Gnostic History

The success of books such as Elaine Pagels's Gnostic Gospels and Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code proves beyond a doubt that there is a tremendous thirst today for finding the hidden truths of Christianity - truths that may have been lost or buried by institutional religion over the last two millennia. In Forbidden Faith, Richard Smoley narrates a popular history of one such truth, the ancient esoteric religion of gnosticism, which flourished between the first and fourth centuries AD, but whose legacy remains even today, having survived secretly throughout the ages. 

NEWLY REVISED AND EXPANDED: Now with 29 complete texts and updated scholarship. In 1945, a farmer in Upper Egypt cracked open a sealed clay jar and found thirteen codices buried since 367 CE. Inside were gospels, cosmologies, hymns, and visions from a rival Christianity so sophisticated it nearly won. For a thousand years, everything we knew about these texts came from the people who destroyed them. Now you can read them yourself. Twenty-nine texts in clear, modern English. No archaic phrasing. No dense scholarly apparatus. Just the words, made readable. The Gospels: The Gospel of Thomas (...

What if everything you were taught about Jesus was true, just smaller than the actual thing? Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet" of Kentucky, spent forty-three years lying down on a couch and accessing what he called the Akashic Records, a cosmic archive of every soul's complete history. Over fourteen thousand documented trance readings, one subject kept returning with unusual tenderness and unusual urgency: Jesus of Nazareth. What Cayce saw was not the Jesus of Sunday school coloring books. It was something stranger and considerably more demanding. A Jesus who spent eighteen missing years ...

Based on Christianity's Gnostic foundations and the lost secret teachings of Jesus, this book is a thought-provoking conjecture on ways to manifest the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth -- an inspirational reminder of what Christianity was intended to be.

🕯️ THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS MASTER COLLECTION Revelations from the Forgotten Gospels – Unearth the Spiritual Wisdom Lost for Centuries ✨ ATTENTION What if the truth about early Christianity wasn’t what you’ve always been told? Hidden beneath centuries of suppression lies a profound spiritual legacy—one that challenges orthodoxy and empowers the seeker within. 💡 INTEREST This masterfully curated collection unveils a tapestry of ancient Gnostic texts—once considered heretical, now rediscovered. From the Gospel of Mary Magdalene to the Gospel of Judas and beyond, these writings ...

The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon...

Gnosticism Explained: Ancient Secret Knowledge, The Gnostic Gospels, Dualism, Sophia, the Demiurge, and the Quest for Spiritual Awakening in Early Christianity What was Gnosticism, and why was it considered one of the most controversial movements in early Christian history? Gnosticism Explained takes readers deep into the hidden world of ancient secret knowledge, exploring the Gnostic gospels, the myth of Sophia, the mysterious Demiurge, and the radical idea that salvation comes through inner awakening rather than external authority. Drawing on historical research and the groundbreaking ...

Unlock the Mysteries of Gnosticism with Carl Spartacus! Dive into the profound wisdom of Gnosticism and embark on a journey of enlightenment with "Gnosticism: A Useful Overview for Dilettantes, New-Agers, Witches, and Magicians" by the renowned author, Carl Spartacus. Here's a glimpse of what's waiting for you within the pages: **Discover the Gnostic Origins:** Journey back in time to uncover who the Gnostics were and when and where their spiritual movement first emerged. **The Nag Hammadi Library:** Delve into the treasures of the Nag Hammadi Library, where ancient Gnostic texts were ...

Many things about the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus have been removed from modern preaching. It is such a shame. I don’t know if it is because preachers don’t know what to say, but in many ways the limitations of the Secrets of Jesus are simply hidden because some don’t like what he suggested and that is criminal. If you do read this book you will expand your awareness of Jesus and some of the questions you will have trying to reconcile what you read will be answered. This will be done by looking at many additional works that have cycled from being in the Bible and out of ...

