Insights Into Christian Esoterism

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Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9780900588396
Total Pages : 148 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

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Book Synopsis Insights Into Christian Esoterism by : René Guénon

Download or read book Insights Into Christian Esoterism written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2005-05 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of René Guénon's lifelong quests was to discover, or revive, the esoteric, initiatory dimension of the Christian tradition. In the present volume, along with its companion volume The Esoterism of Dante, Guénon undertakes to establish that the three parts of The Divine Comedy represent the stages of initiatic realization, exploring the parallels between the symbolism of the Commedia and that of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and Christian Hermeticism, and illustrating Dante's knowledge of traditional sciences unknown to the moderns: the sciences of numbers, of cosmic cycles, and of sacred astrology. In these works Guénon also touches on the all-important question of medieval esoterism and discusses the role of sacred languages and the principle of initiation in the Christian tradition, as well as such esoteric Christian themes and organizations as the Holy Grail, the Guardians of the Holy Land, the Sacred Heart, the Fedeli d'Amore and the 'Courts of Love', and the Secret Language of Dante. One chapter in the present volume, 'Christianity and Initiation', is of special interest with regard to the history of the Traditionalist School. When first published as an article, it gave rise to some controversy because Guénon here reaffirmed his denial of the efficacy of the Christian sacraments as rites of initiation, a point of divergence between the teachings of Guénon and those of other key perennialist thinkers. Both The Esoterism of Dante and Insights into Christian Esoterism will be of inestimable value to all who are struggling to come to terms with the fullness of the Christian tradition.

The Esoterism of Dante

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Author :
Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9781597310581
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (15 download)

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Book Synopsis The Esoterism of Dante by : René Guénon

Download or read book The Esoterism of Dante written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2005-05 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Especially since the Renaissance, some in Western Christendom have suspected that the deeper dimension of their tradition has somehow been lost, and have therefore sought to discover, or create, an 'esoteric' or 'initiatic' Christianity. In the middle of the nineteenth century two scholars, Gabriele Rossetti and Eugène Aroux, pointed to certain esoteric meanings in the work of Dante Alighieri, notably The Divine Comedy. Partly based on their scholarship, Guénon in 1925 published The Esoterism of Dante. From the theses of Rosetti and Aroux, Guénon retains only those elements that prove the existence of such hidden meanings; but he also makes clear that esoterism is not 'heresy' and that a doctrine reserved for an elite can be superimposed on the teaching given the faithful without standing in opposition to it. One of René Guénon's lifelong quests was to discover, or revive, the esoteric, initiatory dimension of the Christian tradition. In the present volume, along with its companion volume Insights into Christian Esoterism (which includes the separate study Saint Bernard), Guénon undertakes to establish that the three parts of The Divine Comedy represent the stages of initiatic realization, exploring the parallels between the symbolism of the Commedia and that of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and Christian Hermeticism, and illustrating Dante's knowledge of traditional sciences unknown to the moderns: the sciences of numbers, of cosmic cycles, and of sacred astrology. In these works Guénon also touches on the all-important question of medieval esoterism and discusses the role of sacred languages and the principle of initiation in the Christian tradition, as well as such esoteric Christian themes and organizations as the Holy Grail, the Guardians of the Holy Land, the Sacred Heart, the Fedeli d'Amore and the 'Courts of Love', and the Secret Language of Dante. In addition to Dante, various other paths toward a possible Christian esoterism have been explored by many investigators-the legend of the Holy Grail, the Knights Templars, the tradition of Courtly Love, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and Christian Hermeticism-and Guénon deals with all of these in the present volume as well as his Insights into Christian Esoterism. In the latter, one chapter in particular, 'Christianity and Initiation', will be of special interest with regard to the history of the Traditionalist School. When first published as an article, it gave rise to some controversy because Guénon here reaffirmed his denial of the efficacy of the Christian sacraments as rites of initiation, a point of divergence between the teachings of Guénon and those of other key perennialist thinkers. Both The Esoterism of Dante and Insights into Christian Esoterism will be of inestimable value to all who are struggling to come to terms with the fullness of the Christian tradition.

