Gilles Quispel

Gilles Quispel (Rotterdam, 30 May 1916 - El Gouna, Egypt, 2 March 2006) was a Dutch theologian, and historian of Christianity and Gnosticism. He became professor emeritus of early Christian history at Utrecht University.

After studies at Leiden and Groningen, his 1943 doctorate at Utrecht was on Tertullian's sources. He worked on the Gospel of Thomas, and was closely associated with the editing of the Nag Hammadi Library. He became quite famous after one of his statements with regard to gnosticism and early Christianity: "Gnosticism is about to become the 21st century world religion," having in view that most scholars and young researchers manifest a great interest in this religious-philosophical system, focused on esoteric knowledge as means of salvation,during a summer seminar at the University of Amsterdam, in 2000.

Works

• ,,Gnosis als Weltreligion
• ,, Gnostic Studies,2 vols., Istambul,1974.
• Tatian and the Gospel of Thomas: Studies in the History of the Western Diatessaron (1975)
• Jewish and Gnostic Man (1986)
• Gnostica, Judaica, Catholica