Books on Gnosticism

New Releases on Gnosticism

One click way to call up the New Releases on Gnosticism from Barnes and Noble.

A Gnostic Book of Hours: Keys to Inner Wisdom - June Singer 2003

Gnostic Society Bookstore Synopsis: A delightful labor of love by a noted Jungian analyst and author. The text consists of Gnostic sacred texts (taken from the Nag Hammadi Library) arranged for reading in the cycle of an ancient monastic "book of hours". To each meditative text, a commentary of psychological and Gnostic inspiration is appended. This wonderful little work is an instrument for deepening of one's Gnosis -- and a wonderful introduction to the Gnostic scriptures found at Nag Hammadi.

Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas - Elaine Pagels 2003

Amazon Synopsis: In Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy.

Spurred on by personal tragedy and new scholarship from an international group of researchers, Pagels returns to her investigation of the “secret” Gospel of Thomas, and breathes new life into writings once thought heretical. As she arrives at an ever-deeper conviction in her own faith, Pagels reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations, and that the “rogue” voices of Christianity encourage and sustain “the recognition of the light within us all.”

Christian Gnosis - C.W Leadbeater

Theosophical Publishing House: In Christian Gnosis, Charles W. Leadbeater reveals the inner teachings of early Christianity while supplying additional insight from a clairvoyant’s perspective.

After he joined the Theosophical Society and became Presiding Bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, Leadbeater continued to rise as a prolific author. His writings have influenced modern ideas about the occult more than any other writer, and his ideas have formed the basis for many contemporary spiritual and intellectual movements, which include being an inspiration for Kandinsky and Mondrian.

At the heart of this book is a message for open-mindedness and a new attitude toward the idea of sin and human-kind’s purpose during their time on earth. Leadbeater’s approach and writing style has always been considered to be approachable to the common person, and this book is no exception. He begins by discussing the true nature of the God-head and exactly what it means that human beings are made in His image. Throughout the text he touches upon everything from angels, hell, the crucifixion, Our Lady, and the visions of St. John.

The Elements of Gnosticism - Stuart Holroyd 1997

Amazon Synopsis: Gnosis is Greek for knowledge, gnosticism offers a dramatic account of creation and has both similarities and significant differences from Christianity. In ancient times, Gnosticism rivalled Christianity in popularity, and now is finding an increasing following in the West. Its central beliefs is that the creation is not divine and that only the soul of man has any true goodness. This text explains the meaning of Gnosticism, giving details of its history and relationship with Christianity. Discussion is included on the Gnostics themselves and the main teachings of the faith, as well as the major schools of Gnostic thought and literature.

Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism - Kurt Rudolph 1987

Amazon Synopsis: Presents a readable and appealing introduction to what otherwise might seem an inaccessible religion of late antiquity.

The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition - Willis Barnstone 2009

Amazon Synopsis: 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. Gnostic writings offer striking perspectives on both early Christian and non-Christian thought. For example, some gnostic texts suggest that God should be celebrated as both mother and father, and that self-knowledge is the supreme path to the divine. Only in the past fifty years has it become clear how far the gnostic influence spread in ancient and medieval religions—and what a marvelous body of scriptures it produced.

The selections gathered here, in poetic, readable translation, represent Jewish, Christian, Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, and Cathar expressions of gnostic spirituality. Their regions of origin include Egypt, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, China, and France. Also included are introductions, notes, an extensive glossary, and a wealth of suggestions for further reading.

The Gnostic Crucifixion - G. R. S. Mead 1907

From the Foreword: ECHOES FROM THE GNOSIS series Volume 8

Under this general title is now being published a series of small volumes, drawn from, or based upon, the mystic, theosophic and gnostic writings of the ancients, so as to make more easily audible for the ever-widening circle of those who love such things, some echoes of the mystic experiences and initiatory lore of their spiritual ancestry. There are many who love the life of the spirit, and who long for the light of gnostic illumination, but who are not sufficiently equipped to study the writings of the ancients at first hand, or to follow unaided the labours of scholars. These little volumes are therefore intended to serve as introduction to the study of the more difficult literature of the subject; and it is hoped that at the same time they may become for some, who have, as yet, not even heard of the Gnosis, stepping-stones to higher things.   Read online or download

The Gnostic Gospels - Elaine Pagels 1979

Amazon Synopsis: A provocative study of the gnostic gospels and the world of early Christianity as revealed through the Nag Hammadi texts.

