Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material / Martha Lee Turner -- Preface / Martha Lee Turner -- Introduction / Martha Lee Turner -- Kinds of Coherence / Martha Lee Turner -- Introduction to Part One / Martha Lee Turner -- On the Trail of an Elusive Coherence / Martha Lee Turner -- The Practical Matrix of Collections and Collections Genres / Martha Lee Turner -- Organizing Principles of Some Collections / Martha Lee Turner -- Recombinant Mythography / Martha Lee Turner -- The Components of the Gospel According to Philip / Martha Lee Turner -- Introduction to Part Two / Martha Lee Turner -- Methods and Criteria / Martha Lee Turner -- Indications of a Composite Character / Martha Lee Turner -- The "Primitive" Valentinian Block / Martha Lee Turner -- Some Specific Traditions in 51.29-77.14 / Martha Lee Turner -- The Gospel According to Philip as a Collection / Martha Lee Turner -- Introduction to Part Three / Martha Lee Turner -- A Collection Among Collections / Martha Lee Turner -- On Studying a Sourcebook for Speculation / Martha Lee Turner -- Bibliography / Martha Lee Turner -- Index / Martha Lee Turner -- Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies / Martha Lee Turner.

Study of the Gospel according to Philip, an important gnostic Christian text, has been hampered by unresolved questions about the unity, genre, and sectarian contexts of the work. This book argues that terms of self-designation, use of controversial vocabulary, style, hermeneutic strategies, and theological commitments together present persuasive evidence of derivation from multiple sectarian milieux. The document's organizing principles are found to be in accord with the excerpting and collection practices of Late Antiquity. The coherence of the text lies in its compiler's distinctive interests and choices, not in the uniformity of its materials. The persuasive case made by this book will help to advance research on this significant document of early Christianity.

Description based on print version record.