Religious Studies 3000
Introduction to Gnostic Literature
Dr. John C. Reeves
108A Macy
Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00; or by appointment

Course description: This course provides an introductory survey of certain types of esoteric religious literature, particularly the literature generated by and about various so-called "gnostic" sects that flourished during late antiquity and the early medieval era under Roman, Byzantine, and Islamicate rule. After some initial orientation regarding the definition of "gnostic" and a cross-cultural, phenomenological analysis of "gnostic" ideological systems, the bulk of the course shall concentrate upon a close reading and discussion of a variety of "gnostic" literary remains, including (but not necessarily limited to) portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls, reports from Christian church Fathers, the Nag Hammadi gnostic "library," Greco-Roman hermetic papyri, Manichaean writings and testimonia, and Jewish esoterica (including some Kabbalah). Should time permit, we shall also examine survivals of classical gnostic motifs within certain radical Muslim groups.

Texts:

Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983)
The Nag Hammadi Library in English (3d ed.; ed. James M. Robinson; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988)
Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York: Vintage, 1981)

It is furthermore recommended that the student have access to a complete "Christian Bible"; i.e., one that includes the so-called "Old Testament," the so-called "New Testament," and the Apocrypha. Supplementary readings, etc. will be assigned or distributed by the instructor as needed.

Course requirements:

a. Three (3) 1-hour written examinations, each of which shall comprise 20% of the final grade. Exam #1 will occur on Friday, September 30; Exam #2 on Friday, November 4; and Exam #3 on Monday, December 5. These exams are largely subjective in format, and will draw equally upon assigned readings and class presentation for their content. Exams #2 and #3 may feature textual identification and/or analysis.

b. Two (2) concise reflective papers, each approximately five to eight (5-8) pages in length, each worth 20% of the final grade. Paper #1 shall feature your informed evaluation of and reaction to Elaine Pagel's The Gnostic Gospels. Paper #2 shall consist of your learned assessment of the possible intellectual background of one particular gnostic text, movement, or ideology. Special descriptive handouts enclosed herein outline these assignments. These papers will be due Friday, October 21, and Monday, November 28, respectively.

c. Informed participation in class discussions, presentations, analyses, etc. Specific assignments will sometimes be announced in class, and students are expected to contribute to the public analysis and discussion of any assigned topic. Mastery of the assigned readings and diligent class attendance are necessary prerequisites for the successful completion of this course. Each student is responsible for all lectures, class discussions, assignments, handouts, and announcements, whether or not he/she is present when they occur.

Miscellaneous information:

a. The grading scale used in this course is as follows: 91-100 A; 81-90 B; 71-80 C; 61-70 D; and 0-60 F.

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 -- an illness or other emergency. "Emergency," 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. The world has been in a mess as long as anyone can remember, and most of the world's work is done by people whose lives are a mass of futility and discontent. If you haven't learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is. Therefore:

1) All examinations will take place only upon their announced dates and times. In other words (and please note well!), there will be NO MAKEUP EXAMS scheduled. All missed exams and unsubmitted papers will be averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade. No exceptions will be considered or granted. Students who fail to use "blue-books" when taking exams will have their exam penalized 5 points.

2) The student may elect to "drop" one (1) of the previous exam scores (presumably the lowest). If this option is exercised, the student must sit for a comprehensive final examination at the time and date officially decreed by the administration for the relevant class section. The score of this "final exam" will then replace the earlier exam grade for the purposes of course evaluation. Students who are satisfied with their semester's work are not obligated to sit for this exam.

3) All papers are due on the dates scheduled. Late papers will bear the following penalties: one day late/one letter grade; two days late/two letter grades; three or more days late/F. Please note: these are calendar days, not class meeting days. For accounting purposes, the following equivalencies are used: A=95; B=85; C=75; D=65; F=30. An untyped paper automatically receives the grade F, as do those typed papers which the instructor deems physically unacceptable and/or grammatically incomprehensible.

