Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas cover art

Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas

By: David Brakke, The Great Courses
Narrated by: David Brakke
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £25.99

Buy Now for £25.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Gnosticism, one of the most fascinating and perplexing phenomena in Western religious history, sparked religious ideologies that competed with many other religions of the time, including the theological thinking that came to define Christianity. And, though the emerging Orthodox Church eventually condemned Gnosticism as heretical, the church formed many of its most central doctrines (such as original sin, the Immaculate Conception, and even the concept of heresy) in response to Gnostic ideas.

This fascinating 24-lecture course is a richly detailed guide to the theology, sacred writings, rituals, and outstanding human figures of the Gnostic movements. What we call "Gnosticism" comprised a number of related religious ideologies and movements, all of which sought "gnosis," or immediate, direct, and intimate knowledge of God. The Gnostics had many scriptures, but unlike the holy texts of other religions, Gnostic scriptures were often modified over time. Gnostic cosmology was extraordinarily intricate and multidimensional, but religious myth was simply a means to the ultimate end of gnosis.

Follow Gnostic ideology and its vivid impact on Western thought through the centuries, from its role in early religions and its re-emergence in medieval spirituality to its remarkable traces in modern popular culture, from science fiction novels like Blade Runner to Hollywood films like The Matrix. In delving into the paths of gnosis, you'll discover a compelling, alternative current of religious practice in the West, and reveal Gnostic influence resonating in Western spirituality even in the present day.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC
Spirituality
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Dead Sea Scrolls cover art
Forbidden Faith cover art
The Dream cover art
The New Testament cover art
The Pagan World cover art
The Gnostic Gospels cover art
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition cover art
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition cover art
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World cover art
Lost Christianities cover art
Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy cover art
What's So Great About Christianity cover art
Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition cover art
Wrestling the Angel cover art
Egregores cover art
The Gospel of Thomas cover art

What listeners say about Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    122
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    107
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

so interesting from start to finish.

I loved it! Really accessible 30 min lecture format makes it so user friendly, brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent lecture series

suitable depth for an audible course. many courses are too shallow. you learn at a suitable depth on this course while still being able to follow along.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Balanced & Informed Introduction to the Subject

Provides a balanced & informed overview of the history, theology & influence of Gnostic schools of thought. Marvellous.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic .I have really enjoyed listening to it

it was long but it had ti be quite a complex issue I suppose thanks

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A thorough and detailed overview of Gnosticism

Overall, a very informative course. The first few lectures were a bit overlong, going into a lot of detail over dozens of small variation in names and other mythical elements. Might be a little puzzling at first, but everything becomes much clearer as time passes. Very good performance by the narrator: clear and adequately paced presentation in good English. Made me understand better how things like Christianity, Platonism, Manichaeism and Jewish mysticism link up. I recommend it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

Hard to comprehend that a religious view has died out and so forgotten, it seems in many ways more in tune with today than mainstream Christianity. Excellent presentation, widely knowledgeable and relevant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

mind expanding christian history

will be listening to this again! essential info for the enquirer into early christian thought

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic overview

David Brakke has really outdone himself with these lectures. As someone interested in studying all the offshoots of the early church, these lectures gave me an accessible birds eye view of the entire landscape, different sects, early schools, and how historically things have evolved in the last 2000 years. The lectures take time to assimilate but that’s only because of the painstakingly detailed and passionate discussion of the topic at hand. Thank you David for bringing me up to speed quickly on some many key topics, people and movements of the early and later Church.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This was really interesting and informative.

Going to give it a second listen a lot to take in, but very good, makes me want to look more in ancient philosophy!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Great lecture series covering the subject. Excellent style and narration. I worried it would be dry but quite the opposite.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!