Review of Christian Gnosis: From St. Paul to Meister Eckhart by Wolfgang Smith. Unlike other men of Tradition who accept a more or less universal gnosis, Smith will show that a specifically Christian gnosis goes beyond what other sapiential traditions can offer. He bases this on the doctrine of the Trinity, especially as it appears in Meister Eckhart. Continue reading
So long as we are manfully engaged in the holy warfare of ascetic or practical philosophy we retain with us the Logos, who in the form of the commandments came from the Father into this world. But when we are released from our ascetic struggle with the passions and are declared victor over both them and the demons, we pass, by means of contemplation, to gnostic philosophy; in this way we allow the Logos mystically to leave the world again and make his way to the Father. Continue reading
This is a continuation of a previous post. My source document is here, and I have already noted the problems with dates – it is part of the Clementine literature, involving at least two Clements, but its contents are noteworthy. Simon Magus is an under-appreciated character, even though modern sensibilities … Continue reading
Boris Mouravieff, when teaching on polar-beings in Gnosis, references the existence of the Golden Book, an oral (if also incomplete) compilation of Jesus’ teachings to the inner circle of disciples. It is only fair to point out that (like the exoteric-esoteric paradox of Christianity itself), the idea of a written … Continue reading
What evidence could we adduce for the claim that Clement of Alexandria possessed secret wisdom? First of all, we could establish his difference from (say) Tertullian or even Jerome (who had the dream about getting rid of his pagan library): “…by philosophy I mean not the Stoic, nor the Platonic, … Continue reading