There were found twelve books bound in leatherplus eight pages of a thirteenth book. This hierarchy, known as the pleroma, is populated by beings called aeons. The beginners guide to the gnostic gospels overviewbible. The most important discovery of gnostic scriptures was in nag hammadi, egypt in 1945. The nag hammadi library the sophia of jesus christ translated by douglas m. This was one of the strangest books we had ever published. The gnostic society bookstore, offering a carefully selected collection of recent books on the subject of gnosis and gnosticism. Even the book of revelation cites a couple of gnostic beliefs and practices, referring to knowing the depths of satan and the nicolaitans revelation 2. Jul 20, 2017 sophia and the queen of heaven in various gnostic christian myths, sophia was the catalyst who gave rise to creation and the material realm. Other gnostics declared that god was neither male nor femaleor both. It has always seemed to me that the secret book of john evolved to be more difficult to. They all live in the spiritual land beyond the earth called the pleroma. In the book of ezekiel, the bible calls the king of egypt the great dragon that lie in the midst of his rivers.
The books contain a total of 52 gnostic texts, not all of which are gospels. All of the writings and scriptures from these groups are ancient and suspected to be incomplete. Gnosticism is clearly not some minor biblical issue. Gnostic goddess, female power, and the fallen sophia. They said to him, what is the place to which we are going. The nag hammadi library is a collection of early christian scriptures and a few other miscellaneous texts discovered in the egyptian desert in the middle of the twentieth century that has forced us to reconsider much of what we thought we knew about early christianity, especially the type of early christianity known as gnosticism.
Ive seen her, heard her, in many guises, and finally the name st. The two ways someone can know a doctrine is gnostic. The book of revelation is first and foremost a book about a cosmic war for earth. Gnosticism, christianity, and sophia kenyon college. The biographies of the divine feminine trinity volume 1. A forbidden gnostic text that claims to be jesus secret teachings to his brother james have been unearthed in an ancient trash heap in egypt. The two first books of this writing to which the name pistis sophia properly belongs, treat for the greater part pp.
The material or physical world is inherently evil and the spirit world is inherently good. This vision of the great goddess is unparalleled in the literature on the current revelation of the divine feminine trinity. Nov 01, 2017 at its basic level, gnosticism is a term coined by english philosopher henry more in the 17 th century to describe some heretical christians in the book of revelation. Sophia, with its roots in the greek language is central idea in hellenistic philosophy and religion, platonism, gnosticism and christian theology, shaped by platos use of the word philosophy, the love of wisdom and close to the meaning of phronesis wisdom, intelligence. The great dragon of the book of revelation gnostic warrior. Parrott the sophia wisdom of jesus christ after he rose from the dead, his twelve disciples and seven women continued to be his followers, and went to galilee onto the mountain calle. The book of gnostic revelation gnostic revelation society on. Sophia, as incarnate wisdom, instructs humanity in many gnostic accounts, while lucifer has been described as the godly patron of reason and science. For all religious organizations and particularly the christian church, the gnostic gospels shakes the foundations of institutional religion. In the path there are many gradations of gnosis along the way and supernal or messianic consciousness is not an end but rather a new beginning.
At its most sophisticated level, it is experiencing the representation of the all as the character sophia does in the film a dark song you can see this is in the post graphic above. The site includes the gnostic society library with the complete nag hammadi library, and a large collection of other primary gnostic scriptures and documents. In accordance with the description given in the book of proverbs, a dwellingplace was assigned by the gnostics to the sophia. There are many parallels between gnosticism and christianity, including a belief in angels. The book of revelation is really an interpretation of earlier. Throughout her book, the gnostic faustus, roman fradon connects sophia and lucifer, as seen in this passage. The book of revelation the book of revelation, a free online course this free online course reveals how you can discover the true meaning of the revelation or apoclaypse of st. In these original and heretical talks, modern day gnostic. The term gnosticism does not appear in ancient sources, 8 and was first coined in the 17th century by henry more in a commentary on the seven letters of the book of revelation, where more used the term gnosticisme to describe the heresy in thyatira. Written by three anonymous persons under the auspices of the gnostic revelation society, we published it in 1982. Sophia achamoth is a very high spirit, an emanation along with her consort, the christ of her mother, the elder sophia. The following essay is taken from the revised version.
One key difference between these two religious belief systems is that gnostics recognize a divine hierarchy above the angels. The book of revelation is the last book in the bible. Revelation to this day is one the strangest books in existence, esoteric, ambiguous, and filled with abyssal monsters and destruction. New light on the ancient tradition of inner knowing quest books, 2002 buy the book there has long been need for a comprehensive introductory guide to the gnostic tradition. Sep, 2016 in my revelations all roads and aspects lead to her.
