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Description of  Philo's Influence on Valentinian Tradition

1628375752 pdf In this book Risto Auvinen reevalutes the relationship between the exegetical and philosophical traditions found in the works of Philo and those of the Valentinian gnostic tradition, with a particular focus on the latter half of the second century, Valentinianisms formative years. Texts examined include fragments of Valentinus, Heracleon, and Ptolemys Letter to Flora, in addition to the Valentinian source included in the Excerpta ex Theodoto by Clement of Alexandria and related sections in Irenaeuss Adversus haereses. Auvinen asserts that the number of parallels with Philo in the Valentinian sources increases the likelihood that there was a historical relationship between Philos writings and Valentinian teachers. These connections expand our knowledge not only of the preservation and circulation of Philos texts in the latter part of the second century but also of the importance of the allegorical traditions of Hellenistic Judaism on Valentinuss school of thought and on Gnosticism more broadly. Read more