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Where, when, and how did Gnosticism arise? What exactly is Gnosticism? There is no scholarly consensus on these questions. No Longer Jews reviews the theories about Gnosticism and its sources and details Smith’s hypothesis, offering an excellent introductory text on Gnosticism.

In addition to examining the development of Gnosticism, this book addresses issues of New Testament development and the history of Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism as they interact in the late first and early second centuries.

Carl Smith starts with a lucid and incisive survey of the secondary materials on Gnosticism and explains various understandings of the development of Gnosticism.He defines Gnosticism by its unique anti-cosmic dualism between material things (evil), vs. spiritual things (good) and also explores both Gnosticism’s probable close relationship with Judaism and its rejection of the Creator God of the Old Testament.

After an extensive survey of the issues, Smith provides his own conclusions: first, that an early second-century dating for Gnosticism is most consistent with the historical details of the period; and second, that Egypt following the Jewish Revolt under Trajan (115–117 CE) provides a ripe context for Gnosticism’s most unique and definitive innovation, the rejection of the cosmos and the Creator God of the Jews.He argues that individuals closely connected with Judaism— whether Jews, Jewish Christians, or gentile God-fearers—may have responded to the rebellion by rejecting the God and religion that inspired this apocalyptic and messianic ferment.“No longer Jews,” they were now free to follow a higher God and way of life.

Reviews

“Well structured and compelling, with a lengthy bibliography and dense footnotes, this book is recommended for academic libraries, especially those with strong collections in religion and theology.”
—Library Journal

“Smith surveys and critiques current scholarly reconstructions of the origins of Gnosticism. His conclusion: Egypt following the Jewish Revolt under Emperor Trajan provides the best context for Gnosticism’s unique innovation, i.e. the rejection of the cosmos as bad and the Jewish Creator as an evil being. Individuals closely connected with Judaism—whether Jews, Jewish Christians, or Gentile god-fearers—responded to the rebellion by rejecting the religious orientation that had fermented the rebellion. ‘No longer Jews,’ these people were free to follow a higher God and a better way of life. While this suggestion is bound to be controversial, readers will agree that the author has opened up a promising line of investigation.”
—International Review of Biblical Studies

“Readers will gain a good appreciation of the problems in defining Gnosticism and tracing historically its origins. It will assume a prominent place in on-going scholarship on these issues.”
—Biblica

“The origin and character of Gnosticism have long been debated in academic circles. At one level, Carl B. Smith’s No Longer Jews is simply another scholarly contribution to this discussion. But the topics treated are also important for average churchgoers because of the current public interest and sympathy for Gnosticism. Books about “gnostic” writings like the Gospel of Thomas from the Nag Hammadi library are big sellers, as a visit to your on-line bookstore will show. We hear it said that Gnostics were more tolerant than catholic Christians, that they allowed more diversity in their congregations, and that they encouraged people to develop their own potential rather than rely on the clergy and rituals of the Catholic Church. Gnostic texts are sometimes even said to preserve the earliest (hence purest) teachings of Jesus and his followers. Their Christology was often “docetic”—it denied that the eternal being known as the “Christ” had been born in the flesh or died on the cross. In contrast, the Catholic Church was more dogmatic and regarded all views other than its own as being “heretical.” Furthermore, Catholics stressed negative ideas of suffering and martyrdom. For modern people who have had painful personal experiences in churches, the recent spate of publications about Gnosticism provides a welcome alternative.