Insights Into Islamic Esoterism and Taoism

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Author :
Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9780900588259
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (882 download)

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Book Synopsis Insights Into Islamic Esoterism and Taoism by : René Guénon

Download or read book Insights Into Islamic Esoterism and Taoism written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2001 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This small volume brings together a number of Guénon's early articles relating to Sufism (tasawwuf), or Islamic esoterism. A later article, 'Islamic Esoterism', has also been included, since it articulates so well the particularities of initiation in Islam by defining the fundamental elements of tasawwuf: shari'ah, tariqah, haqiqah. The first constitutes the necessary fundamental exoteric basis; the second, the Way and its means; the third, the goal or final result. In the other chapters, Guénon expresses with his usual synthetic clarity what tawhid and faqr are, and gives examples of traditional sciences, relating angelology to the Arabic alphabet, and chirology to the science of letters ('ilm al-huruf). A number of book and article reviews give further insights into Islamic cosmology. Some may feel that the essay 'Taoism and Confucianism' here included has little relevance to Sufism and Islam. However, such writers as Toshihiko Izutsu and Sachiko Murata have drawn many parallels between the two traditions. Confucianism, concentrating on social and interpersonal norms, functions as a kind of shari'ah in the context of Chinese religion, while Taoism, like Sufism, is precisely the esoteric Way.

Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage

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Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9780900588884
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (888 download)

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Book Synopsis Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage by : René Guénon

Download or read book Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2004 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: René Guénon (1886-1951) was one of the great luminaries of the twentieth century, whose critique of the modern world has stood fast against the shifting sands of intellectual fashion. His extensive writings, now finally available in English, are a providential treasure-trove for the modern seeker: while pointing ceaselessly to the perennial wisdom found in past cultures ranging from the Shamanistic to the Indian and Chinese, the Hellenic and Judaic, the Christian and Islamic, and including also Alchemy, Hermeticism, and other esoteric currents, they direct the reader also to the deepest level of religious praxis, emphasizing the need for affiliation with a revealed tradition even while acknowledging the final identity of all spiritual paths as they approach the summit of spiritual realization. Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage is both an attempt to rediscover the lost roots of Masonry and a fascinating look into the many controversies swirling around the subject of Masonry in serious intellectual circles during the first half of the twentieth century. It must also be classed, along with Symbols of Sacred Science, Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power, Traditional Forms and Cosmic Cycles, The Esoterism of Dante, Insights into Christian Esoterism and Insights into Islamic Esoterism and Taoism-not to mention related sections in many of his other books-as one of René Guénon's masterful excursions into esoteric myth, symbolism, and secret history. Freemasonry may indeed be, as Guénon ultimately concluded, a largely degenerated and thus no longer strictly 'operative' offshoot of a true initiatory lineage; yet its symbolism, like that of the original Rosicrucians, remains profound, traditional, and therefore ultimately legitimate. And given that the 'Spirit bloweth where it listeth', it is always possible that symbolism of this order may awaken in a receptive soul intimations of the Truth and the Way, which can be of inestimable of value in 'the path to the Path', the quest for a living initiatory spirituality.

Perspectives on Initiation

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Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9780900588327
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

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Book Synopsis Perspectives on Initiation by : René Guénon

Download or read book Perspectives on Initiation written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2001 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power

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Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9780900588471
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (884 download)

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Book Synopsis Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power by : René Guénon

Download or read book Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2001 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power is an analysis of cyclical manifestation, and more specifically of the relationship between royal and sacerdotal power. In accord with the Hindu doctrine of manvantaras and Plato's depiction of historical degeneration in the Republic, Guénon views history here as a series of 'revolts' of lower castes against the higher. The kshatriyas (warriors) revolt against the brahmins (priests), thus setting the stage for a revolt of the vaishyas (loosely, the bourgeoisie), as in the French revolution-and, finally, the shudras (the proletariat), as in the Russian revolution (which Guénon does not touch upon in this work). From one point of view, this is a progressive degeneration; from another it is entirely lawful, given the 'entropic' nature of manifestation itself. External, historical descent reflects an inner degeneration: knowledge (the celestial paradise) is eclipsed by heroic action (the terrestrial paradise), which is in turn overrun by the inertia and agitation of the passions. Yet the nadir of degeneration is also the point of renewal: the dawning of the Heavenly Jerusalem-spiritual Knowledge-which begins a new cycle of manifestation.

Guénonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery

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Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9781597310147
Total Pages : 532 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis Guénonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery by : Jean Borella