Gnosticism: The Path of Inner Knowledge - Martin Seymor-Smith 1996

Gnosis.org Synopsis: A small coffee table book, attractively illustrated in color, with a mildly sympathetic treatment of the subject. Brief but informative.

Gnostics and Their Remains - C. W. King 2012

Amazon Synopsis: WHEN this work first appeared, three-and-twenty years ago, it became at once an object of unmerited abuse, and of equally unmerited praise. Small divines mistaking it for an insidious attempt to overthrow opinions "as by law established," spurted at it with pens dipped in the milk of the Gospel; whilst, under the very same hallucination, "Friends of Light" lauded it to the skies--either party equally ignorant both of the subject, and of the purpose of my labours. One noted Zoilus (whose recollections of Homer would seem to be of the same deeply-marked nature as Ensign Blifil's) is disgusted at my citing "Aidoneus" as a title of the God of the Shades; another is astonished at my ignorance in calling Bardanes a Persian, whereas he was a native of Pontus; not understanding that my argument was equally valid in spite of the mistake--Pontus being originally a province of the empire of Darius, and what is more to the purpose, the actual focus whence Mithraicism diffused itself over the Roman world.

A still greater cause of outcry against the book was my presuming to lay presumptuous hands upon the Sacred Ark of Masonry, and openly express my opinion that the "Free and Accepted" of these times have no more real connexion with the ancient Craft, out of whose terms and forms, like fig-leaves, they have stitched together aprons, wherewith to cover the real nakedness of their pretension, than the Italian Carbonari of Murat's day had with the trade of charcoal burners, whose baskets were borrowed for the President's throne. King Hiram's skull gnashed his teeth with rage within the cista mystica; and one valiant young Levite of the course of Abia,proceeds thus logically to confute all my assertions: "Athelstan built a church: he could not build without masons; argal, Athelstan was the founder of Masonry in England. (Obviously not a book for beginners!)

The Gnostic Scriptures: A New Translation with Annotations and Introductions - Bentley Layton 1995

Amazon Synopsis: This definitive introduction to the gnostic scriptures provides a crucial look at the theology, religious atmosphere, and literary traditions of ancient Christianity and Hellenistic Judaism. Maps and tables.

Book Jacket: “Bentley Layton’s The Gnostic Scriptures is the one indispensable book for the understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. No other translations are within light-years of Layton’s in eloquence, pathos, and accuracy, while no other commentaries match his as an introduction to this perpetually relevant religious stance. Layton is particularly brilliant in his appreciation of Valentinus, the central Gnostic visionary, whose Gospel of Truth is marvelously served in this translation.” —Harold Bloom, author of The Book of J and The Western Canon

The Gospel of Mary of Magdala - Karen L. King 2003

Amazon Synopsis: Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is - a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.

If You Could See What I See: Tenets of Novus Spiritus – Sylvia Browne 2006

Amazon Synopsis: In this enlightening work, renowned psychic Sylvia Browne presents the Gnostic tenets of her church, the Society of Novus Spiritus. What at first seem like simple tenets to follow become much deeper, carrying within them the heart of humankind's search for spirituality. Browne also provides inspiration with details of her own personal journey.

