P. Derek Overfield PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

celestial sphere.
This teaching was, according
to Reitzenstein, borrowed from the Persian Avestan
teaching of the Gayomart. 163 In summary fashion we
can say that Reitzenstein believed that Poimandres
was evidence of a Gnostic Redeemer myth in which the
Primal Man -
a concept with roots in the Iranian
Gayomart - functioned as a redeemer. It is important
also that we note that both Reitzenstein 164 and
Bousset 165 believe Poimandres to be a first century
document.
A severe .criticism of the theory advanced
by Reitzenstein and followed by Bousset has be6~
made
by C. colpe 166 who shows that Poimandres, does not
. f t t th P' 1 M R d f' 167
~n ac presen e r~ma an as a e eemer ~gure.
Neither is there a descent as such of a Primal Man.
The early date for the Poimandres has
also now been shown to be in serious doubt, most
scholars agreeing that the material, at least in its
present form, must be dated sometime between the
second and the fourth centuries. 168 This probable
later dating for the document does not necessarily
render it valueless for the discussion since it is
conceivable that the material it contains -
or even
the traditions which underlie the material as it is
presented in the document -
is of an earlier period
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