The Gnostic World
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The Gnostic World
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Author : Garry W. Trompf
language : en
Publisher: Routledge
Release Date : 2018-10-03
The Gnostic World written by Garry W. Trompf and has been published by Routledge this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2018-10-03 with Religion categories.
The Gnostic World is an outstanding guide to Gnosticism, written by a distinguished international team of experts to explore Gnostic movements from the distant past until today. These themes are examined across sixty-seven chapters in a variety of contexts, from the ancient pre-Christian to the contemporary. The volume considers the intersection of Gnosticism with Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Indic practices and beliefs, and also with new religious movements, such as Theosophy, Scientology, Western Sufism, and the Nation of Islam. This comprehensive handbook will be an invaluable resource for religious studies students, scholars, and researchers of Gnostic doctrine and history.
The Gnostic New Age
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Author : April D. DeConick
language : en
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Release Date : 2016-09-27
The Gnostic New Age written by April D. DeConick and has been published by Columbia University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-09-27 with Religion categories.
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.
The Gnostic Attitude By Geo Widengren
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Author : Birger A. Pearson
language : en
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Release Date : 2014-03-01
The Gnostic Attitude By Geo Widengren written by Birger A. Pearson and has been published by Wipf and Stock Publishers this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014-03-01 with Religion categories.
About the Contributor(s): Geo Widengren (1907-1996) was a Swedish Orientalist and scholar of religion. He concentrated on the religions of the ancient Near East, and specifically of Iran. He also studied Judaism, Islam, and religious phenomenology. Birger A. Pearson is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Professor and Interim Director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Essence Of The Gnostics
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Author : Bernard Simon
language : en
Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
Release Date : 2005-03-01
The Essence Of The Gnostics written by Bernard Simon and has been published by Arcturus Publishing this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2005-03-01 with Religion categories.
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.
The Gnostics
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Author : Jacques Lacarriere
language : en
Publisher: City Lights Books
Release Date : 1989
The Gnostics written by Jacques Lacarriere and has been published by City Lights Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1989 with Philosophy categories.
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.
The Gnostics
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Author : Andrew Phillip Smith Author
language : en
Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers
Release Date : 2012-01-03
The Gnostics written by Andrew Phillip Smith Author and has been published by Duncan Baird Publishers this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-01-03 with Religion categories.
The Gnostics is a one-stop guide to everything you need to know about this mystical movement that teaches knowledge of God rather than unquestioning faith.
Gnosticism The History And Legacy Of The Mysterious Ancient Religion
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Author : Charles River Editors
language : en
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date : 2019-03-18
Gnosticism The History And Legacy Of The Mysterious Ancient Religion written by Charles River Editors and has been published by Independently Published this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019-03-18 with History categories.
*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "This knowledge is not something that can be put into words like other sciences; but after long-continued intercourse between teacher and pupil, in joint pursuit of the subject, suddenly, like light flashing forth when a fire is kindled, it is born in the soul and straightway nourishes itself." - Plato Gnosticism is one of the great mysteries in the history of Western religion. At its core is an ancient Greek word, gnōsis, a word prominent in the writings of Plato which refers to a deep personal knowledge or understanding that often transcends the physical world. The Gnostics painted a picture of a fallen, broken world in which physicality was a product of a lesser deity. This deity was created in defiance of the One and in order to trap humans and blind them to the truths of their predicament and divine origins. By acquiring insight, or gnōsis, in this secret nature of the world, humans might escape their prison. Only through knowledge can people be set free. As that makes clear, Gnosticism as a belief system is difficult to define since it is not a well-organized or uniform doctrine like Christianity or Judaism, but at one time there was some synchronization with Christianity that nurtured both movements. As a religion and philosophy, Gnosticism flourished alongside Christianity, and it is not easy to say which one came first, but it is certain that both movements influenced each other. To paraphrase John Dominic Crossan, it is unclear whether Gnosticism was a Christian heresy, a Jewish heresy, or an original religion that powerfully merged with both. Gnosticism borrowed elements from Christians, just as the whole of Christianity took a certain Gnostic flavor, to the point that some books of the New Testament, especially the Gospel of John, could easily pass as a proto-Gnostic document. At the risk of oversimplifying, Gnosticism was the belief that the souls are divine sparks imprisoned in imperfect physical bodies, due to the machinations of a lesser and evil god who created the world. This evil god is identified with the creator of the Genesis and the Hebrew Bible. The material world and the body are prisons separated from the divine realm, from which humans must escape through the ascent of various levels. This is possible through the acquisition of secret knowledge reserved for the elect. This special revelation or gnosis (knowledge) was supposedly disclosed by Jesus to his dearest disciples, and it can be found in the Gnostic books, deliberately written in cryptic language. The acquisition of the secrets necessary for the salvation of the soul in many cases implied a radical asceticism and corporal sacrifice. Due to such classical roots, it would be easy to conclude that Gnosticism is an ancient philosophy, and a cursory glance might categorize it as simply a way of understanding the world and promoting investigation. However, the term is most often used to describe not a philosophy but a religion, and not just any religion, but a branch of one of the most resilient and influential traditions in history: Christianity. So what exactly is Gnosticism, and why does it remain such a source of confusion, captivation, and charisma for modern scholarship and culture alike? These answers are complex, and indicative of how the many turnings of the last two millennia have unexpectedly unearthed some answers while burying others even deeper. Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion looks at the different origins that shaped Gnosticism, what Gnostics believed and practiced, and the influence they had on other religions. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Gnosticism like never before.
