Translated by R. McL. Wilson A full-scale study based on the documents of the Coptic Gnostic library found at Nag Hammadi providing a comprehensive survey of the nature, the teachings, the history and the influence of this religion.>
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Text: English, German (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rudolf's book is the best one on Gnosis after Jonas.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism (Paperback)
It is comprehensive, steeped in the sources and objective which is rare in a field where personal covinctions often interfere with narrative. There are some minor works or subjects which I wanted to see better covered but, nevertheless, it is an outstanding achievement. It helped me a lot to penetrate the world of ancient Gnosticism and finally to write and defend a doctoral thesis on it. It will be published in 2000, alas, in Bulgarian. It also stimulated me to begin researching the influence of Gnosticism through the ages which is enormous but much neglected.
129 of 150 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Gnostics,
By Deirdre A. Le Blanc "Artist/Writer" (WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA United States, FORMERLY LOS ANGELES, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism (Paperback)
Although scholarly, this book is most readable. I have found it the best study of the Gnostics individually and as a whole, and Rudolph has portrayed quite well how a group of Gnostic Christians broke away from the older Gnostic sects to produce what has become Catholicism. In addition, he gives us a clear view of how and why the early Gnostics accepted Jesus into their pantheon. I am quite surprised that Messrs. Freke and Gandy had not read this book before writing The Jesus Mysteries, but it does not appear in their bibliography.From studying the Gnostics one can see where the Roman Church gained it rituals and sacraments, and why it was necessary to denigrate the many Gnostics sects in order to prove theirs was the truest. It is all a matter of belief systems. If you can gain more people who believe in yours (even through persecution), then you can call everyone else a heretic, pagan or infidel. Rudolph confirmed for me that man has always sought mysteries. Knowledge is power, and secret knowledge is true power. Though Rudolph doesn't say it, Gnosticism was certainly behind the quest throughout the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and the reason men like Ficino, Pico, Albertus Magus, Francis Bacon, Giordano Bruno, etc., sought gnosis outside the Roman Church for the right to study suppressed knowledge, which was the beginning of what we know as the Hermetic Arts, Occult science, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry.
63 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good!,
This review is from: Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism (Paperback)
This is a comparatively easy read (if compared to someinsufferable history books I read in college), and it is also veryinformative. No new age [stuff] -- just scholarship and very goodanalysis. This survey is much better than Hans Jonas in that itincorporates Nag Hammadi findings, and is not as hostile. The selectbibliography at the end is a jewel ...
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First Sentence:
Our knowledge and understanding of any historical phenomenon on is dependent to a quite considerable extent upon the state of our sources, be they written, oral, archaeological or of some other kind. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gnostic soteriology, gnostic communities, third envoy, first begetter, intermediate kingdom, redeeming knowledge, primal revelation, gnostic library, gnostic theologians, gnostic understanding, gnostic schools, gnostic community, gnostic systems, gnostic character, gnostic documents, gnostic redeemer, gnostic view, redeemer figure, gnostic theology, gnostic texts, gnostic doctrine, gnostic ideas, gnostic teaching, gnostic literature, gnostic religion Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nag Hammadi, Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel of Philip, Clement of Alexandria, Pistis Sophia, Asia Minor, Simon Magus, Codex Jung, Neues Testament, New York, Jesus Christ, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Truth, Odes of Solomon, Acts of Thomas, Gospel of John, Coptic Museum, Das Evangelium, Hypostasis of the Archons, Left Ginza, Middle Ages, Book of Thomas, Togo Mina, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Our knowledge and understanding of any historical phenomenon on is dependent to a quite considerable extent upon the state of our sources, be they written, oral, archaeological or of some other kind. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gnostic soteriology, gnostic communities, third envoy, first begetter, intermediate kingdom, redeeming knowledge, primal revelation, gnostic library, gnostic theologians, gnostic understanding, gnostic schools, gnostic community, gnostic systems, gnostic character, gnostic documents, gnostic redeemer, gnostic view, redeemer figure, gnostic theology, gnostic texts, gnostic doctrine, gnostic ideas, gnostic teaching, gnostic literature, gnostic religion Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nag Hammadi, Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel of Philip, Clement of Alexandria, Pistis Sophia, Asia Minor, Simon Magus, Codex Jung, Neues Testament, New York, Jesus Christ, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Truth, Odes of Solomon, Acts of Thomas, Gospel of John, Coptic Museum, Das Evangelium, Hypostasis of the Archons, Left Ginza, Middle Ages, Book of Thomas, Togo Mina, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 41
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- The Gnostic Religion by Hans Jonas in Front Matter, page 33, and page 400
- Rediscovery of Gnosticism by Bentley Layton on page 383, page 385, and page 400
- Manichaean Literature: Representative Texts. Chiefly from Middle Persia and Parthian Writings (UNESCO collection of representative works : Persian heritage series) by Jes P. Asmussen on page 389, and page 396
- The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels on page 385, and page 401
- Fragments of Heracleon (Texts and Studies: Contributions to Biblical and Patristic L) by A. E. Brooke on page 388, and page 392
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- Origen of Alexandria and St. Maximus the Confessor by Edward Moore in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition by Richard Smoley in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The End of the World: A Theological Interpretation by Ulrich H. J. Kortner in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Between Transcendence And Historicism: The Ethical Nature Of The Arts In Hegelian Aesthetics (Suny Series in Hegelian Studies) by Brian K. Etter in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- People of the Book: Canon, Meaning, and Authority by Moshe Halbertal in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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