Description
Book SynopsisGnosticism was contemporary to early Christianity and its demise can be traced to Christianity's efforts to silence its teachings. The Gnostic message however was not destroyed but simply went underground. Starting with the first emergence of Gnosticism the author shows how its influence extended from the teachings of neo-Platonists and the magical traditions of the Middle Ages to the beliefs and ideas of the Sufis Jacob Boehme Carl Jung Rudolf Steiner and the Rosicrucians and Freemasons. In the language of spiritual freemasonry Gnosis is the rejected stone necessary for the completion of the Temple a Temple of a new cosmic understanding that today's heirs to Gnosticism continue to strive to create. The Gnostics believed that the universe embodies a ceaseless contest between opposing principles. Terrestrial life exhibits the struggle between good and evil life and death beauty and ugliness and enlightenment and ignorance: Gnosis and Agnosis. The very nature of physical space and time are obstacles to humanity's ability to remember its divine origins and recover its original unity with God. Thus the pre-eminent Gnostic secret is that we are God in potential and the purpose of bona fide Gnostic teaching is to return us to our godlike nature. Tobias Churton is a filmmaker and the founding editor of the magazine Freemasonry Today. He studied theology at Oxford University and created the award-winning documentary series and accompanying book The Gnostics as well as several other films on Christian doctrine mysticism and magical folklore. He lives in England.
Trade Review"Recommended for upper-level academic collections that specialize in early Christianity, religion, or philosophy." * Brad Matthies, Butler Univ. Lib., Library Journal, Feb. 1, 2005 *
"Exhaustive (but not exhausting) in scope and copiously annotated, [Churton's] work will spice up virtually any reading list of Gnosticism and early Christianity. . . . will pique the interest not only of professional academics but anyone interested in the Gnostics through the centuries." * Publishers Weekly, Jan. 24, 2005 *
"Churton separates the wheat from the chaff and disposes of unnecessary speculations and fantasy. To get a good handle on what Gnosticism is really all about (and isn't), a great place to start is with
Gnostic Philosophy by Tobias Churton." * Robert Burns, New Dawn, Nov-Dec 2005 *
"GET THIS BOOK. This is, quite simply, one of the best books I have read this year. Though I could, with plenty of justification, describe this work as erudite, witty, humorous, profound, engaging, or any of a number of depictions, none of these would convey the sense of validation I got with devouring its pages." * Sven Davisson, Ashe! Journal of Experimental Sexuality, 2005 *
"We desperately need a solid historical overview of Gnosticism which is historically credible and yet not too academic to put it out of reach of the average reader and this book is it. To get a good handle on what Gnosticism really is (and isn’t), a great place to start is with
Gnostic Philosophy by Tobias Churton." * Living Traditions, May 2007 *
Table of ContentsGnostic Philosophy
From Ancient Persia to Modern Times Foreword by Christopher McIntosh
Acknowledgments
Introduction Part one--Antiquity 1--Before the Gnostics Also Sprach Zarathushtra
The Wise Lord
That Old Devil Time
Mithra the Mediator
Enter the Demiurge
2--From the Magi to St. Paul Jewish Themes
The Anthropos: Man
Sophia
The Unknown God and the Demiurge
Philo of Alexandria
The Essenes
The Book of Enoch
Life at the Dead Sea
Jesus
Stone Theology
Paul
3--The First Gnostics Gnosticism
Hans Jonas: The Gnostic Religion
The Irresistible Character of Gnosis; or, “The Spirit Is Willing”
Being Is Seeing
Clement of Alexandria: The Gnosis Truly So-called?
Part two--The Middle Ages 4--Magic in the Middle Ages Neoplatonic Theurgy
Celestial Hierarchies
Light Metaphysics
After the Pact
Kabbalistic Magic
Roger Bacon
5--The Sufis The Insights of Sufism
Sufis and Philosophy
Maulana Jalal-ud-din Rumi: Sufi Master
Interesting Times
6--The Troubadours Prologue: The Two Worlds
What Is a Troubadour?
Miraval
The Ladies in His Life
Loba
The Rules of Love: Miraval’s Guide to Successful Courtship
Was the Fine Love a Spiritual Love?
The Allegory of Love
Troubadours and Cathars
The Last Song
The Joy That We Have Lost
Creation Is the Product of Pain
Were the Troubadours Sexual Mystics?
7--The Knights Templar Templars and Cathars
The Templars and the Gral
Baphomet
Templars in Search of the Stones
Kilwinning
Conclusion: Gnostics in the Temple?
Part three--Enlightenment 8--Jacob Böhme’s Theosophick Cosmos Böhme’s Life
Elements of Böhme’s Theosophy
The Influence of Jacob Böhme
William Law
Romantic Philosophy
The Neo-Rosicrucians
William Blake
9--Germany 1710-1800: The Return of the Rosy Cross The Gold und Rosenkreuzers
Masonry in Germany
Radicals Under Attack: Gold und Rosenkreuz vs. the Illuminati
A Real Rosicrucian King (on the Throne of Prussia)
Rosicrucians in Poland
Russia
The Asiatic Brethren
Romanticism
10--Freemasonry in France The Elect Cohens
Éliphas Lévi Zahed: A Great Socialist Magician and Occult Revivalist
Lévi’s Legacy
Magic Revives in France
Part Four--The Modern Age 11--A New Aeon: Aleister Crowley Aiwass: Messenger of the Gods
The Book of the Law
The Crisis
Aleister Crowley: Sex Magician
Sexual Alchemy
12--Light in the Jar Carl Jung
13--Gnosis and the New Physics The Copenhagen Interpretation
14--Gnosis Today: A Personal View Rudolf Steiner
Gnosis and Ecology
Neo-Gnostics
Cinema
Hipgnostics: Popular Music
The Arts
Notes
Bibliography
Index
