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 | | Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism by Richard Smoley ISBN-10: 9780060858308 ISBN-10: 0-06-085830-3 ISBN-13: 9780060858308 ISBN-13: 978-0-06-085830-8 Paperback 2007-05-01 HarperOne Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description The success of books such as Elaine Pagels's Gnostic Gospels and Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code proves beyond a doubt that there is a tremendous thirst today for finding the hidden truths of Christianity – truths that may have been lost or buried by institutional religion over the last two millennia. In Forbidden Faith, Richard Smoley narrates a popular history of one such truth, the ancient esoteric religion of gnosticism, which flourished between the first and fourth centuries A.D., but whose legacy remains even today, having survived secretly throughout the ages. | ||
Reviews | ||
Insightful but incomplete Infamous Eve: A History I found Smoley's "Forbidden Faith" insightful. The part about the Gnostic idea of not belonging to this world and therefore not being any segment of the groups who are expecting some apocalyptic resolution to fix it was perhaps a bit confusing. His explanations of the original Gnostic ideas tends to be misleading to those who do not understand that gnosis is the metaphysical practice of knowing there is more to ourselves than what our physical senses lead us to believe. Not belonging to this world relates to our souls coming to this plane to learn through limited sensory perception. This is not the world of our soul, but it is not a place to be denigrated. Rather it is a temporary home for souls to direct energy to raise Universal Consciousness. Each soul comes into the Earth plane to carry out a mission. It comes forth, it creates, it designs, and it causes actions because it is to experience, learn, and express its "self". Those who do practice gnosis are making an effort to have conscious contact with powers greater than themselves to gain emotional security that adds to the Universal Consciousness and they also take actions to resolve our current life problems in the here and now rather than look for a resolution caused by God ending this world's existence or by elevating their mental consciousness to the level of not caring. May Sinclair, PhD, Author, Infamous Eve, A History | ||
Quiet Faith, Hidden Truth I came across this book during the course of my usual duties as a bookstore employee. I had seen books on the topic before but never had I been struck by any of them (at least not strongly). I had just finished reading the extended newer edition of 'The Essential Rumi' by Coleman Barks (I had read the previous publishing twice) and his recommendation on the back of this book sold me. I looked into Richard Smoley's past works, checked the amazon reviews, and came back to purchase it the next day (as well as perform the neccessary duties assigned to me during my working hours). This book introduced me to many mystical movements, inspired individuals, and small divisions of the christian church that I had no foreknowledge of . Most of my background has been in eastern religions; the strongest focus being on the poetry and writings of the sufis of Islam. This book was a great introduction to the esoteric traditions that stemmed from multiple interpretations of the teachings of christ. Most important to me was that this book reflected many concepts I had been wrestling with in my head for some time. This book presents a lot of information in a quick and understandable format and for the person who is interested in the evolution of mystical thought (not to mention the commonalities shared by the diverse spiritual movements of the world), this would be a great addition to one's library. My interest does not lie in New Age interpretations of historical texts and if you're like me, this will not dissappoint. Very well written and does not stray into fantastic personal interpretations of history. Presents possibilities, commonalities, historical fact, and to some's dismay, does not hold The Da Vinci Code in high regard. | ||
Another gem from Richard Smoley Having read Smoley's previous books and the magazine (Gnosis) he edited for many years, I was pleased to see him take up the history of Gnosticism. His background in philosophy and religion and his fluid, accessible style of presenting complicated material make this book a great intro to the subject. | ||
Get over yourself! Richard Smoley's greatest gift to the reader is his historic rendering of Man's eternal struggle in search of a spiritual Self, one in touch with special knowledge, the "thought of God." We are introduced to myriad, varied concepts of God-ness, from an Absolute Good, to an eternal Janus-like Duo of the Good and the Evil; to a God who must not be soiled by contact with his physical creations and therefore creates and enlists lesser gods, demiurges, to execute such chores, putting layers of separation increasingly between the Ultimate and the creation. At the bottom of this cosmological barrel is physical Man seeking spiritual perfection through an endless maze of filters. Oversimplified, Gnosis is seen as a vilification of the body, a prison in which we struggle for the Self. Smoley, addressing the ego quotes from "A Course in Miracles" (Helen Shucman, 1975): "Into eternity, where all is one, there crept a tiny, mad idea, at which the Son of God forgot to laugh." We are introduced to thinkers and quacks, saints and lunatics, historic and virtual: Thomas, Hermes Trimegistus, Zoroaster, Descartes, Philip K. Dick, Ram Das, Plato, Neo and Agent Smith, the Da Vinci Code, the quantum physics of the human experience, even Saddam Hussein. We hear the words of William Butler Yeats calling the human spirit one "fastened to a dying animal;" and the author's own observation. "Human beings are creatures that are capable of viewing the body as an 'other.'" Does this "other" seek an immortal imaginary friend in the likes of Jesus? From all the struggle and neuroses and the "spiritual wickedness in high places," we are nonetheless provided a recipe for hope, its key ingredient being "loss of preoccupation." How to live in this world is to overlook it. Early on, it may be Thomas, who provides an early, sane glimmer of hope. For my own purposes, I've distilled his take as, "Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff." | ||
Faith, Reason & Gnosis What a great book! Gnosticism can be difficult to understand but Mr. Smoley makes it very easy to read and comprehend the Legacy. Richard Smolely did an excellent job of researching the tenets of Gnosis throughout "known" history. It got a little boring and it was a stretch during the Medeival Church era but it was worth it to find out where he was going with it at the end of the book. For example he analyzes the movie "The Matrix". It really is not a Gnostic movie. I never considered this but when "Thomas" Anderson discovers he is not in the real world, their reality is "worse" than the Matrix. This is NOT Gnosticism. What is Gnostic is what follows: "The only character who expresses anything close to true Gnosticism is, ironically, Agent Smith----the truly disembodied mind who is forced to take on physical form and interact in the simulated physical world within the Matrix. As he says to Morpheus: 'I can taste your stink and every time I do, I fear that I've somehow been infected by it.' He is desperate to return to a pure state of disembodied existence, just as any true Gnostic would. Yet he is the embodiment of the enemy." And then he further gathers the following from Meister Echardt "I put detachment higher than love." For Echart, it is detachment from the world and its experiences that leads on toward God. "Experience must always be an experience of something, but detachment comes so close to zero that nothing but God is rarefied enough to get into it, to enter the detached heart." This statement is practically a one sentence summary of the path of Gnosis......... This is exactly what happens during meditation if done correctly....when one looks......inward! This book is loaded with "Secret Knowledge" or Gnosis! Richard Smoley is clearly a Gnostic Scholar. I shall keep this book in my library for future reference. Jesus said "Become of Passers-by".......Gospel of "Thomas" (Nag Hammadi Library). | ||