Another Seed Studies In Gnostic Mythology Or Nag Hammadi Studies Fredrik Wisse Brill by Bhumi Banik - Digital BookPREFACE Research on this book, begun in Paris in 1976, was pursued in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In its original form, the work was submitted in 1978 as a Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard University. It has subsequently undergonemany revisions, including some major structural changes, although the main lines of the argument have remained on the whole unaltered. I have also sought to take recent scholarly contributions into account. The manuscript was ready in 1982. The delay in its publication has been due to reasons quite beyond my control; it has not been possible to revise it further. The present work bears much upon those trends of Gnosticism, clearlydistinct from Valentinianism, which are often referred to as "Sethian" Gnosticism. I have tried, however, to avoid this term, which remains problematic. Much attention has been devoted to Manichaean traditions, which have tended to be somewhat neglected in recent Gnostic scholarship. The problems related to the origins and development of Gnosticism notoriously belong to the most difficult questions of the history of religions in the Roman Empire. I have sought here, at least, to avoid the twin pitfalls of scorn and infatuation, which have too often plagued Gnostic studies. For the student of religion, the analysis of Gnostic patterns of thought is by no means of an antiquarian character, and its "relevance" need not be artificially emphasized. It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the help, guidance, and encouragement provided throughout the various stages of this work.

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