Gnosticism Books

Book SynopsisThe Kephalaia of the Teacher is the most detailed account available to modern scholarship of the teachings of Mani, and of the universal religion that he founded as the final successor to Buddha, Zarathushtra and Jesus. This volume provides the first complete English translation of the Coptic text (c. 400 CE), together with introduction, commentaries and indices. Topics include the apostleship of Mani, the practices of the Manichaean community, accounts of the heavenly and demonic beings and worlds, as well as discussions of astrology and religious psychology. In Manichaeism many of the gnostic and dualistic themes of early Christianity achieved the status of a world religion, and the subject is the heir to contemporary interest in heterodoxy and the deconstruction of received histories (see the Nag Hammadi codices).

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Book SynopsisThis volume in honour of Johannes van Oort, formerly University of Utrecht, presently Professor of Patristics and Gnosticism at the Universities of Nijmegen and Pretoria, and past-President of the International Association of Manichaean Studies (IAMS), brings together a rich variety of studies on Augustine, Manichaeism, and other Gnostic currents, thus reflecting the honorand’s research interests. The unique collection is divided into four sections: I. Studies in Augustine: Confessions, Sermons, Letters & De Haeresibus; Augustine on Grace & Pluralism; Augustinian ‘Gnosis’; II. Studies in Manichaeism: Origins & Myth; Doctrines & Cult; Diffusion & Art; III. Studies in Manichaeism and Augustine: Doctrines; Polemics & Debates with Manichaean Contemporaries; IV. Studies in ‘Other Gnosticism’: Gnosticism and ‘Apocryphal’ Texts; Sources of (Ps.) Hippolytus’ Refutatio; the Gospel of Judas; Modern Yesidi Gnosticism. The 35 studies are preceded by an overview of Prof. van Oort’s scholarly activities and publicationsTrade Review"The editors of this volume state that their purpose is to produce a volume that is both 'a Festschrift and an inspiring collection of studies'. In both these aims they succeed admirably.[...]This volume forms a fitting tribute to the work of Johannes van Oort, and each essay is a carefully crafted celebration of a topic that resonates with the research of the scholar being honoured. The essays will appeal to a variety of different audiences, but all share a richness and depth of scholarship that makes this an outstanding collection." – Paul Foster, in: The Expository Times 122 (2012) "... a large number of interesting contributions, written by a a great many leading scholars." – Gijs Martijn van Gaans, in: Vigiliae Christianae 66 (2012) "... should have a place in every research library" – Birger Pearson, in: Religious Studies Review 37 (2011) "As will be clear, the scope of this volume is extensive. Scholars with a variety of research interests will find much that is new, and it can be wholeheartedly recommended for the standard collection of research libraries. The paperback edition, for which we thank Brill Publishers, will facilitate a wider distribution of its learned scholarship. Mattias Brand, in: NumenTable of Contents1. Studies in Augustine: Confessions, Sermons, Letters & De Haeresibus; Augustine on Grace & Pluralism; Augustinian ‘Gnosis’ Annemaré Kotzé, Protreptic, Paraenetic and Augustine’s Confessions Thérèse Fuhrer, Allegorical Reading and Writing in Augustine’s Confessions Josef Lössl, Augustine’s Confessions as a Consolation of Philosophy Anthony Dupont, Sermones 29 and 29A on Ps. 117,1 (118,1): Two Early Carthaginian Sermones ad Populum on the Meaning of Confessio during the Vigil of Pentecost? Vincent Hunink, ‘Practicing What He Had Taught’: Augustine’s Sermons on Cyprian Sigrid Mratschek, Die ungeschriebenen Briefe des Augustinus von Hippo Gian