It is a curious book unlike any other account in the bible. Oct 14, 2005 the following text was utilized as the basis for discussion in a lecture of the free online course about the real meaning of the book of revelation. This is because it is one of the only gnostic gospels that actually made it into the bible. Essay from the seekers handbook the complete guide to spiritual pathfinding, 1991, by john lash.
Since it was known to the church father irenaeus, it must have been written before around 180 ce. Here we present the first chapter of the book of revelation with clarifications and meanings added in parentheses. The secret book of john, also called the apocryphon of john or the secret revelation of john, is a secondcentury sethian gnostic christian text of secret teachings. This is the meaning of gnosis and gnosticism from the sophian perspective true gnosis is a state of supernal or messianic consciousness and gnosticism is a path to true gnosis.
In the gnostic myth of how the world works, sophia, the feminine personification of wisdom, lives happily with spirits of light especially her twin brother, in the unified limitless potential of her fathers radiance, created by the twin powers of depth and silence. Modern library calls pagels book, the gnostic gospels one of the 100 most important books of the twentieth century. I would second christophers recommendation of tau malachis new book. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The sophia resides in all humans as the divine spark. Download the audio lecture here the transcription is here. However itor the kind of extreme individualistic epistemology it embracescan lead historians to an overly skeptical approach particularly to those sources that were intended to recount and inform events of the past, that is, testimony in this restricted sense. The ancient gnostics and the revelations of the urantia book. The secret revelation of john harvard dash harvard university. This talk is from a series of lectures lash gave on gnostic sabotage in the book of revelation 2012. The ancient greeks and egyptians like many other cultures around the world had venerated the serpent, and in particular, a serpent god that i believe to be the great dragon found in the bible.
May 02, 2007 the book of revelation is the last book in the bible. The sophia of jesus christ, from the nag hammadi library. Much of the first two books of the manuscript are dedicated to outlining the myth of the. John, which is a crytic and mystical scripture at the very end of the christian bible. The sophia of jesus christ the nag hammadi library. Jewish alexandrine religious philosophy was much occupied with the concept of the divine sophia, as the revelation of. Gnostic revelation has broken through into my head in the modern world.
Divine mother known as sophia to the gnostics to uncover the real truth. The book of revelations, a gnostic gospel excommunicate. Revelation divine illumination divine light platonism. It compares jesus to a monstrous looking being and yet also brings a new and better world in the wake of the destruction of it. Gnostic exegesis in revelation 12 for anyone who is familiar with the multicolored panorama of ancient gnostic doctrines from different schools and mystery cults, revelation 12 seems to stand out the most from the revelation or apocalypse of st. The secret book of john is a complex developmental mythology that has been made more complicated because, over the years, versions of it have been improved by several levels of scribal alteration. A special and richly coloured development is given to the mythical form of the sophia of the gnostic book pistis sophia.
This book is currently under revision for republication late in 2001. Sophia, the timeless being, or aeon, who existed in the realm of perfection pleroma as the archetype of wisdom, felt inclined to manifest a creation of her own. Gnosticism as it appears today is a huge shambles, like the ruins of a once vast and magnificent temple. What we actually know about christian gnosticism is limited. The books of john, i corinthians, galatians, colossians, i and ii timothy, jude, and i john all combat various elements of gnosticism. I think anyone versed in gnosticism who read my notes would say, youre a gnostic.
Sophia sing a song as a gratitude because christ is coming to save her, and take her higher than the thirteen aeon, where obstinate name that the ego receive in this book cant reach her no more. This video proves with forensic methods, the author to be cerinthus. Jewish alexandrine religious philosophy was much occupied with the concept of the divine sophia, as the revelation of gods inward thought, and assigned to her not only the formation and ordering of the natural universe comp. Jul 18, 2017 gnosticism offers extrabiblical doctrines which sound ohsoclose to gods word. Often it is difficult to provide answers to why questions because unless the reasons have been documented or a person is alive to attest to why something was done, we do not really know. Download the audio lecture here the transcription is. The book of revelation written by gnostic priest cerinthus. The term gnosticism does not appear in ancient sources, and was first coined in the 17th century by henry more in a commentary on the seven letters of the book of revelation, where more used the term gnosticisme to describe the heresy in thyatira. Reading sex and gender in the secret revelation of john. The book of revelation is not written by john, but by a gnostic priest called cerinthus, whilst channelling the spirit of helios aka lucifer.
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