Christian Gnosis

Then shall the candidate be bound upon the wooden cross . . . After the third day he shall be brought back from the dead and carried up to heaven to be on the right hand of Him from whom he came. Surprisingly, these lines are from an Egyptian initiation ritual thousands of years before the Christian drama. Linking the two is just one fascinating element in this profound introduction to esoteric Christianity, as timely today as when it was first published in 1920. Famed clairvoyant Charles Webster Leadbeater was a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, which preserves the sacraments while interpreting the scriptures with maximum freedom. He quotes St. Augustine himself saying that what we now call Christianity emerged at the very beginning of humanity as the one true religion. To access its transformative force, Leadbeater returns to original teachings and decodes its story symbolically as a guide for direct knowledge (Gr: gnosis) of the Divine. “As Christ had the Godhead behind Him, so have we the same power, although not yet unfolded as fully,” he says. “Nevertheless, it is only a question of development, and that development is certain.” With the authority of a scientist and a mystic, he addresses such topics as the birth of Christ in the heart; Gods utter love; divine grace; angelic help; the true meaning of salvation; and reincarnation and the evolution of the soul.

This book of esoteric theology has as timely a message today as it had at the time of its writing, early in the 20th century. The author, a highly gifted seer as well as a clergyman, theosophist, and esoteric Christian, remains one of the most fascinating figures of the tradition of alternative spirituality. This is definitely highly recommended.

-Stephan Hoeller, Gnostic Bishop and Author of Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing, Jung and the Lost Gospel, and The Fool's Pilgrimage Second Edition: Kabbalistic Meditations on the Tarot.

Christian Gnosis combines theosophical insight with esoteric ecclesiastical Christianity. It's a fascinating compendium of creative cosmology applied elegantly to the great questions of human existence.

-Andrew Philip Smith, author of A Dictionary of Gnosticism, The Gnostic: Journal and Publisher of The Bardic Press

Charles Webster Leadbeater (1847-1934) was a Church of England clergyman until he joined the Theosophical Society in 1883. He spent some years in Sri Lanka working for the revival of Buddhism, and later became the Presiding Bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church, which seeks to combine the preservation of the Catholic sacraments with the widest measure of freedom of thought and interpretation of the scriptures. He was the author of many books, some written in collaboration with Annie Besant, second President of the Theosophical Society.