Practicing Gnosis

Download Practicing Gnosis full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Practicing Gnosis ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Practicing Gnosis

Author : April DeConick
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004248528
Total Pages : 581 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Practicing Gnosis by : April DeConick

Download or read book Practicing Gnosis written by April DeConick and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2013-08-22 with total page 581 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ritual, magic, liturgy, and theurgy were central features of Gnosticism, and yet Gnostic practices remain understudied. This anthology is meant to fill in this gap and address more fully what the ancient Gnostics were doing. While previously we have studied the Gnostics as intellectuals in pursuit of metaphysical knowledge, the essays in this book attempt to understand the Gnostics as ecstatics striving after religious experience, as prophets seeking revelation, as mystics questing after the ultimate God, as healers attempting to care for the sick and diseased. These essays demonstrate that the Gnostics were not necessarily trendy intellectuals seeking epistomological certainities. They were after religious experiences that relied on practices. The book is organized comparatively in a history-of-religions approach with sections devoted to Initiatory, Recurrent, Therapeutic, Ecstatic, and Philosophic Practices. This book celebrates the brilliant career of Birger A. Pearson.

The Gnostic New Age

Author : April D. DeConick
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231542046
Total Pages : 515 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Gnostic New Age by : April D. DeConick

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.

The Gnostic Gospels

Author : Elaine Pagels
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1588364178
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Gnostic Gospels by : Elaine Pagels

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.

Theurgy: Theory and Practice

Author : P. D. Newman
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1644118378
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (441 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Theurgy: Theory and Practice by : P. D. Newman

Download or read book Theurgy: Theory and Practice written by P. D. Newman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2023-12-05 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Connects the magical practice of theurgy to the time of Homer • Explores the many theurgic themes and events in the Odyssey and the Iliad • Analyzes the writings of Neoplatonists Porphyry and Proclus, showing how both describe the technical ritual praxis of theurgy in Homeric terms • Examines the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue animation and technique to divinize the soul, and how theurgy is akin to shamanic soul flight First defined by the second century Chaldean Oracles, theurgy is an ancient magic practice whereby practitioners divinized the soul and achieved mystical union with a deity, the Demiurge, or the One. In this detailed study, P. D. Newman pushes the roots of theurgy all the way back before the time of Homer. He shows how the Chaldean Oracles were not only written in Homeric Greek but also in dactylic hexameter, the same meter as the epics of Homer. Linking the Greek shamanic practices of the late Archaic period with the theurgic rites of late antiquity, the author explains how both anabasis, soul ascent, and katabasis, soul descent, can be considered varieties of shamanic soul flight and how these practices existed in ancient Greek culture prior to the influx of shamanic influence from Thrace and the Hyperborean North. The author explores the many theurgic themes and symbolic events in the Odyssey and the Iliad, including the famous journey of Odysseus to Hades and the incident of the funeral pyre of Patroclus. He presents a close analysis of On the Cave of the Nymphs, Porphyry’s commentary on Homer’s Odyssey, as well as a detailed look at Proclus’s symbolic reading of Homer’s Iliad, showing how both of these Neoplatonists describe the philosophical theory and the technical ritual praxis of theurgy. Using the Chaldean Oracles as a case study, Newman examines in detail the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue animation, linking this practice to ancient Egyptian and Greek traditions as well as theurgic techniques to divinize the soul. Revealing how the theurgic arts are far older than the second century, Newman’s study not only examines the philosophical theory of theurgy but also the actual ritual practices of the theurgists, as described in their own words.

A Gnostic Prayer Book

Author : Surekha Minati Keerthana
Publisher : SCB Distributors
ISBN 13 : 1934206601
Total Pages : 104 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (342 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A Gnostic Prayer Book by : Surekha Minati Keerthana

Download or read book A Gnostic Prayer Book written by Surekha Minati Keerthana and published by SCB Distributors. This book was released on 2012-04-11 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of essential prayers, mantras, and spiritual practices for daily use, healing, protection, and more. Chosen from the Gnostic tradition taught by Moses, Solomon, Jesus and his Apostles, Hermes Trismegistus, Samael Aun Weor, and many others, the magical words and phrases given here are powerful and proven techniques for effective spiritual work. Based upon and directed towards personal experience of the Divine, this book provides a comprehensive set of tools anyone can use to develop and awaken their soul. Take this helpful companion with you anywhere, to assist you in times of need as a source of inspiration and strength. • Filled with tools to acquire Gnosis: conscious, experiential knowledge of the Divine • Gives techniques proven effective for thousands of years • Drawn from the most respected and widely known spiritual teachers "When the mind has achieved absolute calm and silence, it can concentrate on the Inner Self. This concentration is done with the help of prayer. Pray to your Inner Self. Try to converse with your Inner Self. Remember that praying is conversing with God. You can pray without formulae; in other words, talk to God, tell Him what your heart feels with infinite love." - Samael Aun Weor

Introduction to Gnosis

Author : Samael Aun Weor
Publisher : Glorian Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1934206490
Total Pages : 89 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (342 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Introduction to Gnosis by : Samael Aun Weor

