The re-examination of the first eight chapters of Book 1 of Adversus Haereses by Irenaeus of Lyon (so-called 'Grand Notice') has allowed reasserting the importance of this source, not only to reconstruct the history of early Valentinianism and Gnosticism as a whole, but also to get to know better a crucial phase of the doctrinal evolution which accompanied the exegetic-theological debate in the Church of Rome in the mid 2nd century, debate which was to result in the distinction between orthodoxy and heresy. Analysing the praefationes of Books 1 and 2 of Adversus Haereses, it seems that the phases of realization of the work are two and the conception of the 'Grand Notice' and the retrieval of the sources (mainly from Ptolemy and disciples) can be anticipated from the traditional dating, i.e. 180, to the Roman period of Irenaeus (160-165 ca.). The chronological distance between Valentinus’ stay in Rome and that of Irenaeus is shorter and Irenaeus knows the doctrine of Valentinus and that of the continuers in detail, as well as being well aware of the theological differences among them. The research was based on philological reconstruction, ever made so far, of the Greek text of the 'Grande Notice' on the basis of the quotation handed down by Epiphanius, using synoptically the Latin transposition of Tertullian (Adversus Valentinianos) and considering that the Latin 'text' of Adversus Haereses is not a version written by Irenaeus himself, but a translation dating back to the 4th - 5th century, not always faithful to the original text.
Il riesame dei primi otto capitoli del I libro dell'Adversus Haereses di Ireneo di Lione (la cosiddetta 'Grande Notizia') ha condotto a riaffermare l'importanza di questa fonte, non solo per ricostruire la storia del primo Valentinianesimo e dello Gnosticismo nel suo insieme, ma anche per conoscere meglio una fase cruciale dell'evoluzione dottrinale che accompagnò il dibattito teologico-esegetico nella Chiesa di Roma alla metà del II secolo, dibattito che portò alla distinzione fra ortodossia ed eresia. Analizzando le praefationes del I e del II libro dell'Adversus Haereses, sembra emergere che le fasi di realizzazione dell'opera sono due e che l'ideazione ed il reperimento delle fonti (principalmente Tolomeo e discepoli) possono essere anticipati rispetto alla data tradizionale, cioè il 180, al periodo romano di Ireneo (160-165 ca.). La distanza cronologica tra la permanenza di Valentino a Roma e quella di Ireneo è piuttosto ridotta e Ireneo mostra di conoscere la dottrina di Valentino e dei suoi continuatori nei dettagli, come è pure al corrente delle differenze teologiche che esistono fra di loro. La ricerca si è basata sulla ricostruzione filologica, mai effettuata prima, del testo greco della 'Grande Notizia' sulla base della citazione riportata da Epifanio, utilizzando sinotticamente la parafrasi latina di Tertulliano (Adversus Valentinianos) e considerando che il 'testo' latino dell'Adversus Haereses non è una traduzione effettuata da Ireneo stesso, ma una traduzione risalente al IV-V secolo, non sempre fedele al testo originale.
Chiapparini, G., Irenaeus and the Gnostic Valentinus: Orthodoxy and Heresy in the Church of Rome around the Middle of the Second Century, <<ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR ANTIKES CHRISTENTUM>>, 2014; 18 (1): 95-119. [doi:10.1515/zac-2014-0007] [https://hdl.handle.net/10807/61851]
Irenaeus and the Gnostic Valentinus: Orthodoxy and Heresy in the Church of Rome around the Middle of the Second Century
Chiapparini, Giuliano
2014
Abstract
The re-examination of the first eight chapters of Book 1 of Adversus Haereses by Irenaeus of Lyon (so-called 'Grand Notice') has allowed reasserting the importance of this source, not only to reconstruct the history of early Valentinianism and Gnosticism as a whole, but also to get to know better a crucial phase of the doctrinal evolution which accompanied the exegetic-theological debate in the Church of Rome in the mid 2nd century, debate which was to result in the distinction between orthodoxy and heresy. Analysing the praefationes of Books 1 and 2 of Adversus Haereses, it seems that the phases of realization of the work are two and the conception of the 'Grand Notice' and the retrieval of the sources (mainly from Ptolemy and disciples) can be anticipated from the traditional dating, i.e. 180, to the Roman period of Irenaeus (160-165 ca.). The chronological distance between Valentinus’ stay in Rome and that of Irenaeus is shorter and Irenaeus knows the doctrine of Valentinus and that of the continuers in detail, as well as being well aware of the theological differences among them. The research was based on philological reconstruction, ever made so far, of the Greek text of the 'Grande Notice' on the basis of the quotation handed down by Epiphanius, using synoptically the Latin transposition of Tertullian (Adversus Valentinianos) and considering that the Latin 'text' of Adversus Haereses is not a version written by Irenaeus himself, but a translation dating back to the 4th - 5th century, not always faithful to the original text.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.