The evolution of the Sacred Worship of Sophia, Mary Magdalene, and Mother Mary are traced through the Gnostic Scriptures. Sophia would come to be considered a force or conduit of the Holy Spirit, in part due to the fact that the Holy Spirit was also considered a feminine and creative force from the Supreme God. As the emerging orthodox church became more and more oppressive to women, later even labeling them "occasions of sin", the Gnostics countered by raising women to equal status.

The Gospel of Thomas – A Modern Translation of the Sayings Gospel from Early Christianity Discover the words attributed to Jesus that nearly disappeared from history. The Gospel of Thomas is one of the most intriguing early Christian texts ever discovered. Found in 1945 among the Nag Hammadi manuscripts in Egypt, this collection of 114 sayings presents a voice of Jesus that is at once familiar and strikingly different. Some sayings closely parallel the canonical Gospels. Others explore mystical themes of self-knowledge, inner transformation, and the kingdom within. Yet most editions ...

A new translation and analysis of the gospel that records the actual words of Jesus Explores the gnostic significance of Jesus's teachings recorded in this gospel Explains the true nature of the new man whose coming Jesus envisioned Translated and interpreted by the author of the...

Gods of Gnosis: The Gnostic Origins, Teachings, and Rebellion Against the Creator Unveil the forbidden story of the universe - where the Creator is not the hero, and knowledge is the key to liberation. For centuries, Gnostic teachings were hunted, censored, and buried by the rising powers of early Christianity. Their scriptures vanished from history - until the modern rediscovery of long-lost texts revealed a shocking alternative theology: the Creator God is a flawed impostor, and humanity’s salvation lies in awakening to a higher, hidden divinity. Gods of Gnosis is a gripping, accessible...

Hidden for nearly two millennia, the Gnostic Gospels offer a radically different vision of Christ’s message—one centered not on blind faith, but on awakening, inner knowledge, and divine self-realization. This expanded edition brings together five of the most powerful non-canonical scriptures ever uncovered, offering sacred insight for seekers, scholars, and anyone drawn to the forgotten paths of early Christianity.

An extensive examination of the history of gnosticism and how its philosophy has influenced the Western esoteric tradition Explains how the Gnostic understanding of self-realization is embodied in the esoteric traditions of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons Explores how gnosticism...

Gnosis is not a bundle of hidden secrets that must be studied and understood to gain redemption. Simply put, gnosis is the realization that we come from above, and that our Father is in Heaven, and to Heaven we shall return. That’s all. Gnosis involves stepping down from the throne of ego to better reveal the Light of God. You cannot be taught gnosis; you must discover it for yourself. So, even though gnosis cannot be taught, this book will explain, in pictures and the simplest possible terms, how to reach it. This is truly gnosis demystified for your edification. This book presents an ...

Gnosticism was a wide-ranging religious movement of the first millennium CE—with earlier antecedents and later flourishings—whose adherents sought salvation through knowledge and personal religious experience.

The selections made in this volume shed light on these esoteric doctrines, revealing intimate conversations between Jesus and his disciples. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene throws new light on his relationship with this favorite disciple. The Gospel of Thomas contains concentrated mini-parables, containing deep inward and symbolic meaning, many of which are not found in the New Testament. The texts chosen are relevant to many of the perplexities of contemporary life and deal with the questions of good and evil, sin and suffering, and the path to salvation.

Most people have heard of Calvinism and Arminianism, and most know there are many problems with the extreme forms, hyper-Calvinism and hyper-Arminianism. But what did John Calvin really teach and where did his ideas come from? Learn the true Gnostic origins of Calvinism from the ancient church fathers and compare Scripture with Scripture to clearly see the trap Satan has set to divide Bible-believing Christians.

Although all the titles of the Nag Hammadi library are not known, many people have heard about its most famous components: The Gospel of Thomas - at one time it was discussed whether it should be included in the New Testament - and The Gospel of Philip, which tried to revive the debate around the identity of Mary Magdalene: "Why do you love her more than all of us?" asks a disconcerted Peter to Jesus. Finally, the Nag Hammadi texts have led many scholars to reconsider the rigid canons imposed by the early Church, and the readers to find a more intimate religion that turned upside down many postulates of Christian orthodoxy.