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Product Description
The Gnostics is a one-stop guide to everything you need to know about this mystical movement that teaches knowledge of God rather than unquestioning faith.
About the Author
Andrew Phillip Smith is the editor of The Gnostic and the author of Gnostic Writings on the Soul, The Lost Sayings of Jesus and The Gospel of Philip.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Early Christian ideas of God and Creation,
By
This review is from: The Gnostics: History * Tradition * Scriptures * Influence (Paperback)
The Gnostics: History, Tradition, Scriptures, Influence by Andrew Phillip Smith, Watkins Publishing, London, 2008, 256 ff.
Early Christian ideas of God and Creation By Howard A. Jones Although ideas of gnosis - individual experience of the divine - date back to ancient Egypt and the Jewish Kabbalah, the 2nd and 3rd century Gnostics brought Christ into the picture, but not in a way acceptable to the Church so became one of many Christian heresies in the early centuries of Christianity. To the Gnostics, Christ is an emissary of God, not the incarnation, and the deity itself is a demiurge who created an imperfect and perverted material world. Salvation would come to those who had spiritual knowledge or gnosis of God. If Gnostic stories seem somewhat fanciful it is because they regarded myth `as being the best vehicle for expressing their insights into mankind and the universe.' Gnostic mythology is the focus of chapter one. There were many sects of Gnostics, the best known founded by Basilides, Marcion, Simon Magus and Valentinus, differing somewhat in beliefs and practices: all are explained in chapter two. The next chapters deal with Gnostic interpretation of the Bible and the mantra of their philosophy, `as above, so below', which is found ubiquitously in contemporary books on spirituality and the Lord's Prayer: `Thy Will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven'. The rituals and beliefs of the Gnostics comprise chapter 5 and, in subsequent chapters, we learn about the origins of Gnosticism, the Manicheans, the Cathars and the Mandeans. The final chapter in the book is about the revival of Gnosticism after the Reformation, due in no small measure to the publication of the Hermetica - writings attributed to the (probably fictional) `prophet' Hermes Trismegistus, a fusion of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The book is very readable and informative: its author has written several books on Gnosticism and early Christianity and now edits The Gnostic magazine. This book more than adequately fulfils its role as an introduction to the ideas of Gnosticism. Dr Howard A. Jones is the author of The Thoughtful Guide to God (2006) and The Tao of Holism (2008), both published by O Books of Winchester, UK. Gnostic Gospels The Essence of the Gnostics
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lightweight introduction for the general reader,
By E. L. Wisty "If you hear about C. P. Snow exp... (Devon, UK) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Gnostics: History * Tradition * Scriptures * Influence (Paperback)
This is an entry-level work and an easy read - I finished it off in a couple of evenings. A good introductory text for the general reader, covering all the bases and doing what it says on the tin to be sure, but depending on your level of interest or study you may wish to continue with, or even go straight into, a meatier and more heavyweight text such as those of:
- Stoyanov (The Other God: Dualist Religions from Antiquity to the Cathar Heresy) - Jonas (The Gnostic Religion) - Rudolph (Gnosis) - Filoramo (A History of Gnosticism) - Petrement (A Separate God: The Christian Origins of Gnosticism)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Simply amazing!,
By John E. Hart - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Gnostics: History, Tradition, Scriptures, Influence (Paperback)
I have always been interested in gnosticism and the history of Christianity as a whole. I have also been immersed with the ever-growing debate over a mythical vs. a historical Jesus of Nazareth. As a student of ancient history, I quickly found myself reading the Bible in several translations, as well as in the New Testament original, Koine Greek. I also found myself up late at night reading other texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocryphal works and more importantly, the Nag Hammadi scriptures (translated by Marvin Meyer).
I will admit that some of my earlier perceptions of gnosticism were not 100% accurate because it seems the internet has provided a platform of inconsistencies regarding what gnosticism truly is, specifically, its roots. Upon reading Mr. Smith's treatise, I have a new found interest in Gnosticism and have accomplished a better understanding of Gnosticism as a whole. I personally feel that this book should be required before one reads any Nag Hammadi or Gnostic scripture. Case in point, I recently started reading the Nag Hammadi scriptures about two weeks ago and ended up going back to the beginning and starting over. I now understand exactly what is going on and could both see and understand the meanings and references of Sophia, Archons, Aeons, Ialdabaoth, gnosis, Demiurge and Pleroma. I also have a greater understanding of the true gnostics-the Sethians and Valentinians- and grasp that many mystery cults or sects (later developed) were not truly gnostic because of lack of a belief in gnosis. Furthermore, as an added bonus, when you re-read some of the Apostle Paul's epistles, you can clearly see gnostic overtones. I thoroughly enjoyed all Eleven chapters, coupled with the historical background and information, which was greatly appreciated and is now understood. However, with every publication, there is always one thing a reader or student wishes to be in a book, but for whatever reason, the author chose to omit reference to it. My only complaint (if you even want to call it that) would be the lack of footnotes in specific areas. This bulk of this treatise comprises 226 pages and is accompanied by 105 footnotes, roughly one footnote for every two pages (not bad at all). For example, page 76 contains a reference by Irenaeus, yet the exact location of this passage is not given. Page 81 consists of the Valentinian interpretation of knowledge concerning the orthodox church view on the crucifixion with a passage, but no footnote accompanies the perceived quote. On page 118, Mr. Smith tells the reader that during the 1960-70's, roughly seventy new denominations of Christianity were formed daily (it would have been nice to see a footnote attached here to the source of this information/study). These are just several passages (amongst others), that I wished to have had an accompanying footnote, but in the overall scope of things, this is really minor, but has led me to rate the book four out of five stars. Closing, I highly recommend this treatise to all laymen (due to the book's synthetic structure) and students, as well as even scholars. I have a new found appreciation for the Gnostics and especially Mr. Smith. I look forward to reading all of his published works and those to be published in the future. His work is greatly appreciated. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Compelling Read,
By Miriam Knight "New Consciousness Review" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Gnostics: History, Tradition, Scriptures, Influence (Paperback)
This review of the history and literature of the Gnostics is both scholarly and exhaustive, so I was surprised at how amazingly compelling a read it was. Smith leads us through the historical origins and often bizarre evolution of Gnosticism up to today's popular culture, where its central tenets still ring true: "that we humans are somehow asleep to our lives and to the true meaning of reality, and yet can awaken; that there is a higher form of personal religion in comparison with which organized religion is a travesty; that reality is not what it seems to be."
The Welsh-born author is the editor of "The Gnostic" magazine and author of several books on Gnosticism and ealy Christianity: Gnostic Writings of the Soul; the lost Saying of Jesus; and The Gospel of Philip. 3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful. Accurate. Comprehensive tour de force.,
By Sam A. Nicolosi - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Gnostics: History, Tradition, Scriptures, Influence (Paperback)
In "The Gnostics" Phillip Andrew Smith, who is also editor of "The Gnostic" (periodical) is an author of several books on Gnostic subjects, and in this work he has provided an excellent and erudite overview of all the various known strains of Gnosticism, from early beginnings to modern day.
A real gem! |
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