Voluntary Martyrdom and Gnosticism

Building on the recent surge of interest in early Christian martyrdom, especially with regard to voluntary martyrdom and social rhetorical processes, this article challenges the traditional view that Gnostics opposed martyrdom. A close analysis of the primary texts results in a more nuanced presenta...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tite, Philip L. 1969- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press [2015]
In: Journal of early Christian studies
Year: 2015, Volume: 23, Issue: 1, Pages: 27-54
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Gnosis / Nag Hammadi Texts / Martyr / Voluntariness
IxTheo Classification:BF Gnosticism
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:Building on the recent surge of interest in early Christian martyrdom, especially with regard to voluntary martyrdom and social rhetorical processes, this article challenges the traditional view that Gnostics opposed martyrdom. A close analysis of the primary texts results in a more nuanced presentation of martyrdom in the late second and third centuries. While some early Christians may indeed have opposed martyrdom, it is far too simplistic to make such totalizing claims about Gnostic Christianity. This article argues that the debates over volunteerism are embedded within the rhetorical discourse of these texts.
ISSN:1086-3184
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of early Christian studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/earl.2015.0013