[Colorbasus]]. [[Tertullian]] ({{Circa|155|230|lk=no}}) from [[Carthage]] wrote ''Adversus Valentinianos'' ('Against the Valentinians'), c.{{nbsp}}206, and five books around 207–208 chronicling and refuting the teachings of [[Marcion]].

===Gnostic texts===
{{See also|Gnostic texts|Nag Hammadi library}}
Prior to the discovery at Nag Hammadi, a limited number of texts were available to students of Gnosticism. Reconstructions were attempted from the records of the heresiologists, but these were necessarily coloured by the motivation behind the source accounts. The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of mostly [[Gnostic texts]] discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Upper Egypt. Twelve leather-bound [[papyrus]] [[codex|codices]] buried in a sealed jar were found by a local farmer named Muhammed al-Samman.<ref>[[Marvin Meyer]] and [[James M. Robinson]], ''The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition''. HarperOne, 2007. pp. 2–3. {{ISBN|0-06-052378-6}}</ref> The writings in these codices comprised fifty-two mostly Gnostic [[treatise]]s, but they also include three works belonging to the ''[[Hermetica|Corpus Hermeticum]]'' and a partial translation/alteration of Plato's ''Republic''. These codices may have belonged to a nearby [[Pachomian monastery]], and buried after [[Athanasius|Bishop Athanasius]] condemned the use of [[Biblical canon|non-canonical]] books in his [[Easter letter|Festal Letter of 367]].{{sfn|Robinson|1978|loc=Introduction}} Though the original language of composition was probably [[Greek language|Greek]], the various codices contained in the collection were written in [[Coptic language|Coptic]]. A 1st- or 2nd-century date of composition for the lost Greek originals has been proposed, though this is disputed; the manuscripts themselves date from the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Nag Hammadi texts demonstrated the fluidity of early Christian scripture and early Christianity itself.{{refn|group=note|According to Layton, "the lack of uniformity in ancient Christian scripture in the early period is very striking, and it points to the substantial diversity within the Christian religion."{{sfn|Layton|1987|p=xviii}} }}