“Carl Smith is one of a number of scholars who can help Christians get a more accurate picture of developments in the early church. He argues convincingly that the evidence points to a relatively late emergence of Gnosticism—properly defined in terms of the rejection of the Creator God of the Old Testament—and clear dependence on the texts and teachings of the Catholic Church (p. 203). Gnosticism did not appear on the scene until after the Second Jewish War (115-117 CE), particularly in Egypt (p.112). During this period, Judaism and Christianity still overlapped to a large extent, so it is difficult to say that Gnosticism arose from one or the other. Emphases vary: most Gnostic texts are vehement in their rejection of basic Jewish and Christian ideas, while others make no reference to Christian ideas at all. Gnostics were not always tolerant: several Nag Hammadi texts declare that all opinions other than their own—even those of other Gnostic groups—were heretical (pp. 199, 201). In particular, most Gnostic writings are even more anti-Judaic (though not anti-Semitic) than catholic writings like the “Letter of Barnabas” (pp. 204-213). Some Gnostics declared Docetism (the denial of Christ’s suffering) to be a heresy! (p. 198). Several Gnostic texts advocate a far greater degree of asceticism and self-denial than New Testament texts did (p. 203).

“Smith has no intention downgrading the Gnostic writings, or discouraging people from reading them. His book is written for academic rather than ideological purposes. But it will also disabuse us of the romantic picture that has been painted in some popular treatments of Gnosticism. Had any of the Gnostic writings become the standard teaching of the Christian churches, modern people would probably feel even less welcome there than they do in real present-day churches, faulty as they may be.”
— Reformed Review

“This book has much to commend it and has to be taken seriously be anyone interested in the origins of Gnosticism.”
—Religious Studies Review

“Literature on ancient gnosticism continues to be published with what an acquaintance once called "kaleidoscopic rapidity." One of the newer, substantial studies is that of Carl B. Smith II, associate professor of history and religion at Palm Beach Atlantic University. . . .The subtitle of this book makes Smith's major goal clear: he seeks to answer the long-term elusive question about gnosticism-when and how did it originate? If this could be answered definitively, so much of the discussion about the nature of ancient gnosticism and its relationships with Judaism, Greco-Roman religion and philosophy, and the early church would be cleared up. Before Smith gets to the development of his own proposal, he gives, in the first two chapters, an excellent survey of the state of gnostic scholarship at the time of his writing. This would be an important introduction to gnosticism for any teacher or student. . . . In chapters 3 through 5 of the book, Smith develops his new, distinctive theory on gnostic origins. He proposes that gnosticism arose in a social context of "alienated Judaism" influenced by Greco-Roman and early Christian ideas in the aftermath of the Jewish revolt against Emperor Trajan in AD 115-17. It is this historical location that is most distinctive about Smith's proposal; the other elements, individually and together, have appeared in other scholars' reconstructions of the origins of gnosticism. . . . Smith's hypothesis is innovative but remains somewhat speculative. It is simply too difficult, especially given the general paucity of information about the AD 115-17 Jewish revolt, to make a probable case that this is the historical locus of the intellectual ferment hat produced gnosticism. It is a possible suggestion, but possibilities do not become historical probabilities simply by assertion, even when accompanied by close, careful arguments. And, Smith does give a closely argued, carefully crafted case for his point of view; it is a pleasure to read it. So, Smith's theory is now on the table and will take its place s one possible solution to an admittedly very difficult problem. Smith's book concludes with a fine bibliography and thorough indices (pp. 253-317). All in all, Smith has produced a fine study. It is thoughtful, creative, fair, well argued, and provocative. It is a good addition to the scholarly debate on the origins and character of the gnostic phenomenon in antiquity.
—JETS

“The volume has good coverage of the primary sources, as well as of the principal theories of Gnostic origins currently held; as such, it is a very compactly written book. . . [and] provides an excellent digest of scholarship and of the primary sources for the study of earliest Gnosticism.”
—Journal for the Study of the New Testament

“No Longer Jews is an exceptional and indispensable study in the field of Gnostic studies, especially in relation to Alexandrian Judaism and early Egyptian Christianity.”
—ARC/EVS

“The general impression of the book is that it offers an extensive survey of the issues surrounding the rise of Gnosticism. No Longer Jews: The Search for Gnostic Origins makes a unique contribution to the scholarly quest for Gnostic origins. ”
—HTS: Hervormde Teologiese Studies

Carl B. Smith II, PhD, is Associate Professor of History and Religion at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

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