Jung and the Lost Gospels: Insights into the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library - Stephan A. Hoeller 1989

Amazon Synopsis: The "Lost Gospels" refer to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library, both discovered in the 1940s. The Nag Hammadi Library consists of writings found by two peasants who unearthed clay jars in 1945 in upper Egypt. These did not appear in English for 32 years, because the right to publish was contended by scholars, politicians, and antique dealers. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in clay jars in Palestine by a goatherder in 1947, weathered similar storms. The first team of analysts were mostly Christian clergy, who weren't anxious to share material that frightened church leaders. As Dr. Hoeller shows, they rightly feared the documents would reveal information that might detract from unique claims of Christianity. Indeed, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi Library both contradict and complement accepted tenets of the Old and New Testaments.

The Laughing Saviour: The Discovery and Significance of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Library - John Dart 1976

The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred

Amazon Synopsis: Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume - Marvin W Meyer 2009

This is the most complete, up-to-date, one-volume, English-language edition of the renowned library of fourth-century Gnostic manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which rivaled the Dead Sea Scrolls find in significance. It includes the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, as well as other Gnostic gospels and sacred texts. This volume also includes introductory essays, notes, tables, glossary, index, etc. to help the reader understand the context and contemporary significance of these texts which have shed new light on early Christianity and ancient thought.

The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostic: An Introduction to the Gnostic Coptic Manuscripts Discovered at Chenoboskion - Jean Doresse 1986

Amazon Synopsis: A collection of sacred Gnostic texts, believed by many scholars to surpass the Dead Sea Scrolls in importance, discovered in the late 1940s after being concealed for sixteen centuries. Includes the famous Gospel According to Thomas.

The Secret Revelation of John - Karen L. King 2009

Amazon Synopsis: Lost in antiquity, rediscovered in 1896, and only recently accessible for study, The Secret Revelation of John offers a firsthand look into the diversity of Christianity before the establishment of canon and creed. Karen L. King offers an illuminating reading of this ancient text--a narrative of the creation of the universe and humanity and a guide to justice and salvation, said to be Christ's revelation to his disciple John.

Freeing the Revelation from the category of "Gnosticism" to which such accounts were relegated, King shows how the Biblical text could be read by early Christians in radical and revisionary ways. By placing the Revelation in its social and intellectual milieu, she revises our understanding of early Christianity and, more generally, religious thought in the ancient Mediterranean world. Her work helps the modern reader through many intriguing--but confusing--ideas in the text: for example, that the creator god of Genesis, a self-described jealous and exclusive god, is not the true Deity but a kind of fallen angel; or, in an overt critique of patriarchy unique in ancient literature, the declaration that the subordination of woman to man was an ignorant act in direct violation of the "holy height."

In King's analysis, the Revelation becomes not strange but a comprehensible religious vision--and a window on the religious culture of the Roman Empire. A translation of the complete Secret Revelation of John is included.

Tarot Revelations - Joseph Campbell, Richard Roberts and Colin Wilson 1987

Amazon Synopsis: Tarot Revelations is an analysis of the mysterious philosophy in the ancient cards that became modern playing cards. Citing Dante, C.G.Jung, and early Gnostics and alchemists, Campbell and Roberts reveal a path that has spiritual meaning for everyone. Writing in collaboration with Richard Roberts, Joseph Campbell stated, "We have come to revelations of a grandiose poetic vision of Universal Man that has been for centuries the inspiration of saints and sinners, sages and fools, in kaleidoscopic transformations." According to Richard Roberts, "In the 22 cards comprising the Major Arcana, we have a genuine document of the soul's initiation into higher consciousness. As such the Major Arcana may be interpreted as a Western Book of the Dead."

Secret Teachings of All Ages – Manly P. Hall 2011

Amazon Synopsis: Within the pages of Manly Palmer Hall s celebrated 20th century tome, readers delight in discussions about ancient symbolism, rituals, and mythology. Often hailed as an encyclopedia for all things hidden, ancient, and arcane, The Secret Teachings of All Ages explores a vast array of topics, from secret societies and the Zodiac to Mystic Christianity and William Shakespeare s identity. Despite some of the outdated and controversial ideas it poses now in the 21st century, The Secret Teachings of All Ages continues to fascinate students of the cryptic and mysterious. Read online / Free PDF

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