Every Bible student knows there are several years in the life of Christ that are unaccounted for. But what accounts for that gap? Was Jesus in Nazareth from the ages of thirteen through twenty-nine? Or was he teaching and studying in India, as this thoroughly intriguing — and controversial — book suggests? The story begins in 1887, when Russian explorer Nicolas Notovitch went on an expedition to learn about ...
A document of paramount historical importance, not only in terms of Christianity but also with respect to the development of Western religion. It chronicles the teachings of Jesus, who explains life's mysteries to his disciples and Mary Magdalene. Their discussions take place after Christ's resurrection and include accounts of his ascension into heaven. ...
Mysticism is usually thought of as an intense state involving personal unification with the Divine or Ultimate Reality. By its very nature, it is an ineffable experience, impossible to put into words. It is not impossible, however, to study the phenomenon, with an eye toward understanding not only its nature and manifestations, but its relationship to spirituality in general. This book is such a study. Widely considered the best book on mysticis ...
Since the dawn of the fifth century, theology students, religious scholars, and Christian readers have turned to this volume for instruction. Written by one of the foremost leaders in the development of Christian thought, it offers practical as well as theoretical guidance on how to read the Bible and explain the meaning of scripture. Augustine intended his treatise for the priests in his North African diocese of Hippo, but ultimately, the saint ...
Rediscovered in modern times, these «non-canonical» gospels, epistles, and other pieces were excised from the standard Bible by various church councils in the first four centuries of the Christian era. Here, among other texts, are writings describing the girlhood and betrothal of Mary and her life before Christ's birth; the childhood of Jesus, as described by Peter and Nicodemus; and the appearance of Christ before the gates of Hell, from w ...
R. H. Charles provides a definitive translation of one of the most noted apocalyptic works still in existence. Often described as «the lost book» of the Bible, The Book of Enoch seems to have been written in Palestine by several different authors in the first and second centuries B.C. For hundreds of years it was accepted by the early church fathers, but it was rejected by the council of Laodicea in A.D. 364. Today, it remains a written remnant ...
Acclaimed by William James as «an addition to psychology of first-rate importance,» this pioneering work constitutes a classic modern study of the mystical experience. Author Richard Maurice Bucke, a distinguished progressive psychiatrist, explores the phenomenon of transcendent realization, or illumination. Bucke draws upon his firsthand experience of a life-altering insight to explore the theory of cosmic consciousness, an advance in mental ev ...
The acknowledged masterpiece of one of Spain's most influential thinkers. Between despair and the desire for something better, Unamuno finds that «saving incertitude» that alone can console us. Dynamic appraisal of man's faith in God and in himself. ...
One of the most original and penetrating philosophers of all time, Spinoza is also one of the clearest and easiest to understand. His works constitute an important adjunct to understanding Goethe, Hegel, Schelling, Coleridge, Whitehead, Schopenhauer, Wittgenstein, and other writers who were influenced by his thinking. Spinoza's works retain an endless wealth of lucidly expressed and deeply profound analyses of such concepts as God, the univ ...