Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism

For someone looking for a reasonably detailed and well-written introduction to Gnosticism, this is an excellent starting point. Covering most of the major Gnostic phenomena, it covers a difficult topic in a way that is pretty easy to get into. Sometimes, it is a bit "wordy" and heavy going, though overall, it is an excellent intro. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is a comparatively easy read (if compared to someinsufferable history books I read in college), and it is also veryinformative. No new age [stuff] -- just scholarship and very goodanalysis. This survey is much better than Hans Jonas in that itincorporates Nag Hammadi findings, and is not as hostile. The selectbibliography at the end is a jewel ...

Although scholarly, this book is most readable. I have found it the best study of the Gnostics individually and as a whole, and Rudolph has portrayed quite well how a group of Gnostic Christians broke away from the older Gnostic sects to produce what has become Catholicism. In addition, he gives us a clear view of how and why the early Gnostics accepted Jesus into their pantheon. I am quite surprised that Messrs. Freke and Gandy had not read this book before writing The Jesus Mysteries, but it does not appear in their bibliography.From studying the Gnostics one can see where the Roman Church gained it rituals and sacraments, and why it was necessary to denigrate the many Gnostics sects in order to prove theirs was the truest. It is all a matter of belief systems. If you can gain more people who believe in yours (even through persecution), then you can call everyone else a heretic, pagan or infidel.Rudolph confirmed for me that man has always sought mysteries. Knowledge is power, and secret knowledge is true power. Though Rudolph doesn't say it, Gnosticism was certainly behind the quest throughout the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and the reason men like Ficino, Pico, Albertus Magus, Francis Bacon, Giordano Bruno, etc., sought gnosis outside the Roman Church for the right to study suppressed knowledge, which was the beginning of what we know as the Hermetic Arts, Occult science, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry.

It is comprehensive, steeped in the sources and objective which is rare in a field where personal covinctions often interfere with narrative. There are some minor works or subjects which I wanted to see better covered but, nevertheless, it is an outstanding achievement. It helped me a lot to penetrate the world of ancient Gnosticism and finally to write and defend a doctoral thesis on it. It will be published in 2000, alas, in Bulgarian. It also stimulated me to begin researching the influence of Gnosticism through the ages which is enormous but much neglected.

Rudolph acheives the almost impossible task of making gnosticism easy to understand. An invaluable reference, "The Nature and History of Gnosticism" illuminates countless factes of a long-censored (and often confusing) belief system.