عنوان

Esoteric Discourse and the Jerusalem Temple in the Gospel of Philip

Number

LA108328

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Esoteric Discourse and the Jerusalem Temple in the Gospel of Philip

General Material Designation

[Article]

First Statement of Responsibility

Matthew Twigg

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

This article seeks to demonstrate the utility of the concept of "esotericism" for gaining insights into how ancient sources approach matters of identity, ritual, soteriology, and eschatology through discourses of secrecy and revelation. The article takes the Nag Hammadi Gospel of Philip (NHC II, 3) as a case study, analysing how the image of the Jerusalem temple (the heart of Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism) has been adapted for polemical purposes in order to create boundaries between perfect Christians on the one hand, and imperfect Christians and Jews on the other hand. By paying careful attention to how the text uses the language of esotericism, expressed via temple imagery, to rhetorically distinguish between these groups, new light is shed on both its doctrine of transformational soteriology, and how these distinctions are retained eschatologically. In concluding, it is suggested that by placing the concept of "esotericism" at the heart of our analysis, insights regarding the Gospel of Philip's date and provenance are also possible. This article seeks to demonstrate the utility of the concept of "esotericism" for gaining insights into how ancient sources approach matters of identity, ritual, soteriology, and eschatology through discourses of secrecy and revelation. The article takes the Nag Hammadi Gospel of Philip (NHC II, 3) as a case study, analysing how the image of the Jerusalem temple (the heart of Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism) has been adapted for polemical purposes in order to create boundaries between perfect Christians on the one hand, and imperfect Christians and Jews on the other hand. By paying careful attention to how the text uses the language of esotericism, expressed via temple imagery, to rhetorically distinguish between these groups, new light is shed on both its doctrine of transformational soteriology, and how these distinctions are retained eschatologically. In concluding, it is suggested that by placing the concept of "esotericism" at the heart of our analysis, insights regarding the Gospel of Philip's date and provenance are also possible.

Date of Publication

2015

Physical description

47-80

Title

Aries

Volume Number

15/1

International Standard Serial Number

1570-0593

Subject Term

Baptism

Subject Term

Chrismation

Subject Term

Esotericism

Subject Term

Gospel of Philip

Subject Term

Jerusalem Temple

Subject Term

Revelation

Matthew Twigg

Call Number

10.1163/15700593-01501006

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y