THEODOTUS THE GNOSTIC. – A disciple of Valentinus, belonging to the Eastern school of his master (on the two Valentinian schools see Hippolytus, Ref., VI, 35, 5-7).
Nothing is known of his person or life, but he was probably contemporary with Ptolemy (c. 160-170). His doctrine shows affinities with that of Marcus. Clement of Alexandria has preserved in his Excerpta ex Theodoto fragments of Theodotus’ doctrine. It is not always possible, however, to distinguish clearly the work of Theodotus from that of Clement (see VALENTINUS).
BIBL.: Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata, ed. O. Stählin (CB, 17), Leipzig 1909, pp. 105-33; R. P. Casey, The Excerpta of Clement of Alexandria, London 1934 (with English translation and commentary); Clément d’Alex., Extraits de Théodore, ed. F. Sagnard (French translation, introduction and notes), Paris 1948. On the content see F. Sagnard, La gnose valentinienne et le témoignage de St Irénée, Paris 1947, pp. 668 ff.; A. G. Festugière, Notes sur les Extraits de Théodore de Clément d’A. L., in Vigiliae christ., 3 (1949), pp. 193 ff.