Forbidden Faith

Who were the Gnostics Were they heretics or visionaries who possessed the keys to Christianity s deepest secrets Where did they come from Did they leave any descendants Why were they suppressed Why do their ideas keep reappearing Forbidden Faith is a comprehensive popular history of Gnosticism, a secretive tradition that has survived for centuries in many forms under many names Richard Smoley, an expert in esoteric Christianity, traces the Gnostic legacy from its ancient roots in the Gospel of Thomas, discovered in Egypt early 2nd century Gnostic communities of the Roman Empire the Manichaeans of Central Asia He tracks how the Gnostic impulse was publicly repressed but survived underground in various forms of Christianity, surfacing again in the Middle Ages with the Cathars, a mysterious group of heretics who inspired the medieval tradition of courtly love but were then wiped out by the Inquisition Since then the Gnostic legacy has survived into the modern era with the help of Kabbalists, the Freemasonry of our founding fathers, Wm Blake s poetry, the intuitive insights of 19th century Theosophists the psychological work of C.G Jung Finally, we learn how some of their key teachings are being revived in Harold Bloom s criticism, the sf of Philip K Dick films like The Matrix The Da Vinci Code Why should Gnosticism exercise such a lasting fascination Throughout most of Christian history, Gnosticism was the forbidden faith, such condemnation by the official Church might actually have served to endow the movement with glamour But that explanation goes only so far For the Gnostics to have such lasting appeal, it seems logical that they must offer solutions to some problems, solutions overlooked by mainstream religion Forbidden Faith provides the enduring story continuing legacy of those errant faithful who ve had direct experiences of the divine that can t be explained by the official beliefs of the Church. Free Read [ Forbidden Faith ] author [ Richard Smoley ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr This book is designed to be popular If you ve liked what you ve read about gnostic religion , are intrigued by claims of vast masonic conspiracies, read C.G Jung or William Blake, or think either The Matrix or The DaVinci Code profound films, then there s a lure here to catch your attention and it will likely be found to deliver at least a foreta...I cannot think of a better popular introduction to the gnostic turn of mind although the book is mistitled and the author admits as much The Gnostic turn of mind is a way of seeing for many human beings whereas Gnosticism was a belief system of a particular time and place.Gnosticism, the very particular set of beliefs, emerged out of the creative struggles for meaning in antiquity It died out with the triumph of an authoritarian, nay, totalitarian catholicism in alliance with secular tyranny I cannot think of a better popular introduction to the gnostic turn of mind although the book is mistitled and the author admits as much The Gnostic turn of mind is a way of seeing for many human beings whereas Gnosticism was a belief system of a particular time and place.Gnosticism, the very particular set of beliefs, emerged out of the creative struggles for meaning in antiquity It died out with the triumph of an authoritarian, nay, totalitarian catholicism in alliance with secular tyranny This is the story of the first half of the book.In a series of lucid chapters, Smoley looks into Gnosticism proper and its fall, including its longest survival the forgotten Manichaeanism, the lost fourth universal religion of the old world, which lasted strangely through to the sec...This book fails to live up to its promise of tracing the Gnostic legacy from the Gospels to the Da Vinci Code In spite of being the editor of the magazine Gnosis for many years, it is unclear if author Smoley understands what the main threads of Gnosticism are His chapter Who Were the Gnostics is muddy and fails to clearly define the main tenets of the Gnostic faith there were many Gnostic groups who were not all in agreement The rambling history he traces isone of esoteric hermeti This book fails to live up to its promise of tracing the Gnostic legacy from the Gospels to the Da Vinci Code In spite of being the editor of the magazine Gnosis for many years, it is unclear if author Smoley understands what the main threads of Gnosticism are His chapter Who Were the Gnostics is muddy and fails to clearly define the main tenets of the Gnostic faith there were many Gnostic groups who were not all in agreement The ...interesting readlots of information here.There were many different schools of thought in early Christianity The New Testament, as most people know it, was selected by church leaders out of many gospels The Gospel of Thomas was not included because it taught that divinity resides within each person instead of in the place known as heaven The church wanted to consolidate power in the hands of church leaders ra...One of the most interesting Gnostic books I ve read, very easy to read for the novice and has a lot of details for the starter to grasp and ponder and explore much, much further Though this book meanders constantly with occultism and esoteric knowledge of other kinds, li...awful title and cover actual content ranging from extremely competent to enlightening.This is a great introduction to Gnosticism and its influence in thought down through the agesQuite an interesting tour though early Christianity, how the intellectually curious were purged, and how their legacy has survived to the present day.A quick look into the history of the world that surrounds the monotheistic religions that are organized and not organized

• English
• 03 October 2018
Richard Smoley
• Hardcover
• 256 pages
• 0060783397
• Richard Smoley
• Forbidden Faith