Pseudonymity, Gnosis, and the Self in Gnostic Literature
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21249400 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Brakke (The Ohio State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 194-211 |
| Publication date | 2017-07-17 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Gnosis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2451-859X • E-ISSN: 2451-8581 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/2451859x-12340036 |
| OpenAlex | W2736951331 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
Why did Sethian gnostic authors write pseudonymously? In addition to making a claim to authority, gnostic pseudepigraphy, exemplified by The Three Tablets of Seth, was multiple and performative, implying that the self is multiple—a manifestation of selfhood at different levels of a single reality—and that performing one’s self as multiple provides a path to higher knowledge of one’s self and thus of God. That is, gnostic pseudonymity stems from a distinctive understanding of the self and functions as a mystical practice that performs that understanding. The eschewal of pseudonymity in Valentinian literature reflects different conceptions of the self and of the path to gnosis
Art · Epistemology · Literature · Mysticism · Performative utterance · Self · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Computer Science · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Philosophy · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
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