Download or read book Christian Gnosis written by Wolfgang Smith and published by Angelico Press. This book was released on 2009-01 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basing himself principally upon the teachings of Saint Paul and the Clementine Stromata, the author begins the present treatise by distinguishing the idea of gnosis in nascent Christianity from its Gnostic counterfeit. He then considers the implications of authentic gnosis for cosmology, a question that connects intimately with his earlier studies, notably his ground-breaking work regarding the interpretation of quantum theory. The same considerations, however, which invalidate naive cosmology, have bearing on the theological notion of creatio ex nihilo as well; it is this crucial recognition that leads the author to consider alternative formulations within the Judeo-Christian tradition: from Christian Kabbalah to Jacob Boehme and Meister Eckhart. What emerges are the outlines of a Trinitarian nondualism definitive of Christian gnosis. Wolfgang Smith broaches a vast range of subjects with a mastery that bespeaks an immense culture. --Jean Borella Here is that rare person who is equally at home with Eckhart and Einstein, Heraclitus and Heisenberg! --Harry Oldmeadow Wolfgang Smith is as important a thinker as our times boast. --Huston Smith After graduating from Cornell University at age eighteen with majors in physics, mathematics and philosophy, Wolfgang Smith took an M.S. from Purdue, following which he spent three years at Bell Aircraft Corporation as an aerodynamicist. During this period he gained recognition for his pioneering papers on the effect of diffusion fields, which provided a theoretical solution to the so-called re-entry problem for space flight. After receiving a Ph.D. in mathematics from Columbia University, Dr. Smith pursued a professorial career in that field. Soon however his center of interest shifted from the pursuit of science to the critique of scientism and the rediscovery of metaphysics as a theological discipline. He has authored six books and numerous articles, and is today widely recognized as a leading authority in these twin fields."

Download or read book Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ written by Malachi (Tau) and published by Flux. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stunning revelations about the mysteries of creation, the soul, and God The noble idea of the Christian Kabbalah is not so much the worship of Jesus Christ, but rather a conscious evolution toward a divine or super-humanity. In this regard, Christian Kabbalah is quite different from its Jewish roots, and Gnostic Christianity is very different from orthodox Christianity. Both are about experiencing God and evolving toward God, rather than just studying theology. This groundbreaking work is the first to present the Christian Gnosis of the Kabbalah in a practical and deeply esoteric way. It takes the reader from the basic ideas of the Kabbalah to in-depth explorations of the Tree of Life. Gnostic legends and myths of the Holy Mother, St. Lazarus, St. Mary Magdalene, and Jesus are woven into the study of the Holy Sefirot as well as commentaries on the Ten Commandments and The Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.

Download or read book Living Gnosis written by Tau Malachi and published by Llewellyn Worldwide Limited. This book was released on 2005 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gnostic revival is growing in the United States and Europe as people are discovering the mystical roots of their own Western Tradition. This easy-to-read, deeply spiritual introduction to Gnostic Christianity helps beginners down the Gnostic path to esoteric insights and wisdom. Focusing primarily on Sophian Gnosticism, Tau Malachi explains the origins, teachings, and nature of this living tradition. Readers also learn how to apply Gnostic practices, such as affirmation, positive thought, and creative visualization, in daily life. More than a practical guide, this text invites everyone to embark on a spiritual quest toward Spirit-connection and self-realization by way of Gnostic wisdom.

Download or read book The Gnostic Gospels written by Elaine Pagels and published by Random House. This book was released on 2004-06-29 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today. With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.

Download or read book What is Gnosticism written by Karen L. King and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of gnosticism examines the various ways early Christians strove to define themselves in a pluralistic Roman society, while questioning the traditional ideas of heresy and orthodoxy that have previously influenced historians.

Download or read book Christian Gnosis written by Ferdinand Christian Baur and published by James Clarke & Company. This book was released on 2023-01-26 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ferdinand Christian Baur's Die Christliche Gnosis, first published in 1835, is considered by many to be the most important book on Gnosticism published in the nineteenth century and is a pivotal work within Baur's canon. Baur's unique thesis of a link between ancient and modern religious philosophy, as well as his conception of Gnosticism - developed through dialogues with his predecessors and contemporaries - consolidate Christian Gnosis as an important contribution to Christian theology. In this seminal work, written over a hundred years before the manuscript discovery at Nag Hammadi, Baur classifies the gnostic systems in terms of how they conceive the relationship of Christianity to Judaism and paganism, describing them in detail. He then goes on to describe the criticism of and reaction to gnosis in church history, before contending with the modern religious philosophy of his time, discussing Boehme, Schelling, Schleiermacher and Hegel. Christian Gnosis is Baur's first great religio-historical study, and Robert Brown's masterful translation ensures the work is as impactful today as it was on its first publication.

Download or read book Introduction to Gnosticism written by Nicola Denzey Lewis and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2013-02-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction to "Gnosticism": Ancient Voices, Christian Worlds is the first textbook on Gnosticism, guiding students through the most significant of the Nag Hammadi texts, grouping them by theme and genre, and revealing to the uninitiated their most inscrutable mysteries.

