Sethian Gnosticism and the Platonic Tradition, by John D. Turner. Bibliotheque Copte de Nag Hammadi Section "Etudes" 6. Quebec: Les Presses de l' Universite Laval; Paris: Peeters, 2001. Pp. xix + 844. 80.00 [euro] (paper). ISBN 2763778348 (Laval); 9042910887 (Peeters). John Turner (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is no stranger to students of ancient Gnosticism. Indeed, he has been one of the leading scholars in this field for almost three decades, perhaps best known for his translation work of Nag Hammadi Codices as well as his work on Sethian Gnosticism. In this monumental and exhaustive work, Turner continues to add to our understanding of Sethianism, especially as it is discernible in the Nag Hammadi material. As indicated by the title, Turner sets out to explore the relationship between Sethianism and Platonism. Turner is not the first to see a strong connection between Gnosticism and Platonism. In the first chapter he lays out three explanations of such a connection posited by earlier scholars: Gnosticism as a form of Platonism (i.e., Platonism "run wild"); Platonism as incipient Gnosticism; and Gnosticism and Platonism as interdependent, indices of the social and conceptual development of each tradition (e.g., Sethianism as an index for the reemergence of a Speusippian four-level metaphysic). Turner's work would fall under this third alternative.
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