This book is a new edition and translation of the Nag Hammadi tractate, The Concept of Our Great Power, with introduction and commentary. It suggests that the tractate is composite, and that its basis was a non-Christian Gnostic apocalyptic work whose background may have been Samaritan, and which emanated from a breakaway Simonian group who, unlike other Simonians, believed in celibacy. The tractate later received Christian additions. The last of these may refer to the career of Julian the Apostate.
This is a fresh approach to the interpretation of this puzzling tractate.
Arvustused
'This is an important contribution to ongoing scholarship on the Nag Hammadi "Library".' Birger A. Pearson, Religious Studies Review, 2002.
| Introduction |
|
xi | |
| Abbreviations and Short Titles |
|
lxv | |
| Policies |
|
lix | |
|
|
|
1 | (22) |
|
|
|
23 | (180) |
| Appendix 1: Hippolytus, Refutatio Omnium Haeresium 6.9.3-18.7 (HSim) and 5.9.5-6 (HRef Naas) |
|
203 | (11) |
| Appendix 2: Other Notices of the Simonians and Their Teaching |
|
214 | (18) |
| Appendix 3: The Authenticity of Hippolytus' Simonian Sources |
|
232 | (11) |
| Appendix 4: HSim as a Simonian Source |
|
243 | (3) |
| Appendix 5: Cherix's (1982) Perception of the Organization of GrP |
|
246 | (3) |
| Appendix 6: Non-Sahidic Linguistic Features of Our ``Non-Christian'' and ``Christian Instructions'' |
|
249 | (2) |
| Appendix 7: Analogs of the Simonian Ennoia in Other Literatures |
|
251 | (3) |
| Appendix 8: ``Power'' or ``Great Power'' as a Divine Title |
|
254 | (8) |
| Appendix 9: Samaritan Use of the Term, ``Our Power'' |
|
262 | (2) |
| Works Consulted |
|
264 | (9) |
| Index of Citations |
|
273 | |
Frances E. Williams D.Phil. (1961), Oxford University, is a former instructor in the Religious Studies Program at the University of Texas at El Paso. He is contributor to The Nag Hammadi Library in English (Brill, 1988) and has published translations of The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book (Brill, 1987) and The Panarion, Books II and III (Brill, 1994).
