Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Parables, Hymns & Prayers from Central Asia [Hardcover]

Hans-Joachim Klimkeit (Translator, Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1993

Renowned scholar Hans-Joachim Klimkeit presents the first-ever English translation of Gnostic texts from Asia--a vital discovery that reveals a new expression of Christianity as it blended with the mystical religions of Turkey, China, Persia, and Central Asia. Illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this work, Klimkeit (history of religion, Univ. of Bonn) makes available for the first time in English a little-known corpus of texts that are extremely important for the study of Manicheanism, a serious rival to early Christianity. Klimkeit, who is German, translates the original mainly Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, and Turkish documents into good English. An introductory chapter sets forth the theological and historical milieu of these "Turfan texts," which are incomplete to fragmentary. Brief introductory comments precede each text, with generous notes following. The translations and notes were obviously made for those not conversant with the religions. This work will appeal to those studying Manicheanism and the Gnostic religions who are not comfortable with the original languages or who want an easily accessible compendium. For specialized collections only.
- Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Turkish

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (December 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060645865
• ISBN-13: 978-0060645861
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,038,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The introduction is a wealth of knowledge, November 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Parables, Hymns & Prayers from Central Asia (Hardcover)

This book is very nice. Although I have not finished reading it, the information that it reveals about the doctrine of an ancient 'religion of mind' that combined Christianity, Judeaism, Islam, Buddhism, Zoarster [or however it is spelled](etc.) is elevating. The book is a collection of Hyms that reveal some answers to the teachings of 'the Living Jesus' as expressed in the Gospel of Thomas and other 'Gnostic' gospels. All in all: if you are interested in knowledge of light or comparative religious studies, then the introduction alone is worth your purchase. Because much of the book is songs, the content is not all information, don't think it is to be read straight through...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gnosis on the Silk Road, November 11, 2009

By 

javafusion - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Parables, Hymns & Prayers from Central Asia (Hardcover)

Klimkeit presents an astonishing collection of parables, hymns, narratives, and prayers that unravel a major Christian movement primarily found in the prophet Mani, who merged Gnostic Christianity with the radical religious dualism of Persian religion and Zoroaster. As the movement spread along the Silk Road from Turkey to Asia, it adopted prominent features from Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Asian faiths. The result was a Christian philosophy and practice that was closer to the mystical, meditative religions of the East.