Download or read book The Essence of the Gnostics written by Bernard Simon and published by Arcturus Publishing. This book was released on 2005-03-01 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For what is it that the All lacked, if not the knowledge of the Father?' - Gnostic text from the Gospel of Truth Long before there was a system of belief called Gnosticism there were those who reached for a special intimate knowledge of God and His mysterious ways. The possession of such knowledge, they believed, would bring salvation from suffering. All religious traditions acknowledged that the world is imperfect. Where they differ is in the explanations they offer for this imperfection - and in what they suggest might be done about it. While many religionists hold that humans are to be blamed for these imperfections, the Gnostics believed that the world is flawed because it was created in a flawed manner, thereby implicating the creator. Such a perspective was regarded as blasphemous by fellow-Christians at the dawn of the new religion, and led to the sect's persecution. Equally concerning were the Gnostics' liberal views regarding sex, the role of women, and toleration of other faiths. In The Essence of the Gnostics Bernard Simon offers a fascinating insight into this ancient and yet in many ways surprisingly contemporary faith, and explores the reasons for its current renaissance.
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 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 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 The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead written by Stephan A Hoeller and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 2012-12-13 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jungian psychology based on a little known treatise he authored in his earlier years.
Download or read book Gnosticism and the History of Religions written by David G. Robertson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-03-23 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on critical work in biblical studies, which shows how a historically-bounded heretical tradition called Gnosticism was 'invented', this work focuses on the following stage in which it was “essentialised” into a sui generis, universal category of religion. At the same time, it shows how Gnosticism became a religious self-identifier, with a number of sizable contemporary groups identifying as Gnostics today, drawing on the same discourses. This book provides a history of this problematic category, and its relationship with scholarly and popular discourse on religion in the twentieth century. It uses a critical-historical method to show how and why Gnosis, Gnostic and Gnosticism were taken up by specific groups and individuals – practitioners and scholars – at different times. It shows how ideas about Gnosticism developed in late nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholarship, drawing from continental phenomenology, Jungian psychology and post-Holocaust theology, to be constructed as a perennial religious current based on special knowledge of the divine in a corrupt world. David G. Robertson challenges how scholars interact with the category Gnosticism, and contributes to our understanding of the complex relationship between primary sources, academics and practitioners in category formation.
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 250 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 The Gnostics written by Andrew Phillip Smith and published by Watkins Media Limited. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the ancient Gnostics—the early Christians who wrote such controversial texts as the recently discovered Gospel of Judas—we are all capable of gnosis, or direct knowledge of the true reality that lies behind the material world. Andrew Phillip Smith, author of respected works on the lost sayings of Jesus, the Gospel of Philip, and other Gnostic subjects, now offers a highly accessible layman’s introduction to this long-suppressed philosophy that offers an intriguing alternative to accepted Christian beliefs. With references to The Da Vinci Code, The Matrix, and other fictions inspired by the Gnostic worldview, this is an eye-opening, and possibly life-changing book meant to revive forgotten traditions, and perhaps even allow readers to experience gnosis themselves.
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 The Gnostic Bible The Pistis Sophia Unveiled written by Samael Aun Weor and published by Glorian Publishing. This book was released on 2011-02-24 with total page 703 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “It came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them.” The Apostles wrote down what Jesus taught them during those eleven years, resulting in The Pistis Sophia, the most important Gnostic scripture. Includes an extensive commentary by Samael Aun Weor.
