arbitrary and abusive appropriation of scriptural verses in Gnostic circles, the Valentinian school of Gnosticism, originating in Alexandria, challenged traditional interpreters of Scripture in laying down the first elements of a proper method for systematic exegesis, as can be seen in Heracleon’s Commentary on John, known only through its refutation by Origen. The clarification resulting from the Gnostic crisis inside the main churches was a new foundation for the appropriation of Scripture. Against