VALENTINUS

văləntēˈnəs, fl. c.135–c.160, founder of the Valentinians, the most celebrated of the Gnostic sects (see Gnosticism) of the 2d cent. The little that is known of his life is found in the works of early Christian theologians who refuted him, such as St. Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. Probably born in Egypt, Valentinus received his education in Alexandria and after c.135 taught in Rome, where he attracted brilliant converts. Valentinus viewed ultimate reality as a procession of aeons, 33 in all, issuing in pairs from the primal aeons, abyss and silence. From these came mind and truth, in turn engendering word (logos) and life. The thirtieth aeon, Sophia, by her inordinate desire to penetrate the abyss, caused great disorder within the pleroma (divine realm). Her passion was banished to a formless existence outside the pleroma. It is for the restoration of order and the salvation of the progeny issuing from the expelled passion that the last three aeons are produced—Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Savior, who is the "common fruit" of the pleroma. Ruler of the outcast world is the proud Demiurge, identified with the deity of the Old Testament, who created the forms of life by which man is ensnared. Jesus appears in the world to reveal the knowledge (gnosis) that will restore man to the divine order. Valentinus wrote letters, homilies, and psalms, of which fragments survive. The recently discovered Coptic manuscript "Gospel of Truth" may be by Valentinus.

See J. Doresse, The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics (tr. 1960); K. Grobel, The Gospel of Truth (1960); K. Rudolph, Gnosis (1982); B. Walker, Gnosticism (1986).

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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Questia Books and Articles on: Valentinus
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books on: Valentinus  - 506 results

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1.
The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church
Book by Charles E. Hill; Oxford University Press, 2004
Subjects: Bible--N.T--John--Criticism, Interpretation, Etc--History--Early Church, Ca. 30-600, Church History--2nd Century
...of John. 22 While he does mention Valentinus, Ptolemy, and Heracleon, Barrett is...showed how the innovative followers of Valentinus had tortured the text of the Fourth...any evidence that by about 140, when Valentinus arrived in Rome, the Johannine Gospel...
2.
The Gospel of Truth, a Valentinian Meditation on the Gospel
Book by Kendrick Grobel; Abingdon Press, 1960
Subjects: Valentinians
...say something of the remarkable man Valentinus. Born in northern Egypt ca . A.D...testimony that goes far toward justifying Valentinus episcopal aspirations. "Because both...at least speculate that if Ignatius, Valentinus, and Justin Martyr had been equally...
3.
The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 - Vol. 1
Book by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson; Christian Literature Publishing, 1885
Subjects: Christian Literature, Early, Christian Literature, Early--Bibliography
4.
Rethinking "Gnosticism": An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category
Book by Michael Allen Williams; Princeton University Press, 1996
Subjects: Gnosticism, Rome--Religion
...haereses, Against Heresies. 13 Valentinus himself was a Christian teacher from...times, 14 the precise nature of Valentinus's own teaching is actually a matter...primarily based on the teachings of one of Valentinus's students, Ptolemy, whose doctrine...
5.
The Birth of the Christian Religion
Book by Alfred Loisy, L. P. Jacks; George Allen & Unwin, 1948
Subjects: Church History--Primitive And Early Church, Ca. 30-600
...that of Marcion. Like the Gospels of Valentinus and of Marcion, it was written for...we know little more than the name. Valentinus appears to have put it out as derived...Roman, who had already repudiated Valentinus and Marcion, made up their minds to...
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journal articles on: Valentinus  - 15 results

