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Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . tying together some very diverse materials into a coherent and logical system of cosmology."
(Institute for Hermetic Studies, October 2004 )

". . . one book that not only makes the spiritual connections between East and West, but exposes some of the reasons why modern Christianity lacks some of the power that it was originally infused with. . . . a book that you'll want to take back off the shelf again and again because it's that important."
(Mark Williams, The Midwest Book Review, Apr 2005 )

". . . an amazing work. . . . It offers a recreation of the original teachings of the Naassenes and shows a deep knowledge of the esoteric traditions at the heart of all the world's religions. . . . revealing that at its heart early Christianity had a living Yoga centered round the awakening of the divine within."
(
Robert Burns, New Dawn, Nov-Dec 2004
)

“Luckily for us, books such as Gaffney’s are now bringing God out of Heaven and putting Him where He belongs: in our world, and in us.”
(Janet Brennan, Fate, May 2005 )

Product Description

Reveals the hidden meaning of the Grail and a secret Christian doctrine for achieving higher consciousness.

• Shows that Gnosticism is not a derivative of Christianity but the revelation of the true message of Jesus.

• Describes the ancient relationship between water and spirit.

• Explains the doctrine of immanence taught by Jesus at the Last Supper.

• Features the translated source text from The Refutation of All Heresies by Bishop Hippolytus, the only existing record of the Naassene Sermon.

In the third century C.E., the Catholic Bishop Hippolytus composed a Refutation of All Heresies in which his chief target was the Gnostic sect the Naassenes, whose writings included a recounting of Jesus' actual teachings at the Last Supper. Contrary to Church attacks, the Naassenes were not a heretical derivative of Christianity but the authentic foundation and purveyor of Christ's message. In fact, much of what passes as Christianity has nothing to do with the original teachings of its founder.

The message recorded in the Naassene Sermon was intended for an inner circle of disciples who were prepared for advanced initiation into Jesus' wisdom teachings. The Grail discussed therein was not an actual chalice but a symbol of the indwelling of the divine. The teachings involved the awakening of spirit and included practices aimed at restoring the soul's lost connection with God. Immanence, in the true sense intended by Jesus, thus allows for spiritual attainment in this life by ordinary individuals without the intermediary of Church or priest. This was the real meaning of the Last Supper and why the Naassenes believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Mystery traditions.

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Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Inner Traditions; First Edition, Second Printing edition (April 19, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 089281697X
ISBN-13: 978-0892816972
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #503,635 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gnosticism in a Different Light, December 1, 2004

By	Richard Edmondson (Fairview, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What was it about Gnostic Christian sects which so obsessed the early church fathers? That a three hundred year reign of persecution eventually drove the Gnostics out of existence is beyond doubt. The sentiments of the early fathers are recorded in such voluminous tracts as the ten-volume "Refutation of all Heresies" by Bishop Hippolytus. But what did the Gnostics really teach? Here Mark Gaffney supplies us with a partial answer. Gaffney takes a close look at one Gnostic sect in particular, the Naassenes, and comes up with the conclusion that they had full knowledge of spiritual practices now normally associated only with eastern religions. Sadly, all we know about the Naassenes comes to us from one of their chief persecutors-the aforementioned heretic hunter, Bishop Hippolytus. But amazingly the latter devotes a full five chapters to the group, even going so far as to quote extensively from a now-lost Naassene text which modern scholars have come to denote as "The Naassene Sermon." Gaffney calls the bishop's achievement in preserving the text "remarkable." Yet he adds with irony, "his acerbic attempts to discredit Naassene belief are plainly refuted by the very material he compiled and recorded." While the book includes the sermon in its entirety in an appendix, Gaffney's analysis of it in the preceding fourteen chapters provides invaluable insights. Among these are that the Naassenes were aware of such Hindu concepts as the chakra centers of the body, and may have even practiced a form of Kundalini yoga, even if they didn't call it by that name.

The fascinating question, which Gaffney explores, is: did the Naassenes receive these teachings directly from Jesus, or at any rate from James the Just, the brother of Jesus? That at any rate is what the Naassenes claimed, and Gaffney seems willing to grant that the claim may be bonafide. The book indeed presents "powerful evidence that the Gnostic element was present in Christianity from the beginning", and did not originate in the second century as scholarship has previously supposed. Clues of this abound-even in the Bible itself. This is not to say that all Gnostic sects thought alike. Gnosticism was varied. Some Gnostic groups held beliefs which could be described as dubious at best. But Gaffney asserts that the Naassenes had a "direct knowledge of sacred anatomy." This knowledge, or "gnosis," lay in stark contrast to orthodox Christianity, which "created an overly rigid mentality" among its adherents. Gaffney posits that what has been passed down to us as a result of the persecution of groups like the Naassenes is a soul-less, spiritually dead form of Christianity. This, he says, has led to a tragic "spiritual decline of the West"-tragic not only for the West, it may be added, but for the world as a whole. Indeed it could perhaps fairly be said that the legacy of Bishop Hippolytus lives on in the legions of so-called "values voters" who returned George Bush to a second term in office despite the unleashing of cataclysmic destruction in a country and against a people who had never done us any harm.

