SATURNINUS, or more correctly Satornilus, is generally regarded
as the founder of the Syrian Gnosis, but The Chain of Teachers.
there is every reason to suppose that Gnosticism was widespread
in Syria prior to his time. Justin Martyr (Trypho, xxxv.),
writing between 150 and 160, speaks of the Satornilians as a
very important body, for he brackets them with the Marcians (?
Marcionites), Basilidians and Valentinians, the most important
schools of the Gnosis in his time. Saturninus, Basilides and
Valentinus were separated from each other respectively by at
least a generation, and Saturninus may thus be placed somewhere
about the end of the first and the beginning of the second
century; but this assignment of date rests entirely upon the
Patristic statements that Menander was the teacher of
Saturninus, Saturninus of Basilides, and Basilides of
Valentinus. It is, however, not improbable that, with regard to
the first two, a general similarity of doctrine alone was
sufficient reason for the hæresiologists to father