A Separate God: The Christian Origins of Gnosticism [Paperback]

Simone Petrement (Author), Carol Harrison (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993

An eminent French scholar examines the fascinating myths and ideas of Gnosticism, discussing all of its doctrines and themes. Petrement's analysis of these and other Gnostic documents constitutes a comprehensive new introduction to the ideas of the Gnostics that sheds fresh light on New Testament studies.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harpercollins (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060664215
• ISBN-13: 978-0060664213
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for those who value the contributions of the Gnostic Christians, March 18, 2007

By 

calmly - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Separate God: The Christian Origins of Gnosticism (Paperback)

Originally published in French in 1984 and in English translation in 1990, this extraordinary work presents a Christian origin for Gnosticism as most likely based on the documents Pretrement had available (which includes the Nag Hammadi texts although she acknowledges that these need further study). The Gospel of Judas would seem to in no way weaken her position.

I am a lay person so it is difficult for me to assess conflicts between Petrement's hypotheses and those of other scholars. Petrement makes many speculations and not infrequently makes assertions on details which I am unable to evaluate the soundness of. However, in the main, she seems to reason well, citing what seems to be good support in Bible texts as well as texts from the Gnostic Christians and heresiologists.

In "Rethinking 'Gnosticism'", Michael Allen Williams does fault Petrement for trying to find a single origin for Gnosticism and for believing that only Paul's work could trigger the development of Gnosticism but he calls "A Separate God" a "learned and truly ambitous book".

Petrement presents Gnosticism as a development within early Christianity (by the 2nd century with "gnosticizing" influences in the 1st century) in an effort to further distinguish New Testament teachings from those of the Old Testament. Hence Gnostic Christians were at the other end of the spectrum from Jewish Christians. Jewish Christians would have regarded even the Pauline and Johanine communities as pagan (Christian) and even more pagan the Gnostic Christians but Petrement places the Gnostic Christians squarely within Christianity in their concerns and self-identity. Jewish Christians favored the Gospel of Matthew, Gnostic Christians favored the Letters of Paul and the Gospel of John. Gnostic Christianity is no more a "pagan reaction" to Christianity than Christianity is a "pagan reaction" to Judaism, although certainly many pagans who became Christians were attracted to Gnostic Christian teachings as the kind of Christianity that spoke to their condition in a way that Jewish Christianity failed to do.

Petrement works with details of available texts but adds her own understanding of what motivated the early Gnostic Christians and how they might have understand their teachings to represent a saving knowledge.

Petrement's investigation becomes so detailed that, at times, I felt in danger of losing the forest for the trees. However, I found many sections helpful such as that on "realized" eschatology and on Apollos (with speculation by Petrement as to whether Apollos may have written the "Gospel of John").

The book is organized into consideration of the general problems of Gnosticism, the questions of "Can the Principal Gnostic 'Myths' be Understood on the Basis of Christianity" and "Can the Principal Characteristics of the Gnostic Doctrines Be Understood on the Basis of Christianity", and "How Gnosticism Could Have Been Formed". Petrement takes issues with claims that the Nag Hammadi texts reveal non-Christian works that suggest Gnosticism had a non-Christian origin. She cites many scholars who differ and explains why she doesn't accept their positions: it doesn't appear she has ignored or glossed over any contrary evidence or hypotheses.

I'd expect that this book belongs in the library of anyone who values the contributions of the Gnostic Christians. At the least, it was not a work I have been able to digest in one reading. It is clear already to me however that Petrement has made sense of the unusual early Gnostic Christian theologies and their possible historical development.

See also A History of Gnosticism

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Separate God, November 11, 2009

By 

javafusion - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Separate God: The Christian Origins of Gnosticism (Hardcover)

Pétrement discusses the principle Gnostic doctrines, including the Two Gods (the Unknown God and the lower Demiurge, or Creator God, which she interprets is a distinction between the God of the Gospel and the God of the Old Testament), the Seven Creator Angels, the Mother, the God Man, the savior/revealer, docetism, Gnostic dualism, and salvation by gnosis. She argues that Gnosticism originated as a dualistic interpretation of the theologies of Paul and John. It is the cross of Christ, which in the Gnostic interpretation separates God from the world, The Transcendent from the Creator, constituting what Pétrement calls A Separate God.

A very interesting book.