Valentinus

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Valentinus was born in the Nile Delta Frebonis and studied in Alexandria, an important early Christian center and the metropolitan city at the time. There alleged he had heard the Christian philosopher Basilides and then clear over the Middle Platonic philosophy and culture of Hellenistic Jews like the allegorical and the Hellenistic Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, Philo Yudeus. His followers in Alexandria claims that Valentinus was a follower Theudas and that itself is a follower Theudas St. Paul of Tarsus. Valentinus claimed that Theudas taught him secret wisdom that Paul had taught privately to the nearby, who openly referred to by Paul in connection with visionary encounter with the risen Christ (Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7, 2 Corinthians 12:2 -4; Acts 9:9-10), when he received secret teachings from him. esoteric teachings like that is no longer so overlooked in Rome after the mid-2nd century.

Valentinus taught first in Alexandria and then went to Rome about 136, at the time of Pope Hyginus, and lived there until Anicetus Pope. He became so prominent among the Christian community that, according to Tertullian Adversus Valentinianos iv, Valentinus became a candidate for bishop of Rome (c. 143) and that he lost by the differences very small voice:

"Valentinus hoping to become a bishop because he is very capable and articulate, but others are chosen because he had suffered as a martyr. Because angered by this, Valentinus broke with a legitimate church." - (This explained motivation is part of the rhetoric Tertullian sarcastically.)

Catholic Encyclopedia says Marcion may also be one of the candidate at the same time. Tertullian, who developed a tendency-Montanists kencederungan heresy, reported that Valentinus declared a heretic in about 175 AD after his death. Tertullian also states that Valentinus personally friendly with Origen. There is no evidence that Valentinus had described Paulin developing orthodox church, but he was controversial. According to a tradition that later, he retired to Cyprus, where he continued to teach and gain followers. He died probably about 160 or 161.

The heresologis (= author of the heretical) Christians also write the details of the kehiudpan Valentinus scientific community at present is considered unreliable. As mentioned above, Tertullian claims that Valentinus was a candidate for bishop of Rome and that he lost the election by a thin voice, and then he turned to heresy because of disappointment. Epiphanius writes that Valentine left the true faith once shipwrecked on Cyprus and became insane. Besides it is unlikely, these images also appear contradictory.

Valentinus was one of the early Christians who tried to link Christianity with Platonism. He took the dual concepts of the Platonic world of forms an ideal (pleroma) and the bottom of the phenomenon (kenoma). Of the thinkers and preachers of the mid-2nd century who declared heretical by Irenaeus and by the Christian mainstream later, only the prominent Marcionlah personally. Resistance to ortododoks contemporary Valentinus Justin Martyr comes from.

While Valentinus was alive he had many disciples, and systems thinking is the most widespread of all forms of Gnosticism. Among the students is more prevalent Valentinus, who however did not follow the teacher's view blindly, is Bardasanes, which is usually associated with Valentine in the rujuan-reference later, and Herakleon, Ptolemy and Marcus. Many of the writings of the Gnostic character of this, and a large number of summaries from the writings of Valentinus, who was only in the quotations given by the opponents of the orthodox, until 1945, when the box writings at Nag Hammadi reveals a Coptic version of the Gospel of Truth, which, according to Irenaeus, is the same as the Gospel Valentine mentioned by Tertullian in the tract Adversus Valentinianos.

In a text known seagai Pseudo-Anthimus, Valentinus is quoted once taught that God consists of three hypostasis (nature) (spiritual realities hidden) and three prosopa (person) who is called Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

"Regarding the Ariomaniak heresy, which has corrupted the Church of God ... So third hypostasis teach this, just as Valentinus the heretic preacher was first created in the book entitled 'On the Three Itself'. Because he was the first to create the essence of this third and three persons of Father, son and Holy Spirit, and he turned out to have been stolen from Hermes and Plato. " (Source: AHB Logan. Marcellus of Ancyra (Pseudo-Anthimus), 'On the Holy Church': Text, Translation and Commentary. Verses 8-9. Journal of Theological Studies, NS, Volume 51, Pt. 1, April 2000, pp. 95).

Since Valentine has used the term hypostases (nature), his name appears in the dispute Arianism in the 4th century. Marcellus of Ancyra, which is a hard opponent of Arianism, but also reject the belief in God in nature and considered the three lost (he was later condemned for this view), attacking his opponents (about which the Holy Church, 9) by connecting them with:

"Valentinus, the leader of a sect, was the first to create an understanding of the three existence (hypostasis) is continuous, in a book entitled On the Three Itself. Because, he created the notion of three continuous existence and three persons - Father, children, and the holy spirit. "

These teachings later adapted in the doctrine of the Trinity of Christianity Nicea.