Hi, So I’ve been going down some rabbit holes and naturally I’ve found myself wanting to explore Gnosis and the corpus hermetica. I don’t know where to start, there’s lots of books which covered it but I’d rather avoid books which has the authors spin of the text, I’d rather read a more pure version of each of those, more objective. Any ideas which versions I should read. Some previous reads are: Book of EnochTesla and the Pyramid The Adam and Eve storyVarious bibles of various religions (I’m not religious at all) Things like chariot of the gods, etcAnd I’m currently finishing up the Picatrix. After Gnosticism and the Hermetica I will probably seek out something to do with enochian history/philosophyThanks in advance
>>42668625Copeland has published a well-received critical edition of the Hermetica, which you may know about if you're already reading Picatrix. Gnosis is a very broad term that has an equivalent in every major tradition (irfan, jnana, etc). You will have to narrow it down before you can figure out where to start, but based on your previous reading, going East might help round you out, and the Upanishads are both seminal and relatively accessible.
>>42668671>>42668671Okay I’ll look into Copeland for the Hermetica and after I’ll try to narrow the field for Gnosis. I’ve notice a lot of anons on this board seem very well versed with gnosticism, might be nice to have a clearer idea of what they speak of. Any other books you would recommend given the direction I am walking in?
>>42668792They are actually not well versed in gnosticism at all, though. Most of the information that we have about the early Gnostics comes from orthodox heresiologists such as Irenaeus. Apart from that we have the recently discovered Gnostic Gospels, on which the leading authority is Elaine Pagels. I can't vouch for her scholarship, as she's a bit of a nutjob in person, but the academic community seems to respect her work FWIW. There were also orthodox Gnostics, which pretty much everyone ignores: Clement of Alexandria, Pseudo-Dionysius, the Greek hesychasts, Rhineland mystics, and so on. These are extremely different from Sethian or Valentinian Gnosticism at first glance, although things are not always what they seem. There is a whole lot of scholarship on them actually, but since they don't raise suspicion of heresy, it's generally not the same scholars who take interest. However you may take interest in that they are explicitly connected to medieval Christian Hermeticism through the Cistercians, Templars, and their tertiaries such as the Fedeli d'Amore. Cf. René Guénon, "The Esoterism of Dante" and "Insights into Christian Esoterism," for an intro to that milieu.
>>42668792>I’ve notice a lot of anons on this board seem very well versed with gnosticism,LmaoLolEvenAnon take the book recommendations the other anon gave and leave.
>>42668844That’s is a lot of food for thought, thank you. I have a direction now >>42668850Okay, over and out
>>42668877I did a big oopsie and wrote "Copeland" in >>42668671The guy's name is Brian Copenhaver. Sorry
>>42668911All good, I assume that was the case when duck duck go kept saying did I mean ‘Brian Copenhaver’
>>42668625All of those knowledge are useless you know. It's another one of Satan's trick through the fruit of knowledge trying to convince yourself you're your own God.John 8:32"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.""Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.""In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."John 14:6"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
>>42671332I believe there is/was a Source to everything, but I highly doubt Christianity, it’s just an offshoot of Judaism with incorporated paganism. The messages from the bible can be interesting or inspiring but when a person doubts it, historically, then the slaughter follows. Anything that unstable does not inspire my devotion, sorry.