Ackermans, Einige rechtliche und theologische Fragen zu den Abeloitae in Augustins De haeresibus Daniela Müller, Der augustinische Häresiebegriff als Grundlage für die Ketzerverfolgung im Mittelalter Marcel Poorthuis, Judaism, Augustine and Pope Benedict XVI on the Plurality of Opinions Matthias Smalbrugge, Le Fils prodigue vu par Augustin: un pas vers l’exclusivisme de la grâce Paul Hendrik Fick, Traces of Augustinian ‘Gnosis’ in Julianus Pomerius’ De Vita Contemplativa 2. Studies in Manichaeism: Origins & Myth; Doctrines & Cult; Diffusion & Art Eugenia Smagina, The Manichaean Cosmogonical Myth as a “Re-Written Bible” Samuel N.C. Lieu & John S. Sheldon, Simplicius on Manichaean Cosmogony Nils-Arne Pedersen, The Veil and Revelation of the Father of Greatness Majella Franzmann, The Treasure of the Manichaean Spiritual Life Iain Gardner, Manichaean Ritual Practice at Ancient Kellis: A New Understanding of the Meaning and Function of the So-Called Prayer of the Emanations Tamila Mgaloblishvili and Stephen H. Rapp Jr., Manichaeism in Late Antique Georgia? Erica Hunter, Syriac Sources and Manichaeism: A Five Hundred Year Trajectory Jorinde Ebert, Four Fragments of Guardian Deities in a Manichaean Painting From Toyok in Berlin’s Turfan Collection Reassembled and Interpreted Zsuzsanna Gulácsi, Chinese Manichaean Silk Painting Takoa Moriyasu, The Discovery of Manichaean Paintings in Japan and Their Historical Background 3.. Studies in Manichaeism and Augustine: Doctrines; Polemics & Debates with Manichaean Contemporaries J. Kevin Coyle, Jesus, Mani, and Augustine Concetta Giuffrè Scibona, The Doctrine of the Soul in Manichaeism and Augustine Gunner Mikkelsen, Augustine and His Sources: The “Devil’s Snares and Birdlime” in the Mouths of Manichaeans in East and West Byard Bennett, Globus horribilis : The Role of the Bolos in Manichaean Eschatology and Its Polemical Transformation in Augustine’s Anti-Manichaean Writings Andreas Grote, Optimi viri sanctissimique: Augustins Konzept einer Synthese von Askese und Pastoral in De moribus 1,65-80. Eine Replik auf manichäische Polemik Jason D. BeDuhn, Did Augustine Win His Debate with Fortunatus? Andreas Hoffmann, Secundinus in der Diskussion mit Augustinus über das malum: Beobachtungen zu den augustinischen Quellen der Epistula Secundini Giulia Sfameni Gasparro, The Disputation with Felix: Themes and Modalities of Augustine’s Polemic 4. Studies in ‘Other Gnosticism’: Gnosticism and ‘Apocryphal’ Texts; Sources of (Ps.) Hippolytus’ Refutatio; the Gospel of Judas; Modern Yesidi Gnosticism Tobias Nicklas, „Apokryph gewordene Schriften“? Gedanken zum Apokryphenbegriff bei großkirchlichen Autoren und in einigen „gnostischen“ Texten Clemens Scholten, Quellen regen an: Beobachtungen zum „gnostischen Sondergut“ der Refutatio omnium haeresium Madeleide Scopello, Motifs et expressions mystiques dans l’Évangile de Judas Gerard Rouwhorst, The Gospel of Judas and Early Christian Eucharist April D. DeConick, After the Gospel of Judas: Reassessing What We Have Known to be True about Cain and Judas Eszter Spät, The Song of the Commoner: The Gnostic Call in Yezidi Oral Tradition

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a pioneer study focused on a corpus of 89 fragments of exquisitely illuminated manuscripts that were produced under the patronage of the Turkic-speaking Uygurs in the Turfan region of East Central Asia between the 8th and 11th centuries CE. Through detailed analyses and interpretations aided by precise computer drawings, the author introduces an important group of primary sources for future comparative research in Central Asian art, mediaeval book illumination, and Manichaean studies.Trade Review"This is a superb study which is richly illustrated by a range of images - many in colour. [...] This volume casts light on the wider phenomenon of