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  • From: "David C. Hindley" <DHindley AT compuserve.com>
  • To: corpus-paul
  • Subject: RE: C-P: Paul and Plato
  • Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 17:38:11


Liz, Mark and lurking listers,

Perhaps at this point in the discussion we should turn to some of the
traditional authorities regarding the possible relationship between middle
Platonism and early Christianity?

Birger A. Pearson, in the chapter "Gnosticism as Platonism," of his book
_Gnosticism, Judaism and Egyptian Christianity_ (Minneapolis:Fortress,
1990, pp. 148-164), recommends:

Kurt Rudolph _Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism_ (tr R. McL.
Wilson, Edinburgh:T & T Clark/San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983). Pearson
considers this the most thorough treatment at the time he wrote (1990),
although he thinks Rudolph underestimates the amount of influence middle
Platonism had on Gnostic ideas.

Hans Joachim Kraemer _Der Ursprung der Geistmetaphysik_
(Amsterdam:Schippers, 1964). Kraemer takes the alternative approach: that
the flow of influence was from Gnosticism to middle Platonism, not the
other way around.

John M. Dillon _The Middle Platonists_ (London:Duckworth, 1977). Discusses
similarities between traditions common to Gnostics and Platonists.

In another chapter, Pearson also touches on Philo: Chapter 11 "Philo,
Gnosis, and the new Testament" (pp. 165-182).

Those, who like me, are inclined to separate out levels of redaction in
Paul's letters might also find interesting Ch 8 "Jewish Elements in
Gnosticism and the Development of Gnostic Self Definition" (pp. 124-135),
since I think there is a parallel with Gentile-Christian self definition
which was emerging at about the same time as that of the Gnostics.

Regards,

Dave Hindley
Cleveland, Ohio, USA




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