Download or read book Not in His Image 15th Anniversary Edition written by John Lamb Lash and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09-18 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Lash is capable of explaining the mind-bending concepts of Gnosticism and pagan mystery cults with bracing clarity and startling insight. . . . [His] arguments are often lively and entertaining.”—Los Angeles Times Fully revised and with a new preface by the author, this timely update is perfect for readers of The Immortality Key. Since its initial release to wide acclaim in 2006, Not in His Image has transformed the lives of readers around the world by presenting the living presence of the Wisdom Goddess as never before revealed, illustrating that the truth of an impactful Gnostic message cannot be hidden or destroyed. With clarity, author John Lamb Lash explains how a little-known messianic sect propelled itself into a dominant world power, systematically wiping out the great Gnostic spiritual teachers, the Druid priests, and the shamanistic healers of Europe and North Africa. Early Christians burned libraries and destroyed temples in an attempt to silence the ancient truth-tellers and keep their own secrets. Not in His Image delves deeply into ancient Gnostic writings to reconstruct the story early Christians tried to scrub from the pages of history, exploring the richness of the ancient European Pagan spirituality—the Pagan Mysteries, the Great Goddess, Gnosis, the myths of Sophia and Gaia. In the 15th Anniversary Edition, Lash doubles down on his original argument against redemptive ideology and authoritarian deceit. He shows how the Gnostics clearly foresaw the current program of salvation by syringe, and places the Sophianic vision of life centrally in the battle to expose and oppose the evil agenda of transhumanism, making this well-timed update more relevant than ever. “Sometimes a book changes the world. Not in His Image is such a book. It is clear, stimulating, well-researched, and sure to outrage the experts. . . . Get it. Improve not just your own life, but civilization’s chances for survival.”—Roger Payne, author of Among Whales
Download or read book Gnosticism written by Robin Sacredfire and published by 22 Lions. This book was released on with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gnosis is a Greek word meaning “knowledge”. In this case, knowledge acquired by direct experience and personal understanding, contrary to knowledge acquired by the accumulation of information. Gnosis is the essence of humanity’s wisdom, expressed in art, science, philosophy and religious traditions. It is the understanding of sacred geometry and the rules that control the whole universe. It was the faith of the Christians who were persecuted by the Catholic Church, and later the faith of the Knights Templar, once they discovered the Gnostic gospels. The path of Gnosis is developed through meditation, by opening the Third Eye, traveling astrally, developing psychic abilities, talking to saints, avatars, guides, and even by talking to the dead. The ultimate purpose is to develop an aura of Saint and finally merge with God. Those who follow this path, develop mastery once in possession of powers that transcend their body, such as fortunetelling, premonitions, telepathic abilities, and so on. And they do know that darkness is necessary for there to be light, they embrace it, but they ultimately work on the side of the light to bring order out of chaos. They are co-creators with God, builders or masons that co-create with the architect of the universe, God.
Download or read book Gnosticism written by Stephan A Hoeller and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 2012-12-13 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gnosticism developed alongside Judeo-Christianity over two thousand years ago, but with an important difference: It emphasizes, not faith, but direct perception of God--Gnosticism being derived from the Greek word gnosis, meaning "knowledge." Given the controversial premise that one can know God directly, the history of Gnosticism is an unfolding drama of passion, political intrigue, martyrdom, and mystery. Dr. Hoeller traces this fascinating story throughout time and shows how Gnosticism has inspired such great thinkers as Voltaire, Blake, Yeats, Hesse, Melville, and Jung.
Download or read book Gnostic Writings on the Soul written by and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just what is a "soul," exactly? Where did the idea come from? How do we experience our souls? Two ancient Gnostic texts - The Exegesis on the Soul and The Hymn of the Pearl, both presented here in all-new translations - hold important clues to the development of the soul as a concept and reveal inspiring ways your own soul can remember and return to its unique, divine purpose.The Exegesis on the Soul depicts the soul as a feminine figure who has fallen into the corrupted world and must find her way back to the Divine. It is a hero's journey that will inspire your own spiritual pilgrimage. The Hymn of the Pearl is an allegorical story about a prince sent to retrieve a precious pearl but who soon-like many of us-forgets his purpose and falls asleep. It is a stirring tale of the importance of remembering your soul's identity and calling-and knowing that only you can fulfill your unique destiny. Accessible facing-page commentary explains the text for you and increases your sensitivity to the movements of your own soul, while additional material drawing on Christianity, Platonism, Judaism, Buddhism, Hin duism, Islam, indigenous religions, and modern philosophical and psychological notions of the soul places the Gnostic teachings in a clear historical context.
Download or read book Pistis Sophia written by and published by Book Tree. This book was released on 2003 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early Christian mystical groups were called Gnostics, meaning those who know, because of their spiritual knowledge. Their teachers were persecuted and most documents destroyed because the Church desired a uniform set of beliefs to operate under. "Pistis Sophis" was the most important Gnostic work until the discovery and publication of "The Nag Hammadi Library". It remains an important milestone in Gnostic research and should be part of any serious study. It is the story of how we, as spiritual beings, have fallen into the physical world. The soul is asleep, unaware of its true nature, but the purpose of this gospel is to help awaken us.
Download or read book The Gnostics written by Tobias Churton and published by Barnes & Noble Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Greek word 'gnosis' means knowledge; the Gnostics themselves used it to refer to the spiritual knowledge they believed would redeem them from what they regarded as the inherent evil of the material universe. As a mystical alternative tradition within Christianity, Gnosticism suffered the hostility of the official church and, as a result, remains largely unknown or misunderstood to this day.
Download or read book The Gnostics written by Jacques Lacarriere and published by Peter Owen Publishers. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gnostics have always sought to “know” rather than to accept dogma and doctrine, often to their peril. This inquiry into Gnosticism examines the character, history, and beliefs of a brave and vigorous spiritual quest that originated in the ancient Near East and continues into the present day.Lawrence Durrell writes, “This is a strange and original essay, more a work of literature than of scholarship, though its documentation is impeccable. It is as convincing a reconstruction of the way the Gnostics lived and thought as D.H. Lawrence’s intuitive recreation of the vanished Etruscans.”