Download or read book Introduction to Gnosis written by Samael Aun Weor and published by Glorian Publishing. This book was released on 2010-08-15 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In ancient times, the Gnostics sought for salvation through personal, experiential knowledge of the Divine. Their methods of self-reliance and their sublime knowledge profoundly impacted society, such that the dominant powers felt threatened and the tradition was forced to disappear from public view. Now, after centuries of obscurity, the Gnostics have re-emerged, still carrying their profound message of Gnosis: knowledge of self and the Divine. In a simple and elegant way, Samael Aun Weor explains the basic methodology for people in today's world to begin to approach the greater mysteries of the Gnostics. In this basic and practical guide, Samael Aun Weor offers a breadth of exercises guiding the reader to discover within themselves a wealth of insight and understanding. Gnosis, after all, is Greek for knowledge, and the seeker is told, "Know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe and its Gods." "A great author deduced that the human being needs eight important things in life: health and the conservation of life, nourishment, sleep, money and the things money can buy, life in the beyond, sexual satisfaction, the well-being of his children, and a sense of proper importance. We synthesize these eight things into three: 1. Health 2. Money 3. Love "If you really want to acquire these three things, you should study and practice everything that this course teaches you. We will show you the path of success." - Samael Aun Weor Includes the lecture "How to Make Light Within" and the pamphlet "Marriage, Divorce, and Tantra." Topics include: An Exercise to Control Your Anger; The Power of Thought; Mental Force; Concentration of the Mind; The Law of Karma; Favorable Circumstances; The Descent of Cosmic Vibration; Prana; The Names of the Tattvas; Properties of the Tattvas; Money; Clairvoyance; Alcoholism; Meditation and Intoxication; Osmotherapy; Mental Relaxation; Concentration; Meditation; Contemplation; The Universal Mind; Imagination and Will; Mental Action; Mental Epidemics; Mental Hygiene; Vegetarian Diet; Self-observation; Chatter; “I’s” in the Five Centers; Matrimony, Divorce, and Tantra; and more.

The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy

Author : Hugh B. Urban
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000556182
Total Pages : 621 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy by : Hugh B. Urban

Download or read book The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy written by Hugh B. Urban and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022-03-29 with total page 621 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secrecy is a central and integral component of all religious traditions. Not limited simply to religious groups that engage in clandestine activities such as hidden rites of initiation or terrorism, secrecy is inherent in the very fabric of religion itself. Its importance has perhaps never been more acutely relevant than in our own historical moment. In the wake of 9/11 and other acts of religious violence, we see the rise of invasive national security states that target religious minorities and pose profound challenges to the ideals of privacy and religious freedom, accompanied by the resistance by many communities to such efforts. As such, questions of secrecy, privacy, surveillance, and security are among the most central and contested issues of twenty-first century religious life. The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy is the definitive reference source for the key topics, problems, and debates in this crucial field and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising twenty-nine chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into five parts: Configurations of Religious Secrecy: Conceptual and Comparative Frameworks Secrecy as Religious Practice Secrecy and the Politics of the Present Secrecy and Social Resistance Secrecy, Terrorism, and Surveillance. This cutting-edge volume discusses secrecy in relation to major categories of religious experience and individual religious practices while also examining the transformations of secrecy in the modern period, including the rise of fraternal orders, the ongoing wars on terror, the rise of far-right white supremacist groups, increasing concerns over religious freedom and privacy, the role of the internet in the spread and surveillance of such groups, and the resistance to surveillance by many indigenous and diasporic communities. The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy is essential reading for students and researchers in religious studies, comparative religion, new religious movements, and religion and politics. It will be equally central to debates in the related disciplines of sociology, anthropology, political science, security studies and cultural studies.

Various Aspects of Worship in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature

Author : Géza G. Xeravits
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3110467402
Total Pages : 468 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (14 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Various Aspects of Worship in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature by : Géza G. Xeravits

Download or read book Various Aspects of Worship in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature written by Géza G. Xeravits and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2017-06-26 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume contains papers read at the International Conference of the ISDCL, held in Budapest in 2015. The contributors explore various aspects of worship as reflected in the literature of Judaism from the Second Temple period to Late Antiquity. The volume provides a fresh reading of various crucial issues especially within Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, Rabbinic literature, Gnostic traditions, and the emerging synagogue. The papers analyse texts and artefacts that reveal how various groups of Judaism understood the concept of worship—a pre-eminent form of expressing religious identity and interpreting fundamental traditions.

What is Gnosticism?

Author : Karen L. King
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674017627
Total Pages : 372 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (176 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis What is Gnosticism? by : Karen L. King

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.

