Among the most enigmatic and influential currents of early Christian thought, Gnosticism emerged as a kaleidoscopic synthesis of myth, mysticism, and metaphysical speculation. Its literature—mysterious, visionary, and often fragmentary—offers glimpses into the soul of a movement that sought salvation through secret knowledge and cosmic insight. This chapter compiles the vast and complex literary heritage that preserves the voice, refutations, and shadows of Gnostic teaching.
Sources
I. Gnostic Texts
Foremost among extant Gnostic writings is the Pistis Sophia, a Valentinian composition from the mid-third century. Edited from a Coptic codex by M. G. Schwartze and J. H. Petermann (Berlin, 1851), it recounts the cosmic drama of Sophia’s fall, repentance, and redemption—central themes in the mythopoeic theology of Valentinianism. Köstlin’s analysis (Tübingen, 1854) remains indispensable for contextual study.
The Apocryphal Gospels, Acts, and Apocalypses often emerged from Gnostic milieus. Notable among them are the Acts of Thomas—beloved by the Gnostics—as well as narratives of John, Peter, Paul, Philip, Matthew, Andrew, and Paul and Thecla. Though some were later redacted by Catholic hands, these works functioned as sacred romances and moral fables within the early church’s popular devotional life. Major collections and critical editions have been assembled by Fabricius, Thilo, Tischendorf, Max Bonnet, D. W. Wright, G. Phillips, S. C. Malan, Zahn, and most notably, R. A. Lipsius in his two-volume Die Apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostelligenden (Braunschweig, 1883).
II. Patristic Witnesses
Much of what we know about lost Gnostic writings survives through patristic refutations. Chief among these is Irenaeus’s Adversus Haereses, the most complete and incisive critique of Valentinian Gnosticism. Hippolytus’s Refutatio Omnium Haeresium (Philosophumena), edited by Duncker and Schneidewin (Göttingen, 1859), draws both from Irenaeus and from original Gnostic texts now lost.
Tertullian’s arsenal against heresy includes De Praescriptione Haereticorum, Adversus Valentinianos, Scorpiace, and most notably Adversus Marcionem, our primary source for the doctrines of Marcion. Clement of Alexandria’s Stromata and Origen’s Commentary on John yield valuable insights, including quotations from Heracleon, a prominent Valentinian exegete. Epiphanius’s Panarion, though fiercely polemical, preserves a trove of information. Eusebius and Theodoret contribute further historical and doctrinal references. For a curated compilation of these anti-heretical texts, Fr. Oehler’s five-volume Corpus Haereseologicum (Berlin, 1856–61) is invaluable.
III. Pagan Philosophical Critique
Among pagan sources, the Neo-Platonist Plotinus provides a trenchant critique of Gnostic cosmology in his treatise Against the Gnostics (Ennead II.9). His philosophical opposition underscores the metaphysical tensions between emergent Christian Gnosticism and Platonic orthodoxy.
Critical Studies
Among the most rigorous modern inquiries into Gnostic literature and its reception are the following:
- R. A. Lipsius’s dual studies on the sources used by Epiphanius (Vienna, 1865) and the earliest heresiological traditions (Leipzig, 1875).
- Adolf Harnack’s Zur Quellen-Kritik der Geschichte des Gnosticismus (Leipzig, 1873) and subsequent articles in Brieger’s journal (1876).
- Hilgenfeld’s contributions in his Ketzergeschichte, pp. 1–83.
Additional foundational works include:
- Massuet’s dissertation on the Gnostics, prefixed to his edition of Irenaeus and reprinted in Stieren’s edition (vol. II, pp. 54–180).
- Mosheim’s Commentarius de Rebus ante Constantinum Magnum, pp. 333 sqq.
- Neander’s groundbreaking Genetische Entwicklung der gnostischen Systeme (Berlin, 1818), with a more mature discussion in his Church History.
- Jacques Matter’s extensive three-volume Histoire critique du Gnosticisme (Strasbourg and Paris, 1844).
- Burton’s Bampton Lectures (Oxford, 1830), and Möhler’s Catholic perspective in Der Ursprung des Gnosticismus (Tübingen, 1831).
- Baur’s magisterial Die christliche Gnosis (Tübingen, 1835), a sweeping philosophical analysis spanning ancient and modern idealism.
- And others: Norton (Boston, 1845); H. Rossel (1847); Thiersch (Erlangen, 1845); Lipsius (1860); Möller’s cosmological inquiries (Halle, 1860); C. W. King’s illustrated Gnostics and Their Remains (London, 1864); Mansel’s Gnostic Heresies edited posthumously by Lightfoot (London, 1875); Lightfoot’s own Excursus on the Colossian Heresy (pp. 73–113).
- Renan’s eloquent survey in L’Église chrétienne (Paris, 1879), especially chapters IX, X, and XVIII.
- J. L. Jacobi’s thorough entry on Gnosis in Herzog’s revised encyclopedia (1879), echoed in Schaff’s Religious Encyclopedia (1882).
- G. Salmon in Smith and Wace (vol. II, 678–687).
- G. Koffmane’s brief but insightful thesis, Die Gnosis nach ihrer Tendenz und Organisation (Breslau, 1881).
- Adolf Hilgenfeld’s latest synthesis, Die Ketzergeschichte des Urchristenthums (Leipzig, 1884, pp. 162 sqq.).
This remarkable body of primary and secondary sources forms the intellectual scaffolding upon which the modern study of Gnosticism rests. For individual Gnostic teachers and sects, monographs abound and are treated in later sections.
