10. Myth, Power, and the Oppressed Church

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Tables ix
4. Preface xi
5. Acknowledgments xiii
6. Introduction 1
7. 1. The School of Valentinus After Gnosticism 14
8. Part I. Myth, Lifestyle, and the World in the Fragments of Valentinus
9. 2. Immortality as a Way of Life 35
10. 3. Adam’s Frank Speech 46
11. 4. Cosmic Sympathy and the Origin of Evil 60
12. Part II. Valentinian Cosmogony, Lifestyle, and Other Christians
13. 5. Myth and Lifestyle for Beginners 77
14. 6. Myth and the Therapy of Emotions 95
15. 7. The Creator-God and the Cosmos 119
16. 8. Walk Like a Valentinian 134
17. 9. Two Classes of Christians in Practice 147
18. Part III. Myth, Society, and Non-Christians
19. 10. Myth, Power, and the Oppressed Church 161
20. 11. Myth and Ethnic Boundaries 174
21. Conclusion 189
22. 12. Valentinian Secretiveness Reconsidered 191
23. Appendix: Remarks on the Sources of Irenaeus’s and Hippolytus’s Accounts of Valentinian Th eology 197
24. Abbreviations 203
25. Notes 207
26. Bibliography 273
27. Index of Modern Authors 289
28. Index of Ancient Sources 295
29. Index of Subjects 303