Rethinking "Gnosticism" An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category

"Rare is the book on gnosticism that is thoroughly grounded in the primary sources in the ancient languages, widely conversant with the secondary literature, controlled and sophisticated in its historical method--and still intelligible and interesting, not only for experts in its field, but also for religious historians and educated readers in general. Michael Williams's Rethinking 'Gnosticism' is such a book. It is essential reading for scholars of ancient Christianity and for anyone who wishes to use the terms 'gnostic' and 'gnosticism,' but it can be read with profit by all historians concerned with issues of methodology in studying religious people of the past."--Church History "There can hardly be a category more misused in contemporary scholarly and not-so-scholarly discourse than 'gnosticism,' so it was probably inevitable that a serious scholar would come along with an argument for the abandonment of the category altogether. In this provocative book Williams does just that."--Religious Studies Review