Voices of the Mystics
Early Christian Discourse in
the Gospels of John and Thomas
and Other Ancient Christian
Literature
April D. DeConick
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 157
Copyright © Sheffield Academic Press
Published by
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
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ISBN 1-84127-190-X
To David Terrell
‘Many are the thyrsus-bearers, but few are the mystics.’
Plato, Phaedo
Tradition-Rhetorical Criticism: A Methodology for Examining the Discourse of Intertraditions
Vision Mysticism in the Ancient World: The Religio-Historical Horizon
Thomasine Support for Vision Mysticism: The Tradition-Religious Horizon of John’s Opponents
4. Celestial Temple Traditions
Faith Mysticism in the Gospel of John: The Interpretative Trajectory and Synthetic End Point
1. The Pretemporal Existence of Jesus
2. The Historical Presence of Jesus
3. The Historical Absence of Jesus
Vision Mysticism in Early Syrian Christian Texts: The Discourse Continues
This book weaves together a large portion of the research that I have produced since the publication of Seek to See Him in 1996. Some of the research was delivered orally in various presentations to the Thomasine Traditions Group and the Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism Group, both of the Society Biblical Literature. I wish to thank all those members of these groups who offered me their comments and criticisms as well as the members of both steering committees who gave me invaluable opportunities to test out my ideas in public forums. So I extend my thanks especially to Jon Asgeirsson, Risto Uro, Tjitze Baarda and Elaine Pagels of the Thomasine Traditions Steering Committee and Christopher Morray-Jones, Alan Segal, Jim Davila, and Phil Munoa of the Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism Steering Committee.
Some of the sections contained within this monograph were published in earlier versions since 1996. Chapter 2 includes a brief section on journeys through the celestial Temple which is also found in my article, ‘Heavenly Temple Traditions and Valentinian Worship: A Case for First-Century Christology in the Second Century’, in C.C. Newman, J.R. Davila, and G.S. Lewis’ volume, The Jewish Roots ...
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About Voices of the Mystics: Early Christian Discourse in the Gospels of John and Thomas and Other Ancient Christian LiteratureThe Gospel of John has always been perceived as a more mystical Gospel than the Synoptics. This volume explores the mysticism of John in its historical context. It puts forward evidence that the mysticism developed in this text is the result of the textualization of a dialogue between the Johannine and Thomasine Christians on the subject of soteriology. In contradiction to the Christians who revered the Gospel of Thomas and taught salvation through ascent and vision mysticism, the Johannine Gospel argues for a mysticism based on the faith experience. Evidence from the Preachings of John, the Gospel of the Savior, the Apocryphon of James, the Ascension of Isaiah, and the Dialogue of the Savior is examined to show that this soteriological controversy did not end with the composition of the Gospel of John but continued well into the second century. This volume not only sheds new light on the development of Johannine ideology, but also forges a new path in New Testament socio-rhetorical criticism, particularly by developing the field of tradition intertexture. April DeConick is Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University, Houston, USA. She is the author of Seek to See Him: Ascent Mysticism in the Gospel of Thomas. She is co-editor of Thomasine Traditions in Antiquity: The Social and Cultural World of the Gospel of Thomas. |
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