The Rise of the Early Christian Intellectual

Author : Lewis Ayres
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3110608006
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (16 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Rise of the Early Christian Intellectual by : Lewis Ayres

Download or read book The Rise of the Early Christian Intellectual written by Lewis Ayres and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of the growth of early Christian intellectual life is of perennial interest to scholars. This volume advances discussion by exploring ways in which Christian writers in the second century did not so much draw on Hellenistic intellectual traditions and models, as they were inevitably embedded in those traditions. The volume contains papers from a seminar in Rome in 2016 that explored the nature and activity of the emergent Christian intellectual between the late first century and the early third century. The papers show that Hellenistic scholarly cultures were the milieu within which Christian modes of thinking developed. At the same time the essays show how Christian thinkers made use of the cultures of which they were part in distinctive ways, adapting existing traditions because of Christian beliefs and needs. The figures studied include Papias from the early part of the second-century, Tatian, Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexandria from the later second century. One paper on Eusebius of Caesarea explores the Christian adaptation of Hellenistic scholarly methods of commentary. Christian figures are studied in the light of debates within Classics and Jewish studies.

A Gnostic Book of Hours

Author : June Singer
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780892540679
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (46 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A Gnostic Book of Hours by : June Singer

Download or read book A Gnostic Book of Hours written by June Singer and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Nag Hammadi Library with the different times of day and days of the week. She reveals for us the macrocosm of human experience in the microcosm of the passing hours and days. Reverent introspection in the moment yields recognition of the sacredness and eternity of who we are and what our lives mean. Book jacket.

Desiring Divinity

Author : M. David Litwa
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190467169
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Desiring Divinity by : M. David Litwa

Download or read book Desiring Divinity written by M. David Litwa and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps no declaration incites more theological and moral outrage than a human's claim to be divine. Those who make this claim in ancient Jewish and Christian mythology are typically represented as the most hubristic and dangerous tyrants. Their horrible punishments are predictable and still serve as morality tales in religious communities today. But not all self-deifiers are saddled with pride and fated to fall. Some who claimed divinity stated a simple and direct truth. Though reviled on earth, misunderstood, and even killed, they received vindication and rose to the stars. This book tells the stories of six self-deifiers in their historical, social, and ideological contexts. In the history of interpretation, the initial three figures have been demonized as cosmic rebels: the first human Adam, Lucifer (later identified with Satan), and Yaldabaoth in gnostic mythology. By contrast, the final three have served as positive models for deification and divine favor: Jesus in the gospel of John, Simon of Samaria, and Allogenes in the Nag Hammadi library. In the end, the line separating demonization from deification is dangerously thin, drawn as it is by the unsteady hand of human valuation.

T&T Clark Handbook to Early Christian Meals in the Greco-Roman World

Author : Soham Al-Suadi
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0567669327
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (676 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis T&T Clark Handbook to Early Christian Meals in the Greco-Roman World by : Soham Al-Suadi

Download or read book T&T Clark Handbook to Early Christian Meals in the Greco-Roman World written by Soham Al-Suadi and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-02-21 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook situates early Christian meals in their broader context, with a focus on the core topics that aid understanding of Greco-Roman meal practice, and how this relates to Christian origins. In addition to looking at the broader Hellenistic context, the contributors explain the unique nature of Christian meals, and what they reveal about early Christian communities and the development of Christian identity. Beginning with Hellenistic documents and authors before moving on to the New Testament material itself, according to genre - Gospels, Acts, Letters, Apocalyptic Literature - the handbook culminates with a section on the wider resources that describe daily life in the period, such as medical documents and inscriptions. The literary, historical, theological and philosophical aspects of these resources are also considered, including such aspects as the role of gender during meals; issues of monotheism and polytheism that arise from the structure of the meal; how sacrifice is understood in different meal practices; power dynamics during the meal and issues of inclusion and exclusion at meals.

The Reception of Paul and Early Christian Initiation

Author : Benjamin A. Edsall
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108471315
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Reception of Paul and Early Christian Initiation by : Benjamin A. Edsall

Download or read book The Reception of Paul and Early Christian Initiation written by Benjamin A. Edsall and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-04 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Situates Pauline analysis within the context of early Christian institutions. Examines the hermeneutics of reception-historical studies.

Early Christianity in Alexandria

Author : M. David Litwa
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1009449559
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Early Christianity in Alexandria by : M. David Litwa

Download or read book Early Christianity in Alexandria written by M. David Litwa and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2023-12-21 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Utilizing the Nag Hammadi codices and early Christian writings, this book explores the earliest development of Christianity in Alexandria.

The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead

Author : Stephan A Hoeller
Publisher : Quest Books
ISBN 13 : 0835630242
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (356 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead by : Stephan A Hoeller

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.

Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis

Author : Mattias Brand
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 900451029X
Total Pages : 425 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (45 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis by : Mattias Brand

Download or read book Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis written by Mattias Brand and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2022-05-20 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Published in Open Access with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Winner of the Manfred Lautenschläger Award! Religion is never simply there. In Religion and the Everyday Life of Manichaeans in Kellis, Mattias Brand shows where and when ordinary individuals and families in Egypt practiced a Manichaean way of life. Rather than portraying this ancient religion as a well-structured, totalizing community, the fourth-century papyri sketch a dynamic image of lived religious practice, with all the contradictions, fuzzy boundaries, and limitations of everyday life. Following these microhistorical insights, this book demonstrates how family life, gift-giving, death rituals, communal gatherings, and book writing are connected to our larger academic debates about religious change in late antiquity.