The Books of Jeu and the Pistis Sophia as Handbooks to Eternity: Exploring the Gnostic Mysteries of the Ineffable (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9789004284463)

Despite the surge of interest in Gnostic texts following the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library, the Coptic Books of Jeu and Pistis Sophia remain understudied. Often dismissed as convoluted, confused, and repetitious, Erin Evans convincingly shows that these texts represent the writings of a distinct religious group with a consistent system of theology, cosmology, and ritual practice. This book offers an in-depth examination of these texts, their relationship to other contemporary Gnostic ideas, and their use in the context of a practicing religious group. Three thematic sections demonstrate how the collection of texts functions as a whole, covering baptisms and mystical ascent procedures, guides to moral living, and introductory texts and myths.

Author: Erin Evans
ISBN-10: 900428446X
ISBN-13: 9789004284463
Publisher: Brill
Language: English
Published: 08/20/2015
Pages: 294
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.10w x 0.80d