Practicing Gnosis: Ritual, Magic, Theurgy, And Liturgy In Nag Hammadi, Manichaean And Other Ancient Literature : Essays In Honor Of Birger A. Pearson Ritual, Magic, Theurgy, And Liturgy In Nag Hammadi, Manichaean And Other Ancient Literature

The essays in Practicing Gnosis demonstrate that the Gnostics were not necessarily trendy intellectuals seeking epistomological certainities. Instead, this book explores how Gnostics were seeking religious experiences that relied on practices including ritual, magic, liturgy, and theurgy. This book celebrates the career of Birger A. Pearson. Ritual, Magic, Liturgy, And Theurgy Were Central Features Of Gnosticism, And Yet Gnostic Practices Remain Understudied. This Anthology Is Meant To Fill In This Gap And Address More Fully What The Ancient Gnostics Were Doing. While Previously We Have Studied The Gnostics As Intellectuals In Pursuit Of Metaphysical Knowledge, The Essays In This Book Attempt To Understand The Gnostics As Ecstatics Striving After Religious Experience, As Prophets Seeking Revelation, As Mystics Questing After The Ultimate God, As Healers Attempting To Care For The Sick And Diseased. These Essays Demonstrate That The Gnostics Were Not Necessarily Trendy Intellectuals Seeking Epistomological Certainities. They Were After Religious Experiences That Relied On Practices. The Book Is Organized Comparatively In A History-of-religions Approach With Sections Devoted To Initiatory, Recurrent, Therapeutic, Ecstatic, And Philosophic Practices. This Book Celebrates The Brilliant Career Of Birger A. Pearson-- A Tribute To Birger A. Pearson. For Birger Pearson: A Scholar Who Both Studies And Embodies Syncretism / George W.e. Nickelsburg ; Religionsgeschichtliche Schule, Religionswissenschaft, Piano, Oboe And Bourbon / Gerald James Larson ; Birger Pearson: Scholar, Professor And Mentor / Gregory Shaw ; Birger A. Pearson, A Bibliography -- Initiatory Practices. The Road For The Souls Is Through The Planets: The Mysteries Of The Ophians Mapped / April D. Deconick ; Ecstatic Religion In The Roman Cult Of Mithras / Roger Beck ; The Gospel Of Philip As Gnostic Initiatory Discourse / Bas Van Os ; Becoming Invisible: Rending The Veil And The Hermeneutic Of Secrecy In The Gospel Of Philip / Elliot Wolfson ; Ritual In The Second Book Of Jeu / Erin Evans ; Death On The Nile: Egyptian Codices, Gnosticism, And Early Christian Books Of The Dead / Nicola Denzey Lewis -- Recurrent Pratices. Going To Church With The Valentinians / Einar Thomassen ; Practicing ‘repentance’ On The Path To Gnosis In Exegesis On The Soul / Madeleine Scopello ; Opening The Way Of Writing: Semiotic Metaphysics In The Book Of Thoth / Edward Butler ; “i Worship And Glorify”: Manichaean Liturgy And Piety In Kellis’ Prayer Of The Emanations / Fernando Bermejo Rubio ; The Manichaean Weekly Confessional Ritual / Jason Beduhn ; Ritual Ingenuity In The Mandaean Scroll Of Exalted Kingship / Jorunn Buckley -- Therapeutic Practices. Natural, Magical, Scientific Or Religious? A Guide To Theories Of Healing / Naomi Janowitz ; Astrological Medicine In Gnostic Traditions / Grant Adamson ; The Persistence Of Ritual In The Magical Book Of Mary And The Angels: P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 685 / Marvin Meyer ; Image And Word: Performative Ritual And Material Culture In The Aramaic Incantation Bowls / Rebecca Lesses -- Ecstatic Practices. From Baptismal Vision To Mystical Union With The One: The Case Of The Sethian Gnostics / John D. Turner ; Marcosian Rituals For Prophecy And Apolytrosis / Niclas Förster ; Ritual In The Hekhalot Literature / James Davila -- Philosophic Practices. The Platonizing Sethian Gnostic Interpretation Of Plato’s Sophist / Zeke Mazur ; Did Plotinus’ “friends” Still Go To Church? Communal Rituals And Ascent Apocalypses / Michael Williams ; The Meaning Of “one”: Plurality And Unity In Plotinus And Later Neoplatonism / Kevin Corrigan ; Theurgy And The Platonist’s Luminous Body / Gregory Shaw. Edited By April D. Deconick, Gregory Shaw, John D. Turner. Birger Albert Pearson, A Bibliography: Pages 19-33. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents......Page 7 Introduction......Page 11 A TRIBUTE TO BIRGER A. PEARSON......Page 15 George W.E. Nickelsburg. For Birger Pearson: A Scholar Who Both Studies and Embodies Syncretism......Page 17 Gerald James Larson. Religionsgeschichtliche Schule, Religionswissenschaft, Piano, Oboe and Bourbon......Page 21 Gregory Shaw. Birger Pearson: Scholar, Professor and Mentor......Page 25 Birger Albert Pearson A Bibliography......Page 29 SECTION ONE. INITIATORY PRACTICES......Page 45 April D. DeConick. The Road for the Soul Is through the Planets: The Mysteries of the Ophians Mapped......Page 47 Roger Beck. Ecstatic Religion in the Roman Cult of Mithras......Page 85 Bas van Os. The Gospel of Philip as Gnostic Initiatory Discourse......Page 101 Elliot R. Wolfson. Becoming Invisible: Rending the Veil and the Hermeneutic of Secrecy in the Gospel of Philip......Page 123 Erin Evans. Ritual in the Second Book of Jeu......Page 147 Nicola Denzey Lewis. Death on the Nile: Egyptian Codices, Gnosticism, and Early Christian Books of the Dead......Page 171 SECTION TWO. RECURRENT PRACTICES......Page 191 Einar Thomassen. Going to Church with the Valentinians......Page 193 Madeleine Scopello. Practicing "Repentance" on the Path to Gnosis in Exegesis on the Soul......Page 209 Edward P. Butler. Opening the Way of Writing: Semiotic Metaphysics in the Book of Thoth......Page 225 Fernando Bermejo-Rubio. "I Worship and Glorify": Manichaean Liturgy and Piety in Kellis' Prayer of the Emanations......Page 259 Jason David BeDuhn. The Manichaean Weekly Confession Ritual......Page 281 Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley. Ritual Ingenuity in the Mandaean Scroll of Exalted Kingship......Page 311 SECTION THREE. THERAPEUTIC PRACTICES......Page 323 Naomi Janowitz. Natural, Magical, Scientific or Religious? A Guide to Theories of Healing......Page 325 Grant Adamson. Astrological Medicine in Gnostic Traditions......Page 343 Marvin Meyer. The Persistence of Ritual in the Magical Book of Mary and the Angels P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 685......Page 369 Rebecca Lesses. Image and Word: Performative Ritual and Material Culture in the Aramaic Incantation Bowls......Page 387 SECTION FOUR. ECSTATIC PRACTICES......Page 419 John D. Turner. From Baptismal Vision to Mystical Union with the One: The Case of the Sethian Gnostics......Page 421 Niclas Förster. Marcosian Rituals for Prophecy and Apolytrosis......Page 443 James R. Davila. Ritual in the Hekhalot Literature......Page 459 SECTION FIVE. PHILOSOPHIC PRACTICES......Page 477 Zeke Mazur. The Platonizing Sethian Gnostic Interpretation of Plato's Sophist......Page 479 Michael A. Williams. Did Plotinus "Friends" Still Go to Church? Communal Rituals and Ascent Apocalypses......Page 505 Kevin Corrigan. The Meaning of "One" Plurality and Unity in Plotinus and Later Neoplatonism......Page 533 Gregory Shaw. Theurgy and the Platonist's Luminous Body......Page 547 Index......Page 569