Heracleon

Herakleon ( mid 2nd century ) was a Christian- Gnostic teacher and is next to Ptolemy as the most important representative of the western direction of the Valentinianism. He is considered the creator of the oldest known commentary on a New Testament Scripture.

Life

About his life little is known. Irenaeus and Origen refer to him as a disciple of Valentinus. According to Clement of Alexandria, he was the most famous representative of the Valentinianism. According to Hippolytus, he was the leader of Valentianer in Italy. According to Origen, there was in Alexandria students of Herakleon, but the Theological Encyclopaedia sees no evidence of an actual work in Alexandria.

Works

Herakleons commentary on the Gospel of John is betrayed into about 48 fragments in Origen, and two more are found in Clement of Alexandria and one at Photius. They refer to the first two, the fourth and fifth chapter.

Clement of Alexandria also quoted from a commentary on Luke 12.8.

In his comments he quotes from the Old Testament, the Gospels, Paul's letters and the book of Hebrews.

Theology

The exegesis of the Herakleon, as well as that of Origen, allegorical. So in John 4, the Samaritan woman at the well is compared with the redemption of the Sophia. The water of the fountain of Jacob is Judaism. Her husband is the spiritual Pleroma of the groom, their former husbands are the Hyle or kingdom of the devil. The nobleman at Capernaum is the Demiurge, who is not hostile but short-sighted and ignorant, however, prepared to solicit the help of the Savior for his subjects. The son of the officials represents the psychics that are healed and redeemed when their ignorance is removed.

A unique teaching difference to the apostolic church is that it distinguishes between a God of truth and a subordinate Demiurge, whom he equates with the God of the Apostolic Church and the Old Testament.

Swell

• Philip Schaff: § 126 The School of Valentinus. Heracleon, Ptolemy, Marcos, Bardesanes, Harmonius in History of the Christian Church
• Philip Schaff: Valentinus and his school in New Schaff- Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
• Caroline Bammel: Herakleon in Theological Encyclopaedia