No longer Jews

"No Longer Jews asks and answers the questions Where, When, and How did Gnosticism arise? Carl Smith starts by providing definitions of Gnosticism. He discusses anticosmic dualism between material and spiritual and between the highest God and the Creator and also examines Gnosticism's close relationship with Judaism. Working from these definitions, Smith charts the chronology of the development of Gnosticism and sketches the geographical setting in which it arose. This book's survey of the secondary materials on Gnosticism and of the various understandings of the development of Gnosticism provides an excellent introductory textbook to Gnosticism. Smith's conclusions to the Where, When, and How questions will require serious consideration. In the course of its exploration, this book addresses issues of New Testament development and the histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism as they interact in the late first and early second centuries."--BOOK JACKET.