RLB251 Gnosticism

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2011
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Aleš Chalupa, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Václavík, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Lucie Čelková
Timetable of Seminar Groups
RLB251/P: each odd Wednesday 12:30–14:05 zruseno D31, A. Chalupa
RLB251/K: Fri 18. 3. 14:10–15:45 J31, Fri 15. 4. 14:10–15:45 J31, Fri 13. 5. 14:10–15:45 J31, A. Chalupa
Prerequisites (in Czech)
RLA06 Christianity I || RLKA06 Christianity I
Pro studenty religionistiky je jako prerekvizita určeno absolvování kurzu Křesťanství I a Křesťanství II. V případě zájemců z jiných oborů bude jejich způsobilost posouzena individuálně. Doporučena je rovněž znalost anglického jazyka.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course deals with one of the most important religious and philosophical movement of the late antique world which also deeply influenced the emerging Christianity. Lectures discuss philosophical and religious sources on which Gnosticism was based and try to localize communities, where gnostic motives could have originated and evolved. The course also provides a typology of gnostic movements and introduces their most important literary texts (some of them are the topic of seminar readings). Last but not least, the course tackle the problem of theoretical and methodological fundaments of the scholarly study of Gnosticism during the 19th and 20th century, which contributes to the discussion on what grounds and motivations the construction of a category of "gnosticism", seemingly "objective" and "scientific", is very often based.
At the end of the course students will:
- have an enhanced knowledge of elementary facts about Gnosticism
- be familiar with the history of the study of Gnosticism during the 19th and the 20th century
- be able to critically interpret our most important literary sources and archeological discoveries concerning ancient Gnosticism
- be able to analyze various problems connected with the scientific construction of the category of Gnosticism
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the course; 1. Gnosticism and Its Place in the History of Religions: Sources, Texts and Approaches to Its Study; 2. Gnosticism: Typical Thoughts and Motives; 3. Seminar I. Reading of Gnostic Texts (Poimandres) 4. Gnosticism: Origin and Inspirations I.; 5. Gnosticism: Origin and Inspirations II.; 6. Most Important Gnostic Systems I.(Sethian Gnosis) 7. Seminar II. Reading of Gnostic Texts (The Nature of Archons, NHC II.4); 8. Most Important Gnostic Systems II. (Valentian Gnosis); 9. Seminar III. Reading of Gnostic texts (Gospel of Philip, NHC II.3); 10. Gnosticism: Its Heirs (Manicheism, Mandaeans);11. Gnosticism: Deconstruction of One Scientific Category; 12. End-of-term test.
Literature
  • Pearson, Birger A. Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions and Literature. Minneapolis: Fortress Press 2007.
  • RUDOLPH, Kurt. Gnóze : podstata a dějiny náboženského směru pozdní antiky. Translated by Jiří Gebelt. Vydání první. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2010, 450 stran. ISBN 9788070219478. info
  • Rukopisy z Nag Hammádí. Edited by Wolf B. Oerter - Petr Pokorný - Matyáš Havrda - Lucie Kopecká - Pa. Vydání první. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2008, 356 stran. ISBN 9788070218754. info
  • Gnosis and hermeticism from antiquity to modern times. Edited by Roelof van den Broek - W. J. Hanegraaff. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998, x, 402. ISBN 0791436128. info
  • POKORNÝ, Petr. Píseň o perle : tajné knihy starověkých gnostiků. 2. rozš. vyd. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1998, 326 s. ISBN 8070212462. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, seminars and class discussions. Reading of texts concerning themes of individual lectures and seminars is required, as well as in time submission of position papers prior to seminars.
Assessment methods
1) successful passing of end-of-term test (at least 60 points from 100 possible); 2) in time submission of position papers to seminar reading subjects; 3) sufficient attendance at seminars and lectures (at least 70%) and active participation in seminar discussions.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2009, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2019, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2011, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2011/RLB251