Gnosticism and Jewish Revolt

In a 2006 book on the origins of gnosticism, Carl B. Smith offers an alternative account of the connections of Judaism and gnosticism. According to the JETS reviewer:

Smith “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. Issues related to ‘alienated Judaism’ have frequently been discussed over the years (e.g. R. M. Grant, A. Segal, B. A. Pearson, D. M. Scholer). Whether gnosticism had its origins before the rise of the Christian movement or after/within the Christian movement is a long-term debate. With Smith, a student of Yamauchi, the apple has fallen near the tree . . . . Smith’s ‘devaluation’ of the traditions about Simon Magus, which are probably too severe, are virtually necessary to his case that gnosticism did not originate before AD 115-17.”