       More journal Results: 1-10 11-15 >>  
 
1.
Valentinus et Nomina: Saussure, Plato, and Signification
Journal article by Rondo Keele; Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics, 2004
Subjects: Names--Criticism and interpretation, Philosophy--Criticism and interpretation, Valentinus--Criticism and interpretation
Valentinus et Nomina: Saussure, Plato, and Signification. by Rondo Keele The mythology of Valentinus, the Christian Gnostic, is replete with the fascinating...with Saussures principle of the arbitrariness of signs. Valentinus, in complete contradiction to this principle, presupposes...
2.
Gnostic Paranola in Proyas's Dark City
Journal article by Eric G. Wilson; Literature/Film Quarterly, Vol. 34, 2006
Subjects: Drama, Motion picture criticism, Psychology
...Valentinian dispensation. According to Valentinus, the visible cosmos is the product of...Dark City, Proyass Strangers resemble Valentinuss misled eternals while John Murdoch is...wakefulness, and image and observer. Valentinuss Gnostic vision penetrates to the bewildering...
3.
The Secret History of Hermes Trismegistus: Hermeticism from Ancient to Modern Times
Journal article by Christopher I. Lehrich; Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 61, 2008
Subjects: Books--Book reviews, The Secret History of Hermes Trismegistus: Hermeticism from Ancient to Modern Times (Book)--Book reviews
...religious Hermeticism," encountering Sebastian Franck, Philippe de Mornay, and the Occulta Philosophia attributed to Basilius Valentinus. The balance between coverage and close reading is perhaps indicated by the fact that the whole chapter is thirty-two pages...
4.
Not Before Homosexuality: The Materiality of the Cinaedus and the Roman Law Against Love Between Men
Journal article by Amy Richlin; Journal of the History of Sexuality, Vol. 3, 1993
Subjects: Sex Customs--History, Sexology
...such as the boy who teases Martial to get a better price (11.58.1-4). 34 Thus the story goes that the poet Valerius Valentinus lost his court case when his opponent read out a poem in which Valerius jokingly had claimed to have seduced a free boy...
5.
On Translating the Divine Name
Journal article by David S. Cunningham; Theological Studies, Vol. 56, 1995
Subjects: God--Names, Names--Translations and translating, Translating and interpreting--Analysis
...cultured despisers in ways that make them sound no more enamored of the fleshly material "stuff" of human existence than were Valentinus and Basilides. One such despiser is Robinson himself, who sees Augustine and Luther as having altogether suppressed the corporality...
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magazine articles on: Valentinus  - 8 results

       More magazine Results: 1-8 >>  
 
1.
From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries
Magazine article by Robert M. Grant; The Christian Century, Vol. 121, May 18, 2004
Subjects: Books--Book reviews, From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries (Book)--Book reviews
From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries. by Robert M. Grant From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries. By Peter Lampe. Fortress, 525 pp., $42.00. PETER LAMPE, professor...
2.
Time Travelers
Magazine article by Joseph Schickel; Commonweal, Vol. 122, June 2, 1995
Subjects: Choral singing--Appreciation, Churches, Catholic--Austria, Kiedrich, Austria--Churches, mosques, synagogues, etc.
...Rhine valley, an ancient village with a glorious church, Saint Valentinus, dating back to the fifteenth century, with an enclosing wall...Saint Michael Chapel. This evenings concert will be in Saint Valentinus. The nonsingers, looking a bit lost, hang out around the...
3.
While We're at It
Magazine article by Richard Neuhaus; First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, February 2004
Subjects: Bush, George W.--Social policy, Catholic Church--Government, Catholics, Catholics--Political activity, Christianity, Christianity--Humor and anecdotes, Editors, Editors--Appreciation, Episcopal Church--Social policy, Feminism, Feminism--Religious aspects, Gay clergy, Gay clergy--Laws, regulations and rules, Human rights, Human rights--International aspects, Interfaith relations, Islam, Islam and politics, Islam and politics--Social policy, Islam--Social policy, Lutheran Church--Management, Marriage, Marriage--Laws, regulations and rules, Multiculturalism, Multiculturalism--Religious aspects, Religion, Religion--Social aspects, Roman Catholics--Political activity, Same-sex marriage, Same-sex marriage--Laws, regulations and rules, Scholars, Scholars--Appreciation, United States--Religious aspects, Updike, John--Criticism and interpretation, War, War--Religious aspects, Wars--Religious aspects
...the true self. It is a heroic and perilous journey of self-discovery which would be familiar to a first-century Gnostic like Valentinus. That the means of liberation is sexual practice is even a familiar theme. Some ancient Gnostics were ascetic but others counseled...
4.
A New Gnosticism: An Old Threat to the Church
Magazine article by Luke Timothy Johnson; Commonweal, Vol. 131, November 5, 2004
Subjects: Church management--Forecasts and trends, Gnosticism--History, Gnosticism--Religious aspects
...is always material. In a very real sense, Gnosticism was an argument for spirituality over religion. Gnostic teachers like Valentinus and Ptolemy were successful in purveying this vision through a variety of literary works. Perhaps even more significant, they...
5.
Ancient Science and Early Christianity
Magazine article by Richard G. Olson; World and I, Vol. 15, September 2000
Subjects: Religion and science--History, Religion and science--History of controversy
...form we know it today; and the first great Christian school developed. Alexandria was also the place where Gnostic teachers Valentinus and Basilides taught during the second century, as Christian doctrine was being consolidated. To promote their new religion...
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newspaper articles on: Valentinus  - 5 results

