Valentinianism

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Valentinianism was a religious doctrine named after Valentinius, a Roman theologian who lived circa 2nd century. This doctrine spread rather fast after Valentinus' death.

Valentinianism was one of the major gnostic movements. It enjoyed a widespread following throughout the Roman world and provoked volume upon volume of writings by Catholic heresiologists.

Early Christianity is viewed by many modern scholars as a most fluid entity, which encapsulated many apparently contradictory movements and core beliefs of the period; what we would now call orthodox Christianity is a synthesis of some of these beliefs, just one among many differing Christian movements. The notion of a central orthodoxy from which 'Gnosticism' - or any other 'heresy' - deviated, is considered an improper approach by many of these same scholars. The original meaning of 'heresy' - denoting 'those who have made a choice'^{[citation needed]} - possessed no derogatory or negative connotations common in the modern sense: it was purely adjectival. It quickly gained these negative connotations however, from the many derogatory words and phrases that were applied to heretics. Furthermore, in the particular case of the Gnostics, the common view is, once again according to some modern scholars, all too dependent on representations of the movement observed from the point of view of its detractors. This is chiefly because most of the writings we have available are in quotations from their detractors, leaving little alternative other than speculation.

Though the Valentinians were considered heretics, they saw themselves foremost as Christians, albeit spiritually advanced ones. It was not uncommon, therefore, for them to attend services with Christians at-large, suplementing these with meetings reserved for initiates. This disturbed greatly writers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian, who considered the Valentinians "wolves in sheep's clothing."

Notable Valentinians included Heracleon, Ptolemy, Florinus, and Axionicus.

[edit] External links

Valentinus and the Valentinian Tradition - an extremely comprehensive collection of material on Valentinian mythology, theology and tradition (from the Gnosis Archive website).
Valentinus - A Gnostic for All Seasons Excellent introductory essay by Stephan A. Hoeller (from the Gnosis Archive website).