Teaser for 'Elaine Pagels On Understanding Gnosticism' 11/26/2011

IN SOME GNOSTIC TEXTS, EVE (SOPHIA) TRANSFORMS INTO THE TREE OF LIFE TO FOOL THE ARCHONS

ELAINE PAGELS ON UNDERSTANDING GNOSTICISM MAIN

Topics Discussed:

--How Pagels became involved in Gnostic studies and where she is going with it now.
--Why there was never anything like ‘Gnosticism’ and ‘The Gnostics’ in ancient times, and why these terms should be discarded for better definitions.
--Her unique views on such works as The Gospel of Judas, The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of John, the Pauline letters and much more.
--Why Gnosis is truly a universal Christian concept, as well as dualism.
--Even beyond there never having been a Gnostic religion, why there might have never even been Sethians or Valentinians, in the accepted sense.
--As a bonus, we juxtaposition her views on Gnosticism and Christianity with excerpts from other great scholars such as Karen King, Marvin Meyer, Birger Pearson and more!

And much more!!! This is certainly one of the best overviews on Gnosticism (or just alternative Christianity) you will ever have on audio.

Our rebroadcast is Aeon Byte #114-- The Pistis Sophia. Long before the Nag Hammadi was discovered, most of what we directly knew of Gnosticism came from the voluminous Gnostic Gospel simply titled 'The Pistis Sophia'. It encompasses a unique version of the fall of Sophia and her rescue by the Cosmic Christ, action-film battles of Jesus versus God and his Archons, a laundry list of dogmatic Gnostic theology and liturgy, and much more. Its discovery in the 19th century transformed and revived many of the esoteric movements of the time. Astral Guest-- Paul Tice, author of The Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Gospel, Jumping Jehovah; Exposing the Atrocities of the Old Testament God, and The Triumph of Man.

Next we are joined by the founder of the popular, counterculture online magazine, Reality Sandwich.  Beyond this esoteric treasure trove, we discuss his new book that deals with his spiritual evolution from an Orthodox Materialist to a Christian Gnostic. It's a journey into many paths, disciplines, and mystic journeys that showed him a way to reveal different to a mass audience various  metaphysical paths for those in need. And we get plenty of alternative theologies and philosophies. Our guest will be Jonathan Talat Phillips, author of The Electric Jesus: The Healing Journey of a Contemporary Gnostic.






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Stargazer is available in print edition. You can also get it on Kindle (3.99!), Nook, or various digital formats at Smashwords. Thank you so much for those who have ventured into this most Dystopian/Dickian/Gnostic tale with a universal message more relevant than ever before. Check out this review by Tessa Dick, and this review by Thomas Allogenes. For more information go to our Stargazer Homepage.

Aeon Byte's critically acclaimed and successful Voices of Gnosticism is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your nearest esoteric bookstore. It contains a foreword by Andrew Phillip Smith, my drivel, and interviews with 13 of the leading scholars in the world on all things Gnostic-- including Bart Ehrman​, Elaine Pagels, Karen King, April DeConick​, Bruce Chilton,​ John Turner​, Stevan Davies, and Marvin Meyer. The Nag Hammadi Library, The Gospel of Mary​ Magdalene, The Gospel of Judas​, the origins of Gnosticism & its various sects, the impact of Gnosticism  on modern times...it's all there and so much more!!! A must if you’re want to truly get your mind and heart around the Gnostic Spirit instead of the New Age Counterfeit Spirit.

There are over 215 past shows of Aeon Byte available at our store. I have interviewed over 70 of the world’s greatest scholars, best-selling authors, religious leaders and veteran mystics, screenwriters and directors, and pop culture icons. It’s a complete menu that might contain the meal that takes you to the next spiritual or philosophical level. It’s the greatest audio resource on the Internet on Gnosticism, the Esoterica, Comparative Religion, the Occult and Freethought.

Each program has a preview you can listen to it before jumping into the abyss of heresy. CD, DVD or BULK DOWNLOADING, at less than half the price, can be purchased through our homepage. 

And like I’ve always said, if you’ve got holes in your pockets let me know and I’ll send you shows for no cost at all.