Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation by Elaine Pagels
Authors: Elaine Pagels
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Christ.”
66
The Letters of St. Anthony,
Letter 6, 84, 222.
67
The Letters of St. Anthony
, Letter 7, 12, 226; see also Letter 6, 45, 219.
68
The Letters of St Anthony
, Letter 3, 40, 208.
69
The Letters of St. Anthony,
Letter 6, 63–71, 220–221.
70
The Letters of St. Anthony,
63.
71
The Letters of St. Anthony,
64.
72 Peter Brown,
The Body and Society
:
Men, Women, and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity
(New York: Columbia University Press, 1988), adopts this injunction from Origen as the title of his brilliant discussion of Origen’s theology, “‘I beseech you: Be transformed’: Origen,” 160–177.
73 James Goehring has carefully investigated the sources to evaluate the number of these monasteries; for his review of the evidence, see his article “The Ship of the Pachomian Federation: Metaphor and Meaning in a Late Account of Pachomian Monasticism,” forthcoming in the
Festschrift for Tito Orlandi.
I very much appreciate his expert help in sorting out this question.
74 See, for example, James Goehring, “Monastic Diversity and Ideological Boundaries in Fourth-Century Egypt,” in
Ascetics, Society, and the Desert
, 196–220. Notable, too, is the influential study by Elizabeth Clark,
The Origenist Controversy
, which offers a careful and fascinating study of this controversy and concludes by observing that by the early fifth century, “in the West particularly, the broad cosmic vision that had pervaded Origen’s theology had shrunk: Christianity now clung more snugly to assertions of human sinfulness, ecclesiastical unity, and obedience to episcopal authority. This more rigid doctrinal dogmatism, coupled with a retreat from issues from cosmology and theodicy, created the religious grounding for the opposition to Origenism,” 245–246.
75 For primary sources and incisive discussion, see David Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism
, 116–120; also discussion in Jenott and Pagels, “Sources of Religious Conflict,” 568ff.
76 Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism,
139.
77 Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism
, 115.
78 Many scholars have discussed this issue, notably Robert Gregg and Dennis Groh, “Claims on the Life of St. Anthony,” in
Early Arianism,
131–160, and David Brakke, “The Spirituality and Politics of the Life of Anthony,” in
Athanasius and Asceticism
, 201–265, especially 245ff.
79 Athanasius,
Life of Anthony
, 69: “He publically denounced the Arians, declaring that this was the last heresy, the forerunner of Antichrist.”
80 The various accounts of Pachomius’ life, written in both Coptic and Greek, date from the time after his death, and differ in many details. For discussion, see Rousseau,
Pachomius,
“The Sources,” 37–56.
81 Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism,
138–139.
82 Athanasius,
Festal Letter
, 39. David Frankfurter, in his article “The Legacy of Jewish Apocalypses,” notes that besides saying that “heretics” value such secret writings, he mentions that some heretics, “particularly the wretched Melitians,” boasted of having such books, and so suggests that these may have been Jewish apocalypses that appealed to monks who valued martyrdom, as followers of Melitius did (171). His argument persuasively suggests that the writings Athanasius denounced included such texts. Even if Athanasius were using his polemical words more precisely here than he often did, the evidence of the writings buried near Nag Hammadi suggests, of course, that the banned writings also included other kinds of apocrypha as well.
83 Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:28–32; Revelation 22:18–19; Athanasius,
Festal Letter
, 39, apparently referring to his “list of the books of the New Testament,” alludes to Deuteronomy 12:32 when he declares, “Let no one add to or subtract from them.”
84 Revelation 22:18–19.
85 For references and discussion of fourth-century discussion on the canon, see Bruce Metzger,
The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance
(Oxford, UK:
66
The Letters of St. Anthony,
Letter 6, 84, 222.
67
The Letters of St. Anthony
, Letter 7, 12, 226; see also Letter 6, 45, 219.
68
The Letters of St Anthony
, Letter 3, 40, 208.
69
The Letters of St. Anthony,
Letter 6, 63–71, 220–221.
70
The Letters of St. Anthony,
63.
71
The Letters of St. Anthony,
64.
72 Peter Brown,
The Body and Society
:
Men, Women, and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity
(New York: Columbia University Press, 1988), adopts this injunction from Origen as the title of his brilliant discussion of Origen’s theology, “‘I beseech you: Be transformed’: Origen,” 160–177.
73 James Goehring has carefully investigated the sources to evaluate the number of these monasteries; for his review of the evidence, see his article “The Ship of the Pachomian Federation: Metaphor and Meaning in a Late Account of Pachomian Monasticism,” forthcoming in the
Festschrift for Tito Orlandi.
I very much appreciate his expert help in sorting out this question.
74 See, for example, James Goehring, “Monastic Diversity and Ideological Boundaries in Fourth-Century Egypt,” in
Ascetics, Society, and the Desert
, 196–220. Notable, too, is the influential study by Elizabeth Clark,
The Origenist Controversy
, which offers a careful and fascinating study of this controversy and concludes by observing that by the early fifth century, “in the West particularly, the broad cosmic vision that had pervaded Origen’s theology had shrunk: Christianity now clung more snugly to assertions of human sinfulness, ecclesiastical unity, and obedience to episcopal authority. This more rigid doctrinal dogmatism, coupled with a retreat from issues from cosmology and theodicy, created the religious grounding for the opposition to Origenism,” 245–246.
75 For primary sources and incisive discussion, see David Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism
, 116–120; also discussion in Jenott and Pagels, “Sources of Religious Conflict,” 568ff.
76 Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism,
139.
77 Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism
, 115.
78 Many scholars have discussed this issue, notably Robert Gregg and Dennis Groh, “Claims on the Life of St. Anthony,” in
Early Arianism,
131–160, and David Brakke, “The Spirituality and Politics of the Life of Anthony,” in
Athanasius and Asceticism
, 201–265, especially 245ff.
79 Athanasius,
Life of Anthony
, 69: “He publically denounced the Arians, declaring that this was the last heresy, the forerunner of Antichrist.”
80 The various accounts of Pachomius’ life, written in both Coptic and Greek, date from the time after his death, and differ in many details. For discussion, see Rousseau,
Pachomius,
“The Sources,” 37–56.
81 Brakke,
Athanasius and Asceticism,
138–139.
82 Athanasius,
Festal Letter
, 39. David Frankfurter, in his article “The Legacy of Jewish Apocalypses,” notes that besides saying that “heretics” value such secret writings, he mentions that some heretics, “particularly the wretched Melitians,” boasted of having such books, and so suggests that these may have been Jewish apocalypses that appealed to monks who valued martyrdom, as followers of Melitius did (171). His argument persuasively suggests that the writings Athanasius denounced included such texts. Even if Athanasius were using his polemical words more precisely here than he often did, the evidence of the writings buried near Nag Hammadi suggests, of course, that the banned writings also included other kinds of apocrypha as well.
83 Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:28–32; Revelation 22:18–19; Athanasius,
Festal Letter
, 39, apparently referring to his “list of the books of the New Testament,” alludes to Deuteronomy 12:32 when he declares, “Let no one add to or subtract from them.”
84 Revelation 22:18–19.
85 For references and discussion of fourth-century discussion on the canon, see Bruce Metzger,
The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance
(Oxford, UK:
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