Pachôme et les gnostiques : Sur l'occurrence du terme gréco-copte ⲅⲛⲱⲥϯⲕⲟⲥ dans le corpus pachômien et l'utilisation de l'épithète « gnostique » dans la littérature chrétienne ancienne

This paper examines the apparently unnoticed presence of the Greco-Coptic term "gnostikos" in a text of the Pachomian corpus, one of the only occurrences of the term in the entire indigenous Coptic corpus. After a careful contextualization of the term and its use by Pachomius, we will look at the way it was understood by the ancient authors, from the "invention" of the term by Plato, to its appropriation by Christian writers, notably Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Evagrius of Pontus. We will then see where Pachomius stands regarding his usage of the term "gnostikos" and if this attestation can shed new light on the development and use of the term by the first Christians.