Gnosticism and the New Testament

Written by Pheme Perkins Reviewed By Stanley E. Porter

According to the author, this is the first full-scale discussion of Gnosticism since Robin Wilson’s Gnosis and the New Testament was published in 1968, and attempts to take account of the wealth of informative material now available on Gnosticism. Perkins rejects the position that Gnosticism was a later development than Christianity and instead tries to show that Gnosticism and Christianity essentially developed concurrently, perhaps reflecting common origins. Part 1 of the book discusses Gnoslic origins, including its relationship to Jewish sources, especially various non-canonical sources, such as the Enoch tradition. Part 2 purportedly shows similarities between Gnostic and NT traditions, such as the wisdom tradition and the redeemer myth. Part 3 discusses Gnostic Christianity.


Stanley E. Porter

Roehampton Institute, London