Download or read book Guénonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery written by Jean Borella and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2005-03 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rene Guenon's explication of the principles of an interior understanding of sacred forms has established his reputation in the West as the master theorist of esoterism. But till now his doctrine has not been the focus of thorough study in Christian circles, and this has had serious consequences. Guenonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery is the first major work to combine an analysis of Guenon's ideas about esoterism with a critical examination of their application to Christianity in terms of data provided by Christianity itself. But to accomplish this, such data cannot simply be surveyed superficially-it must be known firsthand; hence the abundance of citations and references in this text. Such an approach not only lets us decide about certain issues, but may also help us rediscover an all too misunderstood facet of the revelation of Christ. Jean Borella taught philosophy at the University of Nancy until 1995. A Platonist by formation, he has been strongly influenced by Guenon and Eastern metaphysics. But his deepest inspiration derives from unceasing meditation on the Christian faith, which led him to undertake the present searching critique of 'Guenonian Christianity'. A religious philosopher, he strives to hear the reverberations awakened in human thought by revelation. "Rene Guenon was one of the great metaphysical minds of the last few centuries, and it was a great loss to the Catholic Church when he converted to Islam. Prof. Borella shows in this landmark study exactly where Guenon's work remains of perennial value for Christians, but also demonstrates the limitations and personal idiosyncrasies which led Guenon to distort some of the most important elements of Catholic and Orthodox doctrine. Prof. Borella's book may well stimulate the recovery of authentic metaphysics within the Church for which Guenon longed, but which he despaired of seeing in his lifetime." -Stratford Caldecott Editor, Second Spring, Director (UK) of the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture"

The King of the World

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Publisher : Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9780900588587
Total Pages : 116 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (885 download)

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Book Synopsis The King of the World by : René Guénon

Download or read book The King of the World written by René Guénon and published by Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2001 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This remarkable book grew out of a conference headed by René Guénon, the sinologist René Grousset, and the neo-Thomist Jacques Maritain on questions raised by Ferdinand Ossendowski's thrilling account in his Men, Beast and Gods of an escape through Central Asia, during which he foils enemies and encounters shamans and Mongolian lamas, whose marvels he describes. The book caused a great sensation, especially the closing chapters, where Ossendowski recounts legends allegedly entrusted to him concerning the 'King of the World' and his subterranean kingdom Agarttha. The present book, one of Guénon's most controversial, was written in response to this conference and develops the theme of the King of the World from the point of view of traditional metaphysics. Chapters include: Western Ideas about Agarttha; Shekinah and Metatron; The Three Supreme Functions; Symbolism of the Grail; Melki-Tsedeq; Luz: Abode of Immortality; The Supreme Center concealed during the Kali-Yuga; and The Omphalos and Sacred Stones .

The Fullness of God

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Publisher : World Wisdom, Inc
ISBN 13 : 9780941532587
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (325 download)

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Book Synopsis The Fullness of God by : Frithjof Schuon

Download or read book The Fullness of God written by Frithjof Schuon and published by World Wisdom, Inc. This book was released on 2004 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, this book collects from Schoun's vast corpus his writings on Christianity, including selections from his personal correspondence and other previously unpunblished materials.

Hidden Truths from Eden

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Publisher : Society of Biblical Lit
ISBN 13 : 1628370130
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (283 download)

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Book Synopsis Hidden Truths from Eden by : Caroline Vander Stichele

Download or read book Hidden Truths from Eden written by Caroline Vander Stichele and published by Society of Biblical Lit. This book was released on 2014-10-31 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examine a rich history of spiritual interpretations from antiquity to the present Since the sixteenth century CE, the field of biblical studies has focused on the literal meaning of texts. This collection seeks to rectify this oversight by integrating the study of esoteric readings into academic discourse. Case studies focusing on the first three chapters of Genesis cover different periods and methods from early Christian discourse through zoharic, kabbalistic and alchemical literature to modern and post-postmodern approaches. Features: Discussions, comparisons, and analyses of esoteric appropriations of Genesis 1–3 Essays on creation myths, gender, fate and free will, the concepts of knowledge, wisdom, and gnosis Repsonses to papers that provide a range of view points

Foundations of Esotericism

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Publisher : Rudolf Steiner Press
ISBN 13 : 185584561X
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (558 download)

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Book Synopsis Foundations of Esotericism by : Rudolf Steiner

Download or read book Foundations of Esotericism written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2019-04-25 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘It is a cosmic law that what has once taken place can never vanish, but must reappear later in a metamorphosed form. Every thought, feeling and action brought about by man does not only affect the world around him but will reappear in the future…’ (From the Preface) This course of lectures was originally offered as private, strictly verbal instruction to a select group of esoteric pupils. In an atmosphere of earnest study, Rudolf Steiner ‘translated’ from the Akashic Script valuable concepts of human and cosmic knowledge into words of earthly language – content that is often not to be found in his later lectures. Although working within the Theosophical Society, Steiner was an independent spiritual teacher: ‘… I would only bring forward the results of what I beheld in my own spiritual research.’ The manifold, exact and detailed descriptions of the events of evolution in these lectures form a background to the evolving figure of the human being. The mighty event of the moon leaving the Earth, vividly described, took place – according to Rudolf Steiner – in order to provide an environment suited to human progress. The wonderful moment when the higher being of man descended in a bell-like form and enveloped the lower human body, still on a level with the animals, depicts what eventually provided human beings with a body suited to the development of the self or ‘I’. Spiritual beings and the great initiates led humanity along the path it was destined to tread. Rudolf Steiner presents a sweep of occult knowledge, including the phases of planetary evolution, various myths and symbols, human physical and spiritual organs, illness, reincarnation, and much more. Also included are unexpected insights into specific phenomena such as dinosaurs, bacteria, radiation, black and white magic, the Sphinx and Freemasonry.

