Download or read book Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes written by Mark H. Gaffney and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2004-04-19 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals the hidden meaning of the Grail and a secret Christian doctrine for achieving higher consciousness • Shows that Gnosticism is not a derivative of Christianity but the revelation of the true message of Jesus • Describes the ancient relationship between water and spirit • Explains the doctrine of immanence taught by Jesus at the Last Supper • Features the translated source text from The Refutation of All Heresies by Bishop Hippolytus, the only existing record of the Naassene Sermon In the third century C.E., the Catholic Bishop Hippolytus composed A Refutation of All Heresies in which his chief target was the Gnostic sect the Naassenes, whose writings included a recounting of Jesus’ actual teachings at the Last Supper. Contrary to Church attacks, the Naassenes were not a heretical derivative of Christianity but the authentic foundation and purveyor of Christ’s message. In fact, much of what passes as Christianity has nothing to do with the original teachings of its founder. The message recorded in the Naassene Sermon was intended for an inner circle of disciples who were prepared for advanced initiation into Jesus’ wisdom teachings. The Grail discussed therein was not an actual chalice but a symbol of the indwelling of the divine. The teachings involved the awakening of spirit and included practices aimed at restoring the soul’s lost connection with God. Immanence, in the true sense intended by Jesus, thus allows for spiritual attainment in this life by ordinary individuals without the intermediary of Church or priest. This was the real meaning of the Last Supper and why the Naassenes believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Mystery traditions.
Download or read book Thrice Greatest Hermes written by G. R. S. Mead and published by Jazzybee Verlag. This book was released on 1906 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the edition including all three books. The so-called Hermetic writings have been known to Christian writers for many centuries. The early church Fathers (Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria) quote them in defense of Christianity. Stobaeus collected fragments of them. The Humanists knew and valued them. They were studied in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and in modern times have again been diligently examined by many scholars. G. R. S. Mead has issued a translation of the whole body of extant literature, with extended prolegomena, commentary, etc. There is a wide difference of opinion as to the date at which this literature was produced. Mead believes that some of the extant portions of it are at least as early as the earliest Christian writings, while von Christ assigns them to the third Christian century, and thinks that they show the influence of neo-Platonism. To affirm that they influenced New Testament usage would be hazardous, but they perhaps throw some light on the direction in which thought was moving in New Testament times.
Download or read book ANCIENT SECRETS OF CREATION written by Dr. Fred Reiss and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2007-06-20 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sepher Yetzira is a second or third century Hebrew book that is considered to be the seminal work of Kabbalah because it is a mystical interpretation of the Old Testament's creation story, and Kabbalists delve beneath the surface of the Bible to understand the unspoken mysteries of how the world came to be. Ancient Secrets of Creation is a new translation and reinterpretation of Sepher Yetzira that provides the answers to questions about how God created the world, especially how the expression, "And God said" is used. Because of Sepher Yetzira's succinctness and the passage of time, its implicit meanings have been lost. However, this work provides a fresh understanding of Sepher Yetzira by rediscovering and clearly explaining those mathematical, scientific, philosophical, and theological foundations on which it rests. These include pertinent pre-Socratic Greek philosophies; the ideas of Plato, Plotinus, Iamblichus, Neopythagoreanism, and Neoplatonism; as well as the works of Philo of Alexandria, the Old Testament, and rabbinic understandings at the time that Sepher Yetzira was written. This translation and explication unlock the secrets hidden within the Hebrew-language text of Sepher Yetzira, the book that started Kabbalah.
