A Secret Life of Minority: The Sethian Community of Judas in Tchacos Gnostic Literature (original) (raw)

Abstract The definition ofgnōstikoi,gnostikosor gnōsisis an on-going controversy among contemporary readers, but the ancient Gnosticism is generally comprehended with the metaphysical dualism of Platonism (427–348 BCE). The history of Gnosticism is developed with the legendary stories of Simon Magus, Menander, Saturninus, Nicolaitans and Cerinthus, Carpocratians, Justin the Gnostic, Ophites, Ophians, and Cainites.The church fathers ofIrenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandrian, Epiphanius of Salamis, and Hippolytus of Romeconsideredthe Gnostic movements as Christian heresies. The emergence of Tchacos Codex (TC) recently impacted the Gnostic readership. In particular, the Coptic text of TC 33–58was regarded with curiosity. How isthe ancient text, so called the Gospel of Judas, unique compared with the previous Gnostic texts? How is Judas related to the Sethian tradition?What was the role of the text?If Judas was a community canon, how can one draw apicture of aSethian community?TheJudas scholars between 2006 and 2010 have explored various topics. However, the reconstruction of the Ohio fragmentsunveiled more secret scenes afterward. This paper will not only reconsider the traditional perspective on the original Coptic text and its value as a socio-religious instruction, but also demonstrate the characteristics of the Judas Sethian community among the marginalized gnostic groups of the middle second century.