American Gnosis

American Gnosis
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Total Pages : 297
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780197653210
ISBN-13 : 0197653219
Rating : 4/5 (219 Downloads)

Book Synopsis American Gnosis by : Versluis

Download or read book American Gnosis written by Versluis and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023-10-10 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Greek word "gnosis," defined as direct spiritual knowledge or insight, has its origins in historical offshoots of Christianity in late antiquity. But the terms "Gnosticism" and "gnosis" have become widespread in many other contexts. They are common in contemporary scholarship on religion and in popular usage among magical, religious, and spiritual practitioners. And they have entered popular usage in contemporary society, with applications in numerous political, religious, and cultural contexts. Gnosis and Gnosticism have become leitmotifs in popular culture, in films such as The Matrix and Dark City, as well as in anime and other popular art forms. In American Gnosis, Arthur Versluis explores the fascinating connection between the Gnostic tradition and contemporary American spirituality, politics, and popular media. Versluis surveys themes of Gnosticism and gnosis in American culture, both within the United States and in global contexts. Versluis shows that gnosis is key to understanding a wide spectrum of global syncretic religious and intellectual movements-some sensational, even wild, but all fascinating. American gnosis, he argues, is a defining feature of hybrid new religious forms in the twenty-first century. Versluis provides case studies of major contemporary figures and texts that are emblematic of neo-gnosticism, offering a comprehensive framework of gnosis and an understanding of gnostic trends in modernity. He explores how neo-gnostic memes recur in social media and shows how American gnosis has manifested as spiritual independence, reflecting the ever-growing demographic category "spiritual but not religious." In delving into the intersection of contemporary American spirituality, politics, and literature, American Gnosis uncovers the remarkable prevalence of neo-gnostic elements today.


American Gnosis Related Books

American Gnosis
Language: en
Pages: 297
Authors: Versluis
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2023-10-10 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Greek word "gnosis," defined as direct spiritual knowledge or insight, has its origins in historical offshoots of Christianity in late antiquity. But the te
Gnostic America
Language: en
Pages: 418
Authors: Peter M. Burfeind
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-08-29 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Gnostic America is a reading of current American culture, politics, and religious life according to the ancient movement known as Gnosticism. In it, Peter M Bur
The Gnostic New Age
Language: en
Pages: 515
Authors: April D. DeConick
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-09-27 - Publisher: Columbia University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Gnosticism is a countercultural spirituality that forever changed the practice of Christianity. Before it emerged in the second century, passage to the afterlif
Magic and Mysticism
Language: en
Pages: 192
Authors: Arthur Versluis
Categories: Body, Mind & Spirit
Type: BOOK - Published: 2007 - Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Provides overview, from antiquity onwards, on various Western religious esoteric movements. This book includes topics such as: alchemy, Gnosticism, Hermeticism,
The Shadow of a Great Rock
Language: en
Pages: 321
Authors: Harold Bloom
Categories: Bibles
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-09-06 - Publisher: Yale University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A richly insightful reading of the King James Bible as a literary masterwork, published for the text's 400-year anniversary The King James Bible stands at "the