The Gnostic Bible

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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. Download The Gnostic Bible author Willis Barnstone – kino-fada.fr This is a wonderful reference library to give the reader a taste of the different Gnostic literatures existing in the Christian world I especially liked how the compilers delineated the different gnostic groups and then gave a sampling of that particular group s literatures, from the Sethians to the Valentinians, to the Cathars and the Mandaeans.I found their section on Manichaeism and Mandaeism particularly interesting, being that Manichaeism was one of the competing religions of the day, rela This is a wonderful reference library to give the reader a taste of the different Gnostic literatures existing in the Christian world I especially liked how the compilers delineated the different gnostic groups and then gave a sampling of that particular group s literatures, from the Sethians to the Valentinians, to the Cathars and the Mandaeans.I found their section on Manichaeism and Mandaeism particularly interesting, being that Manichaeism was one of the competing religions of the day, relative to how Appolonius was a contending contemporary of Jesus Mandaeism is just exciting in itself, called the Christianity of John the Baptizer where Jesus Christ is seen as a false messiah to John the Baptizer.I highly recommend this to Christians votaries of all walks of life, whether it be of the laity or of the clergy It definitely breaks with the modern, Trinitarian Christian organisation and gives ponderance upon an alternative Christianity that was once, and still is, con...To know the principles of Gnostic Christianity is to court disaster Philip K DickBefore I get too deep into this, I will present my must read list for anybody interested but without the mental fortitude to get through 850 pages of this stuff Gospel of Thomas probably the best of the wisdom books Gospel of John I m recommending this for 2 reasons 1 because it s translated by Willis Barnstone, not by a religious committee allowing him to explore the poetic beauty of the Bible that To know the principles of Gnostic Christianity is to court disaster Philip K DickBefore I get too deep into this, I will present my must read list for anybody interested but without the mental fortitude to get through 850 pages of this stuff Gospel of Thomas probably the best of the wisdom books Gospel of John I m recommending this for 2 reasons 1 because it s translated by Willis Barnstone, not by a religious committee allowing him to explore the poetic beauty of the Bible that so often suffers at the hands of approved translations and 2 because it s important in the context of gnosticism Gospel of Judas Secret Book of John most satisfying cosmogony Thunder, Perfect Mind If you have to only read one, make it this one, its short Gospel of Truth Gospel of Philip The Round Dance of the Cross The Prayer of the Messenger Paul The Songs of Solomon The Song o...This is areadable translation of the Nag Hammadi gospels of Jesus Christ, translated into language that is easier for most to understand It is also edited by Marvin Meyer whose translations and writings I greatly respect Its an excellent place to start for beginners Each gospel contains a preface by known writers in the field describing the time period the book was first discovered, where and how its meaning was discerned This is a book many gnostics like myself have waited on Thank Y This is areadable translation of the Nag Hammadi gospels of Jesus Christ, translated into language that is easier for most to understand It is also edited by Marvin Meyer whose transl...This book is a fascinating collection of so called Gnostic texts, ranging from the Nag Hammadi library to Sethian to a diverse array of scripture, poems and other writings thought to be related in some way to Gnostic philosophy and theology Some of the wri...There isn t much I can say other than you really can t do without this one if you are interested in Gnosticism It is a must have reference, and Meyer is one of the best I imagine most people would be happy with the translations and descriptions offered here.Wow Everyone should read 1 The Gospel of Thomas2 The Gospel of Judas3 The Gospel of Philip4 Thunder Perfect Mind double WOW 5 The Prayer of the Messenger Paul6 The Round Dance of the Cross7 The Gospel of MaryIntroductionMy reading has become so wide and diversified that I suppose, at this point, many of my friends may be referring to me as some sort of heresiologist Regardless, the study of diversified religions is not only fascinating but also serves to grow one s faith in God in a deep and profound way This work consists of a wide collection of writings associated with Gnosticism, many of which are deeply steeped in myth and most of which were repressed by the Catholic Church Much extant Gnosti IntroductionMy reading has ...The Gnostic Bible Contains a wide range of Gnostic texts from various religious traditions, Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Mandean and Manichean Personally, I think the compilers of this edition took some liberties For instance, they included the Gospel of Saint John in this collection when I personally feel that it doesn t qualify as a Gnostic Text Also, I didn t particularly like the fact that instead of opting to use Jesus, they used Yeshua instead I understand that they were tryin The Gnostic Bible Contains a wide range of Gnostic texts from various religious traditions, Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Mandean and Manichean Personally, I think the compilers of this edition took some liberties For instance, they included the Gospel of Saint John in this collection when I personally feel that it doesn t qualify as a Gnostic Text Also, I didn t particularly like the fact that instead of opting to use Jesus, they used Yeshua instead I understand that they were trying to emphasize that in the very beginnings that Christianity was a branch of Judaism With that said, it contains some beautiful pieces of writing which should be placed among the classics of sacred literature For instance, the Gospel of Thomas says according to saying 2, Seek and do not stop seeking until you find When you find, you will be troubled When you are troubled, you will marvel and rule over all Often, my religious tradition Christianity focuses on a...In the excellent epilogue, Barnstone writes, G nosticism was a new, alluring alternative to the normative religion that locked ideas into dogma, bureaucracy, and worldly power to defeat infidels and banish creative solitude What was true then is true now Though these writings rarely rise to the sublime heights of the Bible or the Qur an, the latter two have been so colored by centuries of fundamentalist interpretations bent on retaining religious authority that it requires a tremendous effo In the excellent epilogue, Barnstone writes, G nosticism was a new, alluring alternative to the normative religion that locked ideas into dogma, bureaucracy, and worldly power to defeat infidels and banish creative solitude What was true then is true now Though these writings rarely rise to the sublime heights of the Bible or the Qur an, the latter two have been so colored by centuries of fundamentalist interpretations bent on retaining rel...This isn t a book as much as it is an anthology That said, it was still very good It contains a collection of Gnostic gospels from various traditions, and presents them translated to English There is also a brief opening section at the beginning of each translation describing the background and some important aspects of the different gospels Further, there s a nice introduction to Gnosticism as a whole.I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read Gnostic texts in English, but This isn t a book as much as it is an anthology That said, it was still very good It contains a collection of Gnostic gospels from various traditions, and presents them translated to...

The Gnostic Bible
  • English
  • 02 October 2017
  • Paperback
  • 880 pages
  • 1590301994
  • Willis Barnstone
  • The Gnostic Bible