Valentianism

Valentianism is a Gnostic Christian movement derived from the teachings of Valentinus in the mid-2nd century CE. It influenced various Christian groups and is often described by later church fathers as one of the major strands of Gnosticism.

The origin and spread: Valentinus is said to have studied in Egypt or Syria and worked in Rome around 140 CE. His followers formed communities across the Roman world, including Syria, Egypt, and North Africa. By the 3rd century, church authorities labeled Valentinian groups as heretical, and orthodox definitions contributed to their decline in late antiquity.

Beliefs: Valentinians posited a transcendent God beyond the material cosmos; the world is the product of a lesser emanation or demiurge. In the cosmic pleroma, a series of aeons in a divine fullness, the last includes Sophia and her consort. Humans contain a divine spark that can awaken via gnosis—the experiential knowledge of the true God and their own origin. Christ is a revealer who imparts this knowledge, and salvation comes through inner knowledge rather than faith alone.

Practice and organization: Valentinians distinguished between the elect, who had achieved higher knowledge and could receive advanced rites, and the hearers, who were still learning. They used baptism and a rite of the Eucharist, often understood as inward, symbolic acts. Local bishops and communities guided rituals, but the structure varied by region.

Texts and legacy: Valentinian thought is linked to several writings, including the Tripartite Tractate, the Gospel of Truth, and the Gospel of Philip, with fragments found in the Nag Hammadi library. Though the movement declined by the 4th century, its interpretations of scripture and its emphasis on gnosis influenced later Gnostic and heterodox currents.