The Essence of the Gnostics

For what is it that the All lacked, if not the knowledge of the Father?' - Gnostic text from the Gospel of Truth Long before there was a system of belief called Gnosticism there were those who reached for a special intimate knowledge of God and His mysterious ways. The possession of such knowledge, they believed, would bring salvation from suffering. All religious traditions acknowledged that the world is imperfect. Where they differ is in the explanations they offer for this imperfection - and in what they suggest might be done about it. While many religionists hold that humans are to be blamed for these imperfections, the Gnostics believed that the world is flawed because it was created in a flawed manner, thereby implicating the creator. Such a perspective was regarded as blasphemous by fellow-Christians at the dawn of the new religion, and led to the sect's persecution. Equally concerning were the Gnostics' liberal views regarding sex, the role of women, and toleration of other faiths. In The Essence of the Gnostics Bernard Simon offers a fascinating insight into this ancient and yet in many ways surprisingly contemporary faith, and explores the reasons for its current renaissance. Seeks out the presence of the Goddess from pre-Christian spirituality to the present day. Drawing mainly on sources from within the Western tradition, Caitlin Matthews reveals the many images of the Goddess as the Saviour Goddess, the Gnostic Sophia, World Soul, apocalyptic Virgin and many others. This astonishing bestseller raises questions that have challenged some of Western civilisation's most cherished beliefs: Were scrolls bearing the secret teachings of Jesus buried beneath Herod's Temple shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman's? DRAWING MOSTLY FROM THE WESTERN TRADITION, THE MANY FACES OF THE GODDESS ARE REVEALED: SHE IS THE PRIMEVAL BLACK GODDESS OF THE EARTH, THE SAVIOUR GODDESS, THE GNOSTIC SOPHIA, THE WORLD-SOUL, THE APOCALYPTIC VIRGIN, THE MOTHER OF GOD. An epic survey of the Goddess throughout human history--from her time of prominence and her varied and vibrant guises in the world's major religions to her celebrated modern-day resurgence. In this investigation into the origins of Freemasonry and the final resting place of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the authors, Knight and Lomas, come to some controversial conclusions