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In The Gnostic New Age, April D. DeConick recovers this vibrant, underground history to prove that Gnosticism was not suppressed or defeated by the Catholic Church long ago, nor was the movement a fabrication to justify the violent repression of alternative forms of Christianity. Gnosticism alleviated existential suffering for millions, soothing feelings of brokenness and alienation through the promise of renewal as God. DeConick begins in ancient Egypt and follows with the rise of Gnosticism in the Middle Ages, the advent of theosophy and other occult movements in the Victorian era and early twentieth century, and contemporary New Age spiritual philosophies.
List of contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Matrix of Ancient Spirituality
2. The Gnostic True Man
3. Superpowers and Monsters
4. Paul and Gnostic Dogma
5. John and the Dark Cosmos
6. Gnostic Altered States
7. Hell Walks and Star Treks
8. Spiritual Avatars
9. The Pi of Politics
10. Pleasantville Religions
11. Gnosticism Out on a Limb
Bibliography
English Translation of Gnostic SourcesFilmographyIndex
About the author
April D. DeConick is Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies and chair of the Department of Religion at Rice University. She is the author of
Holy Misogyny: Why the Sex and Gender Conflicts in the Early Church Still Matter (2013) and
The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says (2009). She contributed to the CNN special series
Finding Jesus (2015).
Summary
Revealing the origins of today’s spirituality in the Gnostic tradition.
Report
"This book represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of religion and breaks new ground in scholarship on Gnosticism." - Birger A. Pearson, University of California, Santa Barbara
