1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910781412303321

Titolo

Mystery and secrecy in the Nag Hammadi collection and other ancient literature [[electronic resource] ] : ideas and practices : studies for Einar Thomassen at sixty / / edited by Christian H. Bull, Liv Ingeborg Lied and John D. Turner

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden ; ; Boston, : Brill, 2012

ISBN

1-283-34565-X

9786613345653

90-04-21512-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (560 p.)

Collana

Nag Hammadi and Manichaean studies, , 0929-2470 ; ; v. 76

Altri autori (Persone)

ThomassenEinar

BullChristian H

LiedLiv Ingeborg

TurnerJohn D (John Douglas)

Disciplina

229/.9

Soggetti

Gnostic literature - History and criticism

Gnosticism

Manichaeism

Mystery

Secrecy

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

pt. 1. Mystery and secrecy in the Nag Hammadi and related gnostic writings -- pt. 2. Mystery and secrecy in other Christian practices, text traditions, and material culture -- pt. 3. Mystery and secrecy in non-Christian practices, text traditions, and material culture.

Sommario/riassunto

Mystery and secrecy were central concepts in the ritual, rhetoric, and sociological stratification of antique Mediterranean religions. That the ultimate nature and workings of the divine were secret, and either could not or should not be revealed except as a mystery for the initiated, was widely accepted among Pagans, Jews, and then Christians, both Gnostic and otherwise. The similarities and differences in the language of mystery and secrecy across religious and cultural



borders are thus crucial for understanding this important period of the history of religions. The present anthology aims to present and analyze a wide selection of sources elucidating this theme, reflecting the correspondingly wide scholarly interests of Professor Einar Thomassen in honor of his 60th birthday.