Thursday, June 11, 2009

the gnostic approach to Homer

I have been developing this theory about 'Pantainos,' the teacher of Clement, Origen, Heraclas and the early Alexandrian tradition. I can't help but notice that Clement never mentions Pantainos but does identify an anonymous 'instructor' of the Alexandrian community. Most scholars assume this is Jesus however when we look at the details of the martyrdom of Peter of Alexandria - a Pope who lived a century after Clement - we see St. Mark identified as 'the instructor and teacher' of Alexandria. Indeed I remember Scott Brown's point that to Theodore identifies Mark establishing his gospel as mystagogue of the community and it got me thinking - maybe Pantainos was really the secret gospel of Mark.

When I get this far I have at least some support among scholars - at least theoretically. Yet I want to go where I have literally no expertise at all - the greater claim that 'pant ainon' comes from the identification of Nestor's speech in Book 23 of the Iliad as 'pant ainon.' Harvard's Gregory Nagy has developed a complicated theory that the speech has a hidden meaning (like the secret Gospel) which involves the divine 'nous' and 'thought' (like Simon Magus' gnosis). However there is whole different learning curve here which I don't think I have enough time to properly absorb i.e. a Homeric basis to the gospel.

God, there just isn't enough time ...


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