 
 
1.
Happy Valentine's Day
Newspaper article; Manila Bulletin, February 14, 2007
...the saint whose feast is celebrated on the day now known as St. Valentines Day was possibly one of three martyred men named Valentinus who lived in the late third century, during the reign of Emperor Claudius II (died 270). Saint Valentine was believed to be...
2.
YourLife: We; ROMANCE: If You're Stuck for Ideas as to What to Buy Your
Newspaper article; Coventry Evening Telegraph (England), February 6, 2006
...There is much debate on the issue and today the Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus who were martyred. What is beyond doubt is that in ancient Rome February 14 was a holiday to honour Juno, the Queen of the...
3.
YourLife: We Valentine's Day; ROMANCE: If You're Stuck for Ideas as to What to Buy Your Loved One on the Most Romantic Day of the Year, Then Worry Not - Here Are Some Ideas Sure to Be a Hit
Newspaper article; Coventry Evening Telegraph (England), February 6, 2006
...There is much debate on the issue and today the Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus who were martyred. What is beyond doubt is that in ancient Rome February 14 was a holiday to honour Juno, the Queen of the...
4.
Cupid's Arrow Misses World; St. Valentine's Day Festivities Banned by Hard-Liners in Some Nations
Newspaper article; The Washington Times, February 14, 2004
...the religious origins of St. Valentines Day are often lost amid its commercial hubbub, many scholars trace the day to Roman Valentinus, a Catholic priest beheaded in the year 270 for marrying couples despite a decree from Emperor Claudius outlawing marriage...
5.
Millions Find Romance on Valentine's Day
Newspaper article; Manila Bulletin, February 14, 2007
...Although history is not clear about how Valentines Day began, the Catholic church recognizes several saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom suffered martyrdom. One of them was a priest who defied an order from Emperor Claudius II in the third century...


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encyclopedia articles on: Valentinus  - 3 results

 
 
1.
Valentinus
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
VALENTINUS val nte n s, fl. c.135 c.160, founder of the Valentinians...Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. Probably born in Egypt, Valentinus received his education in Alexandria and after c.135 taught in Rome, where he attracted brilliant converts. Valentinus viewed ultimate reality as a procession of aeons, 33...
2.
Gnosticism
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...cent. the largest of them, organized by Valentinus and Basilides , were a significant...and the Gospel of Truth (perhaps by Valentinus himself). Important too is the literature...them to their heavenly abode. See Valentinus for typical Gnostic teaching on the...
3.
Antimony
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...countries as an eye cosmetic. A method for the extraction of antimony from stibnite was first described c.1600 by Basilius Valentinus. Although known to the ancients, the element was first adequately described by Nicolas Lemery in 1707...


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