Anthropological Theories in the Valentinian and Sethian Gnostic Traditions. Sources and Influences

In the field of Gnostic studies, anthropology has not yet been sufficiently investigated.

There are still important aspects to explore when it comes to emphasizing the originality of the Valentinian and Sethian anthropological notions and their relations with the cultural background in which they emerged. My research aims to correct this by tracing new conceptual links between anthropological elements found in the Greek philosophy and the Jewish tradition, such as the Stoic theory of the seeds of virtue and knowledge and the Jewish doctrine of the two spirits, and anthropological features which are present in Valentinian and Sethian gnostic streams, like the spiritual seed and the counterfeit spirit.