Download or read book Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy written by A. H. B. Logan and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 1996-01-01 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Separate God written by Simone Pétrement and published by Harper San Francisco. This book was released on 1990 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Gnostic New Age written by April D. DeConick and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2016-09-27 with total page 515 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gnosticism is a countercultural spirituality that forever changed the practice of Christianity. Before it emerged in the second century, passage to the afterlife required obedience to God and king. Gnosticism proposed that human beings were manifestations of the divine, unsettling the hierarchical foundations of the ancient world. Subversive and revolutionary, Gnostics taught that prayer and mediation could bring human beings into an ecstatic spiritual union with a transcendent deity. This mystical strain affected not just Christianity but many other religions, and it characterizes our understanding of the purpose and meaning of religion today. In The Gnostic New Age, April D. DeConick recovers this vibrant underground history to prove that Gnosticism was not suppressed or defeated by the Catholic Church long ago, nor was the movement a fabrication to justify the violent repression of alternative forms of Christianity. Gnosticism alleviated human suffering, soothing feelings of existential brokenness and alienation through the promise of renewal as God. DeConick begins in ancient Egypt and follows with the rise of Gnosticism in the Middle Ages, the advent of theosophy and other occult movements in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and contemporary New Age spiritual philosophies. As these theories find expression in science-fiction and fantasy films, DeConick sees evidence of Gnosticism's next incarnation. Her work emphasizes the universal, countercultural appeal of a movement that embodies much more than a simple challenge to religious authority.

Download or read book The Nag Hammadi Library in English written by James McConkey Robinson and published by Brill Archive. This book was released on 1984 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Gnosis and Faith in Early Christianity written by Riemer Roukema and published by Burns & Oates. This book was released on 1999 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this introductory handbook, Riemer Roukema explores the meaning of the "gnosis" phenomenon and sets forth the relationship between Gnosticism and the church.

Download or read book Christian Gnosis written by C. W. Leadbeater and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 2012-12-13 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Then shall the candidate be bound upon the wooden cross . . . After the third day he shall be brought back from the dead and carried up to heaven to be on the right hand of Him from whom he came. Surprisingly, these lines are from an Egyptian initiation ritual thousands of years before the Christian drama. Linking the two is just one fascinating element in this profound introduction to esoteric Christianity, as timely today as when it was first published in 1920. Famed clairvoyant Charles Webster Leadbeater was a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, which preserves the sacraments while interpreting the scriptures with maximum freedom. He quotes St. Augustine himself saying that what we now call Christianity emerged at the very beginning of humanity as the one true religion. To access its transformative force, Leadbeater returns to original teachings and decodes its story symbolically as a guide for direct knowledge (Gr: gnosis) of the Divine. “As Christ had the Godhead behind Him, so have we the same power, although not yet unfolded as fully,” he says. “Nevertheless, it is only a question of development, and that development is certain.” With the authority of a scientist and a mystic, he addresses such topics as the birth of Christ in the heart; God’s utter love; divine grace; angelic help; the true meaning of salvation; and reincarnation and the evolution of the soul.

Download or read book From Poimandres to Jacob B hme written by Roel B. van den Broek and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2022-06-20 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The studies collected in this volume deal with ancient, medieval and early modern forms of Gnosis and the diverse expressions of their myths, rites, ideas and expectations. The emphasis lays on Hermetism in Antiquity and its influence in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the early modern period. The 14 contributions were written by R. van den Broek (3), C. Gilly (2), P. Kingsley (2), J.-P. Mahé (1), and G.Quispel (6). The book contains discussions of several aspects of the Hermetic and Gnostic tradition, such as hermetic religious practices, magic, alchemy, apocalyptic visions, and the influence of Hermetic ideas on Early Christian and medieval theologians. The volume is of interest for students of Graeco-Roman religiosity, Early Christianity, medieval theology and the Hermetic traditions in the Renaissance and later western culture

Download or read book Church and Gnosis written by F. C. Burkitt and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-12 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 1932 book contains five lectures delivered about the relationship between Church doctrine and Gnostic thought by F. C. Burkitt.

Download or read book Pre Christian Gnosticism written by Edwin M. Yamauchi and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2003-10-14 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most important issues facing New Testament scholarship today is the issue of Gnosticism. So wrote the author in 1973 in the first edition. With the publication since then of the entire Nag Hammadi library, this observation has become even more incisive. Was there a pre-Christian Gnosticism? Did Gnosticism directly or indirectly influence nascent Christianity? Many modern scholars argue that Gnosticism preceded the emergence of New Testament Christianity and constituted the raw material from which the apostles formed their message about Jesus. The author here analyzes the evidence used to support this thesis. He notes a series of methodological fallacies in the use of this evidence and concludes that clearly Gnostic materials are late and pre-Christian materials are not clearly Gnostic. A new chapter in this paperback edition brings the discussion up to date.

Download or read book The Gnostics written by David Brakke and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-03 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who were the Gnostics? And how did the Gnostic movement influence the development of Christianity in antiquity? Is it true that the Church rejected Gnosticism? This book offers an illuminating discussion of recent scholarly debates over the concept of ÒGnosticismÓ and the nature of early Christian diversity. Acknowledging that the category ÒGnosticismÓ is flawed and must be reformed, David Brakke argues for a more careful approach to gathering evidence for the ancient Christian movement known as the Gnostic school of thought. He shows how Gnostic myth and ritual addressed basic human concerns about alienation and meaning, offered a message of salvation in Jesus, and provided a way for people to regain knowledge of God, the ultimate source of their being. Rather than depicting the Gnostics as heretics or as the losers in the fight to define Christianity, Brakke argues that the Gnostics participated in an ongoing reinvention of Christianity, in which other Christians not only rejected their ideas but also adapted and transformed them. This book will challenge scholars to think in news ways, but it also provides an accessible introduction to the Gnostics and their fellow early Christians.