Valentinians
and the Gospel
of John
Heretics or Faithful Preservers?
Did Irenaeus, writing around 180 CE in Against Heresies, accurately label the Valentinians as heretics, or were they faithful preservers and interpreters of the Gospel of John? Why does Irenaeus associate the Valentinians with John (Against Heresies 3.11.7) while claiming their writings, especially the Gospel of Truth, agree in nothing with the four apostolic Gospels (3.11.9)? How do Irenaeus’s summaries of Valentinian teaching (1.8.5) mirror John’s prologue about the Word, the Father, and creation? Do passages from the Gospel of Truth closely parallel themes and verses in John about grace and truth, knowing the Father, light and darkness, incarnation, the Spirit of truth, unity with the Father and Son, and Jesus as Savior? With the Nag Hammadi Library now available, does the Valentinian evidence support Irenaeus’s accusations of blasphemy, or suggest polemical motives? Who is the real heretic, and how do the Markosians fit into this dispute?
- 00:00Valentinians and John
- 00:06Irenaeus Links John
- 01:21Johannine Prologue Proof
- 03:20Gospel of Truth Charge
- 05:29Nag Hammadi Breakthrough
- 06:31Gospel of Truth Opens
- 08:20Light Truth and Way
- 09:26Cross Bread and Union
- 11:47Spirit Truth Revelation
- 21:05Voice Life and Word
- 24:05Who Is Heretic
- 25:30Stats and Next Video
“Jesus answered, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’”
John 4:10, BSB
“There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe. He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.”
John 1:6-8, BSB