Buy new:
-9% $22.79
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$22.79 with 9 percent savings
List Price: $25.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 12 hrs 18 mins
Only 14 left in stock (more on the way).
$$22.79 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$22.79
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$15.30
Book has some damage to the cover and/or spine. The pages are yellowed. Book has pen markings in the text. Book has pen or pencil underlining in the text. All items sold by Goodwill of the Heartland support programs to advance the social and economic well being of people who face barriers to independence. Book has some damage to the cover and/or spine. The pages are yellowed. Book has pen markings in the text. Book has pen or pencil underlining in the text. All items sold by Goodwill of the Heartland support programs to advance the social and economic well being of people who face barriers to independence. See less
$3.99 delivery May 17 - 20. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$22.79 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$22.79
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by Goodwill of the Heartland.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

David Brakke
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity Paperback – September 3, 2012

by David Brakke (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 60 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$22.79","priceAmount":22.79,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"22","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"79","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"xBXg0jWx3W0kY%2F88lMcGAvx7qLrsCP10%2BCBvbhLvrpxKBHOwSTNaFEDZynT6ggESOOicEAKgBwA8yCeBw7%2FfVe3oLAOBurBs%2BfovJ9dM4ZmonG%2BPF8LRW%2Fiobj5uXENCN01aPf7O2b1gOoN0glWezA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$15.30","priceAmount":15.30,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"30","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"xBXg0jWx3W0kY%2F88lMcGAvx7qLrsCP10WDNTZ%2BlnZCN3kX%2BEkjZz2GEQTYkgo6SNPhDwIRL9Sg2Pv3FAU2iS%2FQrKsdgAoSSK%2B5k7lKW%2FNUB0VJ%2B1oi9M2WGLVASDGC%2Boe2zZb4weQx1PSBYZjIyEztAsgJib0hbhTsriWQcGYZkzwv9WQOvyaMjRqI8wFXMr","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Who were the Gnostics? And how did the Gnostic movement influence the development of Christianity in antiquity? Is it true that the Church rejected Gnosticism? This book offers an illuminating discussion of recent scholarly debates over the concept of “Gnosticism” and the nature of early Christian diversity. Acknowledging that the category “Gnosticism” is flawed and must be reformed, David Brakke argues for a more careful approach to gathering evidence for the ancient Christian movement known as the Gnostic school of thought. He shows how Gnostic myth and ritual addressed basic human concerns about alienation and meaning, offered a message of salvation in Jesus, and provided a way for people to regain knowledge of God, the ultimate source of their being.

Rather than depicting the Gnostics as heretics or as the losers in the fight to define Christianity, Brakke argues that the Gnostics participated in an ongoing reinvention of Christianity, in which other Christians not only rejected their ideas but also adapted and transformed them. This book will challenge scholars to think in news ways, but it also provides an accessible introduction to the Gnostics and their fellow early Christians.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    180 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Publication date
    September 3, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0674066030
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674066038
  8. See all details
Next page
Books with Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity
$22.79
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 14 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume
$17.48
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Gnostic Scriptures (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)
$41.76
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Apex_media🍏 and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Not since Elaine Pagels's ground-breaking and best-selling The Gnostic Gospels (1979) has there been a work that communicates so clearly the content and significance of the "Gnostics" for our understanding of early Christian history. The public and the academy need The Gnostics.”―Denise Buell, Williams College

“A model for how to engage in careful social historical reconstruction.”―Stephen Davis, Yale University

“Brakke has a growing reputation for his studies on the history and literature of ancient Christianity, and he moves easily among the sources, making good sense of the sometimes scanty evidence...The Gnostics is a book to be warmly commended to those who have an interest in the development of Christianity.”―Nicholas King, SJ, Times Literary Supplement

“Perhaps the finest aspect of this book is the way that Brakke successfully nuances the conflict models of early Christian history that remain current in most introductory texts. Rather than merely keying students to the varieties of early Christianity, Brakke introduces beginners to a more open narrative that has emerged recently. This model focuses on the agonistic production of orthodox and heterodox identities through processes of textual production, interpretation, ritual, and so forth. Brakke accomplishes this through a style that is lucid without falling into oversimplification.”―J. Schott, Choice

About the Author

David Brakke is Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity and Professor of History, Ohio State University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press; Reprint edition (September 3, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674066030
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674066038
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 60 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
David Brakke

David Brakke

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
60 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tim
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent dive into early Christianity
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I am not religious at all, but I have a deep love of history. When I learned of this strange sect of early Christians that believed in a malevolent demiurge and rejected the Old Testament, I was incredibly fascinated.

This book does a fantastic job of engaging the reader in the academic debate around these early philosophers, informing the reader about their belief systems and writings, and explaining how the Church eventually coalesced into and enforced a mostly singular orthodoxy.

This is a great read for anyone interested in strange and forgotten belief systems.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Carly G
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Fantastic read. Just started getting into reading the Nag Hammadi and I wanted to read something like this first. There’s so much misinformation going around about Gnosticism, it’s astounding. I’m really glad I read this bc it has so much nuance. I can’t recommend it any more thank I already do
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
LNT
5.0 out of 5 stars Total satisfaction!⭐
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Fast delivery, the book was in very good condition. Thanks!
Helpful
 Report
Matthew Bazzani
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good review of basic Gnostic beliefs and practices
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
A very good review of basic Gnostic beliefs and practices, including aspects of what would now be considered by most as the occult. Includes reasonable comparisons of beliefs and practices of Gnostic contemporaries. Where it fails, like most texts on the Gnostics, is to take into consideration the mystical aspects of orthodox Christianity with respect to why Gnostic beliefs were not accepted by people such as Bishop Iraneus. Not everything can be reduced to socio-political forces!
17 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ready Writer
5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Read: A wonderful pruchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
David Brakke does an outstanding job of making Gnosticism's relationship to early Christianity both intelligible and interesting as well as full of lots of information on the various sects and teachers of the pro-Gnosticism school of thought as well as their opponents in what later became orthodoxy. I love how he shows that this took place before Christianity congealed into a solid orthodoxy, great facts and stuff.
The irony of history is revealed in this book. By reading it any person with a glimmer of systematic theology background will be able to see how much of what we believe was founded in the war for orthodoxy itself.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in ancient Christianity, in heresies of the early ages, and in their lingering effects up unto the present era.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Reviewer extraordinary
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source.
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
A significant addition to the books by Rudolph and Jonas that contextualizes gnosticism (small G) within the smorgasbord of 1st and 2nd century religious movements. I have only one minor difference with the book; the pagan writer Celsus likely gives us an accurate look at 2nd century Christian groups and his accusation that Christians practiced magic obviously caused Origen a lot of distress. Celsus specifically mentions several gnostic teachings as well as a diagram of multiple heavens in us among some sects, so Irenaeus is not our only contemporary window into gnosticism. That said, this is an exemplary work that incorporates recent insights into the gnostic movement.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Brian Allan Little
5.0 out of 5 stars The Umbrella of Gnosticism
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book provides an effective argument of our interpretation of why Gnosticism has become too broad a topic and that new categories of proto-orthodoxy needs to be developed. This text should be required reading for those learning medieval heresy.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Rebecca Lyman
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for Ancient Christian studies
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2011
Verified Purchase
Superb summary of the current state of studies in Gnosticism with a convincing analysis of ancient communities and beliefs in the second and third centuries.
14 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

J. Gallagher
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a new field to me so the first couple of chapters were heavy going but it then became compulsive reading. I couldn't put it down! Highly recommended.
Report
HarrerK
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
first class sevrice for an excellent book!
Report