World Gnosis
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Author : Mark Amaru Pinkham
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2010
World Gnosis written by Mark Amaru Pinkham and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010 with Body, Mind & Spirit categories.
Traces connections between Gnostics, Sufis, Knights Templar, Cathars, Fremasons, the Illuminati, and practitioners of alchemy and magic; predicts a peaceful culmination of human civilization.
The Secret History Of The Gnostics
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Author : Andrew Phillip Smith
language : en
Publisher: Watkins Media Limited
Release Date : 2015-11-24
The Secret History Of The Gnostics written by Andrew Phillip Smith and has been published by Watkins Media Limited this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2015-11-24 with Religion categories.
The Secret History of the Gnostics offers long-awaited illumination on the mystical movement that teaches 'gnosis' - knowledge of God as opposed to unquestioning faith. Acclaimed author Andrew Phillip Smith delves into the myths and practices of this ancient movement, exploring its popularity during 2nd century AD, its subsequent decline under the weight of orthodoxy in the Church, and its present-day resurgence. Gnosticism has travelled a fascinating path - from the Manichaeans in Modern Persia between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD, to the triumphs and tragedies of the Cathars in Southern Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries, to, finally, today's Mandaeans in Iraq. However, as the author points out, the revival of Gnosticism extends further than these narrow sects, offering inspiration to a legion of literary figures, including Dan Brown and Philip Pullman. Gnosticism's emphasis on personal over organized religion, in keeping with the doctrine of the early Christian era during which it thrived, has found particular resonance with today's multicultural world. The Secret History of the Gnostics is not simply an authoritative account of one sect's practical beliefs and customs - it is, in effect, a manifesto, an appeal to those inspired by or drawn to the Gnostic faith not to forget its origins.
The Gnostic Scriptures
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Author : Joseph Lumpkin
language : en
Publisher: Fifth Estate Incorporated
Release Date : 2006-01-01
The Gnostic Scriptures written by Joseph Lumpkin and has been published by Fifth Estate Incorporated this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2006-01-01 with Religion categories.
To understand some of the basic beliefs of Gnosticism, let us start with the common ground shared between Gnosticism and modern Christianity. Both believe the world is imperfect, corrupt, and brutal. The blame for this, according to mainstream Christianity, is placed squarely on the shoulders of man himself. With the fall of man (Adam), the world was forever changed to the undesirable and harmful place in which we live today. However, Gnostics reject this view as an incorrect interpretation of the creation myth. According to Gnostics, the blame is not in ourselves, but in our creator. The creator of this world was himself somewhat less than perfect and in fact, deeply flawed and cruel, making mankind the children of a lesser God....The parallel between Sophia and Mary Magdalene in Gnostic theology cannot be overstated. Sophia was the handmaiden of the Supreme God, carrying the life force, which was the emanation of God. She carried the truth within her, which she offered to Adam. The truth was offered up to set him free. Mary was the consort of Jesus, carrying the imparted knowledge and possibly his life force in the form of a child. She revealed to the apostles the truth Jesus personally and intimately gave to her alone. We will see this stated clearly in The Gospel of Mary Magdalene later in this book.