A Slippery Matter: Reproduction and a Radical Hierarchy of Gender in the Apocryphon of John
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2018
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Haverford College. Department of Classics
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Thesis
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eng
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Tri-College users only
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Abstract
In this thesis I argue that the “Gnostic” text the Apocryphon of John expresses a radical hierarchy of gender previously unexplored in this manner. It is unique even among its fellow “Gnostic” texts and its high valuation of androgyny at the top of this hierarchy is an unexpected extension of the via eminentiae method of describing an ineffable God. By analyzing the series of reproductions within its narrative, I argue that the shifts in the gender of its characters is a manifestation of the ontological slippage involved in the very process of reproduction. I also argue that its language of consent serves as an anti-slippage mechanism. My findings lead me to also assert a new understanding of the Divine Triad instead of its traditional configuration.