Abstract

My dissertation deals with the relationship between the philosophy of Clement of Alexandria and that of Basilides, Valentinus, and their followers. This question is important because Clement is one of our principal sources of information on the doctrines of the Basilideans and Valentinians and many of his ideas are remarkably similar to theirs. Although a few scholars have commented on some of Clement's quotations from the writings of the Basilideans and Valentinians, no one has made a comprehensive or detailed analysis of this material or compared it with Clement's philosophy. ;In the first two chapters I have translated and interpreted all of the material which Clement quotes from Basilides, Valentinus, and their disciples on theology, cosmology, anthropology, providence, soteriology, ecclesiology, liturgy, ethics, and eschatology. The last two chapters compare Clement's ideas on the aforegoing subjects with those of the Basilideans and Valentinians in passages where the former responds directly to the opinions of the latter or where his statements are most nearly like theirs. ;My analysis demonstrates that some points of agreement between Clement and the Basilideans or Valentinians are due to their use of similar sources. In many passages, however, Clement conducts a polemic against the Basilideans and Valentinians for their opinions about the Demiurge, Adam, Jesus, baptism, faith, nature, marriage, martyrdom, and salvation. Clement also is found to have borrowed from the Valentinians several ideas regarding the stars, the Savior's body, knowledge, the church, twofold baptism, the soul, and the rewards of the saved