Download or read book Plato s Dialogues written by Carol Dunn and published by SteinerBooks. This book was released on 2012-11 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 8 lectures, Basel and Dornach, December 22, 1918 - January 1, 1919 (CW 187) "This is the goal toward which mankind strives through the new wisdom, in the new spirit: To find in the spirit itself the power to overcome egotism and the falseness of life, to overcome self-seeking through love, the sham of life through truth, illness through health-giving thoughts that put us into immediate accord with the harmonies of the universe, because they flow from the harmonies of the harmonies of the universe" (Rudolf Steiner). Steiner examines the inner history of Christianity, explaining its relationship to ancient Judaism, Hellenism, Romanism, Gnosticism, and Egypto-Chaldean initiation. He describes the hidden spiritual battle raging today and the need for a renewal of the mysteries in a modern form. Today's road to Christ must involve a new, formative thinking whose Christian character is shown in the advent of selflessness, health, and a sense for truth. George O'Neil describes the nature of these lectures in his foreword: "As always, Rudolf Steiner spoke freely without using notes. Most of his audience had studied--or were at least familiar with--his written works and the published lecture cycles on the Gospels and related themes. A similar background will be needed for reading How Can Mankind Find the Christ Again? Such a background will prepare the reader for challenges and vistas not encountered elsewhere. Steiner's message of the new Christ Light midst the shadow existence of our age speaks to the modern soul in search of a cognitive reach" How Can Mankind Find the Christ Again? is a translation of Wie kan die Menschheit den Christus wiederfinden? Das dreifache Schattendasein unserer Zeit und das neue Christus-Licht (GA 187).
Download or read book Reincarnation Angels Demons and Ghosts written by Jill Amar and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2013-03-29 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The intent of writing this book was not to scare anyone but to make everyone of us, including myself, aware of the fact that there is life after death. Our soul keeps on living in another dimension. We are all accountable for our actions, thoughts, and intentions during our lifetime. Therefore, we must all be kind to one another, out of love for one another and not out of fear of retribution, so we can make this world a better place. After all, it is not only for the benefit of the people close to us and others we encounter during our lifetime but for our own as well. If you are true to yourself, pursue the truth, and are not afraid to face it, then this book is for you. We must all strive to become better people for everyones sake, including ourselves. There is judgment and a Judge after we die, and we must attest in front of the Judge to all of our actions, intentions, and thoughts during our lifetime here on earth.
Download or read book The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics written by Jean Doresse and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Gnosticism written by Robert McQueen Grant and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Secret Teachings of Jesus written by and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1986-05-12 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church. In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts -- the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas, and the Secret Book of John.
Download or read book Hidden Religion written by Micah Issitt and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-09-16 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering secret societies, mysterious ancient traditions, and the often-mistaken history of the world's religious symbols, this book takes readers on a tour through the fascinating world of religious symbolism and reveals the most mysterious and misunderstood facets of religion. Hidden Religion: The Greatest Mysteries and Symbols of the World's Religious Beliefs not only explores the history and origins of widely recognizable symbols, like the Christian cross and the Star of David, but also introduces readers to more obscure symbols from religious traditions around the world—even defunct ones like those of the ancient Aztec and Mayan societies. In addition, the book discusses the "religious secrets" found in the major religions, including secret societies of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Containing more than 170 entries, the encyclopedia is organized by religious category, such as Abrahamic, East Asian, and African Diasporic religions, then alphabetically within each category. Each entry is prefaced with a short introduction that explains where and when the religious tradition originated and describes the religion today. This information is followed by an analysis of the historical development and use of symbols along with an explanation of connections between symbols used by different religions, such as shared astrological symbolism in the form of moon, sun, or star motifs.