Manichaesanism by using the material remains of one signigican community to gain insight into the artistic and textual practices of theat group.This is a highly significant volume that makes a major contribution to manichaen studies." – Paul Foster, University of Edinburgh, in: The Expository Times 121 (2009)Table of ContentsPreface Introduction I. The Corpus of Manichaean Book Art II. The Dates of the Remains III. Artistry of Book Makers, Scribes, and Illuminators IV. Patterns of Page Arrangements V. The Written and Painted Message Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn Gnostic Countercultures, fourteen scholars investigate countercultural aspects associated with the gnostic which is broadly conceived with reference to the claim to have special knowledge of the divine, which either transcends or transgresses conventional religious knowledge. The papers explore the concept of the gnostic in Western culture from the ancient world to the modern New Age.Table of ContentsContents Introduction Part 1: Antiquity The Countercultural Gnostic: Turning the World Upside Down and Inside Out  April D. DeConick “I Turned away from the Temple”: Sethian Counterculture in the Apocryphon of John  Grant Adamson Transgressing Boundaries: Plotinus and the Gnostics  John D. Turner Forbidden Knowledge: Cognitive Transgression and “Ascent Above Intellect” in the Debate Between Plotinus and the Gnostics  Zeke Mazur The Apocalypse of Paul (NHC V,2): Cosmology, Anthropology, and Ethics  Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta Gnosis Undomesticated: Archon-Seduction, Demon Sex, and Sodomites in the Paraphrase of Shem (NHC VII,1)  Dylan M. Burns Gnostic Self-Deification: The Case of Simon of Samaria  M. David Litwa Demon est Deus Inversus: Honoring the Daemonic in Iamblichean Theurgy  Gregory Shaw The Coming of the Star-Child: The Reception of the Revelation of the Magi in New Age Religious Thought and Ufology  Brent Landau Part 2: Modernity The Great God Pan  Sarah Iles Johnston Alan Moore’s Promethea: Countercultural Gnosis and the End of the World  Wouter J. Hanegraaff Children of the Light: Gnostic Fiction and Gnostic Practice in Vladimir Sorokin’s Ice Trilogy  Victoria Nelson Symbolic Loss, Memory, and Modernization in the Reception of Gnosticism  Matthew J. Dillon Gnostic and Countercultural Elements in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Hoodoo in America”  Margarita Simon Guillory Index 317

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Book SynopsisIn Gnostic Afterlives, fourteen scholars explore the intersection of Gnostic spirituality in American religion and culture. Papers theorize Gnosis/Gnostic in modernity, examine neo-Gnostic movements in America, and investigate the Gnostic in popular American films, literature, art, and other aspects of culture.Table of Contents1 Introduction: Gnostic Afterlives in American Religion and Culture  April D. DeConick Part 1: Theorizing the Gnostic in Modernity 2 The Sociology of Gnostic Spirituality  April D. DeConick 3 Can We Recover Gnosis Today?  Gregory Shaw 4 What Is Gnosis: An Exploration  Arthur Versluis Part 2: (Neo-)Gnostic Movements in America 5 The Knowing of Knowing   Neo-Gnosticism, from the O.T.O. to Scientology  Hugh B. Urban 6 Know Place: Heaven’s Gate and American Gnosticism  Cathy Gutierrez 7 American Gnosis: Jesus Mysticism in A Course in Miracles  Simon J. Joseph 8 The New Age and Gnosticism: Terms of Commonality  Mitch Horowitz Part 3: The Gnostic in Popular American Culture 9 The Gnostic in Us All: Thinking from the Macrobiotics of Michio Kushi  Catherine L. Albanese 10 The Space Jockey and the Future of Enjoyment: Alienated Sentience in the World of H. R. Giger  Eric Wargo 11 A Metaphysical Rebel? Camus’s Analysis of Gnosticism and Its Influence on Literature and Cinema  Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta 12 Eric Voegelin and Gnostic Hollywood  Fryderyk Kwiatkowski 13 The Afterlives of the Archons: Gnostic Literalism and Embodied Paranoia in 21st CE Conspiracy Theory  Matthew Dillon 14 The Electric Chrism Acid Test: The Problem of Psychedelic Gnosis  Erik Davis 15 Reflections of an American Gnostic  Jeffrey J. Kripal Index