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.

ROUGH COURSE OUTLINE

1. A terminological introduction (Rudolph 53-59; Pagels 'Introduction')

2. A historical introduction (Rudolph 275-94; Robinson 1-26; Pagels)

3. Sources for reconstructing gnostic movements (Rudolph 1-52; Pagels)

EXAM #1

4. The gnostic mythos (Rudolph 53-272)
a. the Pleroma
b. the Maiden of Light
c. the ignorant Demiurge
d. the Anthropos
e. soteriology
f. eschatology

EXAM #2

5. Types of gnosis, historically attested
a. Precursors? Dead Sea Scrolls, Simonian systems, etc. (Rudolph 294-317)
b. Sethian gnosticism (Rudolph index)
c. Valentinus and his school (Rudolph 317-25)
d. Egyptian gnosticism -- the Hermetica (Rudolph index)
e. Mesopotamian gnosticism:
1. Hymn of the Pearl
2. Mani and Manichaeism (Rudolph 326-42)
3. Mandaeism (Rudolph 343-66)
f. Jewish gnosticism

EXAM #3

GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF PAPER #1

When Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels was first published in 1979, neither she nor the world of academic biblical scholarship were seriously expecting the furious flurry of events that ensued. The book rocketed onto the New York Times "Best Seller" list, and remained there for many weeks, defying the unwritten law that scholarly works, particularly those that treated obscure religious topics, possessed little appeal for the general educated reader. The book received prominent coverage in the popular news media (AP wire reports, Time, Newsweek, et al.), and Pagels herself became an instant media "star" -- she was quoted and interviewed repeatedly in print, radio, and television format.

Your task, now that you have carefully read and reflected upon Pagels' work, is to set forth the reasons why this book provoked the passionate reactions (both positive and negative) that it did. After briefly summarizing her discussions and arguments with regard to such topics as the gender of God, the various understandings of the "resurrection" of Jesus, the notion of the "church," the rise of authority, and the nature of gnosis, discuss how and why her conclusions generated such intense interest among the reading public. Did you learn anything exciting? Intriguing? Something that made you mad? How do you react to Pagels' work? Are their weak points in her arguments? Or has she proved her points?

1. Length of paper: Five to eight (5-8) pages of text, typed and double-spaced, with legible print. Papers violating these parameters automatically receive the grade F.

2. Due date: The paper will be handed in during class on Friday, October 21.

3. Trouble: Should questions or problems arise during the preparation of the paper, do not hesitate to consult the instructor.

GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF PAPER #2

The intellectual and cultural background of gnostic religiosity has exercised scholarly imagination since the days of the early church Fathers. Of course they (as we have seen) solve this problem of origin by simply ascribing it to the demonic wiles of "the Devil"; we, as serious students of the history of religions, cannot accept this appeal to mythology as a meaningful explanation of the gnostic world-view. What historians of religion can do is to study carefully the material remains of the various gnostic systems, which are largely textual in nature, in order to uncover clues regarding the possible "springs from whence they have quaffed." Candidates for such sources include the Bible, Jewish and/or Christian extracanonical expansions of the same, Greek philosophy, Zoroastrian legends, ancient Near Eastern mythological motifs, and even Far Eastern, primarily Buddhist, concepts.

After choosing a particular mytheme, or an entire text, or even a group of related texts, preferably one which we have not treated in class, prepare a concise reflective essay that analyzes the intellectual and cultural background of your chosen piece. Pay special attention to the literary form adopted by the author(s) of your piece, the kinds of characters that are featured as actors, speakers, listeners, etc. in the narrative, and to the issues that lurk beneath the surface of the text. Can you offer any pointed, supportable suggestions regarding the origin and use of your piece, or at least portions of your piece?

1. Length of paper: Five to eight (5-8) pages of text, typed and double-spaced, with legible print. Papers violating these parameters automatically receive the grade F.

2. Due date: The paper will be handed in during class on Monday, November 28.