Esoterism as Principle and as Way

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Author :
Publisher : Harper Perennial
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Esoterism as Principle and as Way by : Frithjof Schuon

Download or read book Esoterism as Principle and as Way written by Frithjof Schuon and published by Harper Perennial. This book was released on 1981 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Esotericism and the Academy

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 0521196213
Total Pages : 479 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (211 download)

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Book Synopsis Esotericism and the Academy by : Wouter J. Hanegraaff

Download or read book Esotericism and the Academy written by Wouter J. Hanegraaff and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-19 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The neglected history of how intellectuals since the Renaissance have approached ideas of the occult which challenged biblical religion.

Ye Shall Know the Truth

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Publisher : World Wisdom, Inc
ISBN 13 : 0941532690
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (415 download)

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Book Synopsis Ye Shall Know the Truth by : Mateus Soares de Azevedo

Download or read book Ye Shall Know the Truth written by Mateus Soares de Azevedo and published by World Wisdom, Inc. This book was released on 2005 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains essays on mysticism, prayer, sacred art, the relationship between Christianity and other religious.

Concealment and Revelation

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400827965
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Concealment and Revelation by : Moshe Halbertal

Download or read book Concealment and Revelation written by Moshe Halbertal and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-10 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, great new trends of Jewish thought emerged whose widely varied representatives--Kabbalists, philosophers, and astrologers--each claimed that their particular understanding revealed the actual secret of the Torah. They presented their own readings in a coded fashion that has come to be regarded by many as the very essence of esotericism. Concealment and Revelation takes us on a fascinating journey to the depths of the esoteric imagination. Carefully tracing the rise of esotericism and its function in medieval Jewish thought, Moshe Halbertal's richly detailed historical and cultural analysis gradually builds conceptual-philosophical force to culminate in a masterful phenomenological taxonomy of esotericism and its paradoxes. Among the questions addressed: What are the internal justifications that esoteric traditions provide for their own existence, especially in the Jewish world, in which the spread of knowledge was of great importance? How do esoteric teachings coexist with the revealed tradition, and what is the relationship between the various esoteric teachings that compete with that revealed tradition? Halbertal concludes that, through the medium of the concealed, Jewish thinkers integrated into the heart of the Jewish tradition diverse cultural influences such as Aristotelianism, Neoplatonism, and Hermeticisims. And the creation of an added concealed layer, unregulated and open-ended, became the source of the most daring and radical interpretations of the tradition.

Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed

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Author :
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 1441188975
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (411 download)

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Book Synopsis Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed by : Wouter J. Hanegraaff

Download or read book Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed written by Wouter J. Hanegraaff and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-02-14 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Western esotericism has been a pervasive presence in Western culture from late antiquity to the present day, but until recently it was largely ignored by scholars and surrounded by misconceptions and prejudice. This accessible guide provides readers with the basic knowledge and tools that will allow them to find their way in this bewildering but fascinating field. What is it that unites phenomena as diverse as ancient gnosticism and hermetism, the "occult sciences" of astrology, alchemy, and magic, rosicrucianism, as well as Christian theosophy, occultism, spiritualism, and the contemporary New Age spiritualities? What can the study of them teach us about our common cultural and intellectual heritage, and what is it that makes them relevant to contemporary concerns? How do we distinguish reliable historical knowledge from legends and fictions about esoteric traditions? These and many other questions are answered clearly and succinctly, so that the reader can find his way into the labyrinth of Western esotericism and out of it again.

Christ the Original Mystery

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Publisher : Angelico Press / Sophia Perennis
ISBN 13 : 9781621383437
Total Pages : 522 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (834 download)

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Book Synopsis Christ the Original Mystery by : Jean Borella

Download or read book Christ the Original Mystery written by Jean Borella and published by Angelico Press / Sophia Perennis. This book was released on 2018-03-20 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Christ the Original Mystery (a republication of the work issued in 2004 as Guénonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery), René Guénon's insights into the problems of the modern world, symbolism, and metaphysics are masterfully situated by Jean Borella within the horizons of the Christian Mystery, the sacraments, and the mystical way.