Einar Thomassen

Orthodoxy and Heresy in Second-Century Rome

Sometime in the late 130s, Valentinus came to Rome. From information given by Irenaeus, it can be calculated that the founder of “Valentinianism” stayed in the imperial capital for more than fifteen years, maybe for as long as twenty-five or thirty years. At that time Justin Martyr also lived in Rome, and indeed Justin mentions “the Valentinians” once, in his Dialogue with Trypho (35.6), composed around 155–160. Justins testimony suggests that during his years in Rome, Valentinus was active as a Christian leader.

Are gods really moral monitors? Some comments on Ara Norenzayan's Big Gods by a historian of religions

Abstract The assumption that moral monitoring is a widespread function of gods is not well supported by historical documentation. The further thesis, that ideas about monitoring gods increase prosocial behavior and thereby the capacity of societies for survival, is implausible in view of the historical evidence about successful societies.