Download or read book Gnostic Mysteries of Sex written by Tobias Churton and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-08-17 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the sexual practices and doctrinal secrets of Gnosticism • Reconstructs the lost world of Gnostic spiritual-erotic experience through examination of every surviving text written by heresiologists • Investigates the sexual gnosis practices of the Barbelo Gnostics of the 2nd century and their connections to the Gnostic Aeon Sophia, the Wild Lady of Wisdom • Explains the vital significance of “the seed” as a sacrament in Gnostic practice Examining every surviving text written by heresiologists, accounts often ignored in favor of the famous Nag Hammadi Library, Tobias Churton reveals the most secret inner teaching passed down by initiated societies: the tradition of sexual gnosis--higher union with God through the sacrament of sex. Discovering actual sex practices hidden within the writings of the Church’s authorities, he reconstructs the lost world of Gnostic spiritual-erotic experience as taught by initiated masters and mistresses and practiced by Christian couples seeking spiritual freedom from the world. Churton explores the practices of the “first Gnostic,” the historical Simon Magus, and explains the vital significance of “the seed” in Gnostic practice, showing it to be the sacramental substance par excellence. He illuminates the suppressed truth of why the name “Valentine” came to be associated with ennobling erotic love and reveals profound parallels between sexual gnosis and Tantra, suggesting that gnosis lies at the root of the tantric path. Solving a millennia-old riddle regarding the identity and secret symbol of Sophia, the mysterious Gnostic “Aeon,” Churton investigates Sophia’s connections to Barbelo, also known as Pruneikos, the Wild Lady of Wisdom, and the central focus of the Barbelo Gnostics of the 2nd century, whose religious sex practices so shocked orthodox Christian contemporaries that they were condemned, their cults of spiritual gnosis and “redemption by sin” driven underground. Churton exposes the mystery of Sophia in the philosophy of the medieval Troubadours and explores William Blake’s inheritance of secret Renaissance sexual mysticism through the revolutionary English poet Andrew Marvell. Showing how Blake’s sexual and spiritual revolution connects to modern sexual magic, Churton also examines the esoteric meaning of the free-love explosion of the 1960s, revealing how sex can be raised from the realm of guilt into the highest magical sacrament of spiritual transformation.
Download or read book Mesmer s Disciple written by Edward Swanson and published by Alvord Rawn Series. This book was released on 2023-09-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As dark forces gather, a small band of men take a stand against evil in this thrilling period adventure.
Download or read book Grief s Liturgy written by Gerald J. Postema and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-10-03 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At once a lament-psalm and a love song, Grief's Liturgy records Gerald Postema's work and worship of grief upon the loss of his wife, a year's work aided by the companions--poetry and prayers, icons and images, music and silence--that sat patiently with him. Structured around the liturgy of the Divine Office, reflections in each "hour" take on a distinctive expressive and emotional tone and fall into a jagged, broken rhythm over the course of each "day" yielding ultimately an understanding of the life-affirming necessity of grief.
Download or read book Gnosis written by Kurt Rudolph and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2001-06-20 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Translated by R. McL. WilsonA full-scale study based on the documents of the Coptic Gnostic library found at Nag Hammadi providing a comprehensive survey of the nature, the teachings, the history and the influence of this religion.
Download or read book The Everything Gnostic Gospels Book written by Meera Lester and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-02-12 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The books of the Bible are not the only ancient writings to tell the stories of Jesus and his followers - other Gnostic texts have also been found as well. The Everything Gnostic Gospels Book provides an overview of Gnosticism and the historical figures who are believed to be the authors: Thomas, James, Mary Magdalene, and others. This accessible guide explores the following questions: What do Gnostics believe? Who were the authors of the Gnostic Gospels? How are the Bible scriptures and Gnostic Gospels different? How are they the same? How were "official" Christian texts chosen? Learn about the different versions of Christianity that battled for supremacy in the first centuries after the death of Jesus. This entertaining and educational book describes each of the Gnostic Gospels, providing insight into the turbulent times of early Christianity as well as the renewed contemporary interest in these mysterious writings.
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 Gnostic Religion in Antiquity written by R. van den Broek and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-24 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of Gnostic religion in Late Antiquity within its historical and religious context, using Greek, Latin and Coptic sources.
Download or read book The Celebrant written by Eric Rolfe Greenberg and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first two decades of the twentieth century were a time of promise and innocence in America. Hardworking immigrants could achieve the American dream; heroes were truly heroic. Eric Rolfe Greenberg brilliantly and authentically chronicles the real-life saga of the first national baseball hero, Christy Mathewson, and the fictional story of a Jewish immigrant family of jewelers. In these pages Mathewson and other great players like John McGraw, Honus Wagner, and Connie Mack discover the realities behind the shining illusions: the burdens of being a hero and the temptations that taint success.