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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the true spirit of gnosticism, August 29, 2004

By	Hal B. Nash (Wyoming) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is about a gnostic sermon from early Christianity. The sermon was totally preserved, ironically, by a heresiologist name Hippolytus seeking to refute gnostic heresy.

The author attempts to interpret the symbology of the sermon by drawing from Old Testament scripture, pagan literature, gnostic writings and even Eastern religion. What the reader ends up getting is a very broad view of humankind's effort to "know" the Divine. Such "gnosis" is available to every person as taught by Jesus (and many other mystics both East and West) at the Last Supper. Anyone can have a direct experience of the Divine Mystery and do so without a mediator such as the church or priest/bishop. This is in keeping with the spirit of gnosticism.

Any discussion of the Last Supper always involves a discussion of the Grail. The Grail represents the Divine Presence in matter. This is the teaching of immanence. If indeed Divinity is present in matter, then the Divine is accessible for all. Rather than emphasizing the great gulf between humans and God (which is what orthodoxy teaches), gnosticism emphasizes the closeness of God. The kingdom of heaven is within you. The message and mission of Jesus is to make us conscious of the Divine within each of us. And the cup as receptacle reminds us that we are receptacles of the Divine.

I wouldn't recommend this book as a first book on gnosticism. I would recommend reading first "Jesus and the Lost Goddess" by Freke and Gandy, as well as "The Gnostic Gospels" by Pagels and "Gnosticism" by Hoeller.

I give it four stars instead of five because the author had several opportunities to delve into the meaning of immanence and its implications for us, but left it a bit short. If indeed the Divine is present in matter there are enormous implications for us as individuals, and for the organized church. An extended commentary on this would have been a great addition to this book. Nevertheless, I recommend this book as a great addition to your gnostic library.

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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just plain good scholarly work., November 21, 2004

By	M. R Turner "zenresistance" (Edgemoor, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was hesitant at first to start reading through the book. I often start out reading books on good topics with wonderful titles and a rivetting back cover only to find that was all the book had going for it. I am happy to say that was not the case this time out. Mr. Gaffney did a great job researching and writing this book on a subject the Church would rather people not know of.

The sheer amount of history you will learn about early Christianity is astonishing, and it is all (repeat, all) well more than adequately footnoted, indexed and appendixed. Also, the comparisons and contrasts between early Christianity and other of its contemporary religions and its predecessors is very nicely handled. This is a must-read for those who genuinely want to get to the nitty-gritty of their Church and how it has evolved over the past few thousand years.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Stashed Inisde a Clay Jar
O Blasphemy! O Heresy!: Stashed Inside a Clay Jar

I recently finished re-reading this remarkable book [Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes: The Initiatory Teachings of... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Edwin E. Jewett

2.0 out of 5 stars Gnostic Secretsnof the Naassenes
I found that the book lacked an organized approach to the subject and I finally quit reading it even though the subject itself is very close to my heart and I was quite anxious to... Read more

Published on October 6, 2007 by H. K. Neumann

1.0 out of 5 stars Ideas that collapse, as always, in the face of time-tested refutations by Remnant Christians
This book is the latest in a growing series of well-presented but poorly thought-out works that try to make the claim that the Gnostics were the first true Christians... Read more

Published on September 15, 2007 by Jeffrey Cross

5.0 out of 5 stars If you don't see the "proof," that shows your ignorance and bias.
In response to the 2-star review demanding "proof," if you don't see the proof, you didn't read the book yourself. Read more

Published on August 20, 2007 by Sam

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly personal view of gnostic spirituality
I enjoyed this book, but it is not, as one reviewer points out, a systematic interpretation of the history or "theology" of the Naasene sect. Read more

Published on April 14, 2007 by Neil R. Cronin

2.0 out of 5 stars Historical Research, or New Age Propaganda?
It's nice to see that Mark Gaffney's book has received multiple rave reviews from all the New Age critics and pundits. Read more

Published on November 9, 2006 by J. West

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Material
One of the best books on the origin of the orthodox view of Christianity, by comparing it to this one gnostic sect. Read more

Published on August 31, 2006 by J.C. Bastet

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back gnostics

Considerably more ground is covered in the book than the announced initiatory teachings of the last supper. Read more

Published on February 27, 2005 by N J Pinney

5.0 out of 5 stars Initiatory Teachings...
Many times, as we garner truths from our life experiences, we stack one of these truths upon another, never bothering to check and see if any of these beliefs are in conflict with... Read more

Published on September 21, 2004 by Avid Reader

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