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10 - The Naassene Preacher

from Part II - Early Christian Teachers and Movements in Alexandria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 December 2023

M. David Litwa
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
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Summary

This chapter analyzes the Naassene discourse as excerpted by the author of the Refutation of All Heresies (about 222 ce). After arguing for the Naassene Preacher’s Alexandrian provenance, it expounds what he can tell us about the character of Christianity in late second-century Alexandria. The Preacher tried to cultivate a mentality that was both universalistic and exclusive. His group of self-identified knowers (“gnostics”) had their own rites (baptism and anointing), a leadership structure, a communal gathering (a setting for rituals), an exegetical practice, and a common aim: to transcend the flesh while living in it, to be angelic even on earth. The Preacher belonged to a wider circle of celibacy-promoting Christian intellectuals in late second-century Alexandria. What is new is the combination of sexual rigorism with a daring cosmopolitan attitude toward other religious cults and ideas. The Preacher’s profound openness to and ability to transform Hellenized traditions best parallels the work of Clement of Alexandria.

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Chapter
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Early Christianity in Alexandria
From its Beginnings to the Late Second Century
, pp. 150 - 167
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Naassene Preacher
  • M. David Litwa, Boston College, Massachusetts
  • Book: Early Christianity in Alexandria
  • Online publication: 14 December 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449571.013
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  • The Naassene Preacher
  • M. David Litwa, Boston College, Massachusetts
  • Book: Early Christianity in Alexandria
  • Online publication: 14 December 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449571.013
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Naassene Preacher
  • M. David Litwa, Boston College, Massachusetts
  • Book: Early Christianity in Alexandria
  • Online publication: 14 December 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449571.013
Available formats
×