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Book SynopsisAries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism is the first professional academic book series specifically devoted to a long-neglected but now rapidly developing domain of research in the humanities, usually referred to as “Western Esotericism”. This field covers a variety of “alternative” currents in western religious history, including so-called “hermetic philosophy” and related currents in the early modern period; alchemy, paracelsianism and rosicrucianism; Jewish and Christian kabbalah and its later developments; theosophical and illuminist currents; and various occultist and related developments during the 19th and 20th centuries, up to and including popular contemporary currents such as the New Age movement. Published under the auspices of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE). For the journal Aries - Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism please click here. The series has published an average of two volumes per year over the last five years.Table of ContentsList of Figures Notes on Contributors Introduction Or, What We Talk about When We Talk about Deviance   Manon Hedenborg White and Tim Rudbøg Part 1 Theorizing Deviance 1 On the Social Organization of Rejected Knowledge Reassessing the Sociology of the Occult   Egil Asprem 2 On the Concept of a Deviant Movement   Olav Hammer 3 Disrupting Sanctified Deviance The Benefits of Boredom   Jay Johnston 4 “The Judges of Normality Are Everywhere” Has Esotericism and the Ideas of H. P. Blavatsky’s Ever Been Normal?   Tim Rudbøg Part 2 Historical Cases 5 Constructions of Religious Deviance in the Greek and Roman Worlds   Richard Gordon 6 The Deviance of Toz The Reception of Toz Graecus and Magical Works Attributed to Toz in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries   Lauri Ockenström 7 Forgotten Knowledge, Deviance and Esotericism The Eternally Burning Lamps of Fortunio Liceti   Martin Mulsow 8 Strategic Deviance and Conflicting Loyalties The Spiritualist Interests of Bishop Ghenadie Petrescu (1836–1918)   Ionuț Daniel Băncilă 9 Jewish Kabbalah, Christian Onomatodoxy (Imyaslavie) and Theological Flexibility in Russia at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century   Konstantin Burmistrov 10 Vasily V. Nalimov – A Scientist, Philosopher and “Mystical Anarchist” from Komi   Birgit Menzel 11 Haṭhayoga as “Black Magic” in Early Theosophy and Beyond   Keith E. Cantú 12 Philology as an Epistemological Strategy to Claim Higher Knowledge Translational Endeavors within the Theosophical Society; A Case Study of Annie Besant’s Bhagavad-Gita   Yves Mühlematter 13 “I Would Not Have Left Your Platform Had I Not Been Compelled” Annie Besant’s Exclusion from the National Secular Society (1891)   Muriel Pécastaing-Boissière 14 Dismissing the Occult The Links between Esoteric Currents and French Homeopathic Medicine during the First Half of the Twentieth Century   Léo Bernard 15 The Devil’s Popess The French Reception of Maria de Naglowska (1883–1936) in the Early 1930s   Michele Olzi 16 Confessions of a Persian Opium Smoker Sadegh Hedayat, Esotericism, and The Blind Owl   Kurosh Amoui 17 Fernando Pessoa’s Multiple Esoteric Deviances   Fabio Mendia Part 3 Concluding Remarks 18 Afterword Rejected Knowledge as a Liberal Art   Joscelyn Godwin   Editors’ Conclusion   Manon Hedenborg White and Tim Rudbøg Index

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