Gnosticism, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Thomas and Other Non-Canonical Texts

Tony Cartledge Planetry Types Interview

2010-04-23T01:37:00.001-07:00

Tony Cartledge is interviewed by Miguel Conner about his book Planetary Types this weekend. http://thegodabovegod.com

"Topics Include:

--A brief history of Astrology and Planetary Types; and their seemingly marginalization in modern times
--Understand Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way and how it helps understand our place in the cosmos.
--The importance of Pythagorean philosophy in modern occultism and science, including how the universe is arranged in musical octaves and such groundbreaking holistic approaches like Bio-Acoustic healing.
--How the Gnostics viewed Astrology.
--The science behind how our very glands are affected by the magnetism of the planets, which in essence determines our personalities and possibly our life-courses.
--A quick lesson on understanding and recognizing Planetary Types by viewing famous people in history, politics and entertainment.

And much more! Finally, a scientific, verifiable and easy way to unlock the truths of Astrology."

G is for Gnostic Online

2010-03-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Fortean Times article about me and my dictionary is now online

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/interviews/3139/g_is_for_gnostic.html

The Gospel of Thomas: Origins, History & Timeless Message of Spiritual Liberation

2010-03-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

Miguel Conner of Aeon Byte has put out a CD The Gospel of Thomas: Origins, History & Timeless Message of Spiritual Liberation. This consists of extracts from his Aeon Byte and Coffee, Cigarettes and Gnosis Internet radio programmes. I'm one of the interviewees on the album (others include Aperil DeConick, Stevan Davies, Robert Price, Jeremy Puma). I've done several interviews with Miguel but don't remember ever talking about the Gospel of Thomas. But I suppose I must have!

Free Copy of A Dictionary of Gnosticism

2010-03-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

The Magical Buffet blog has a free copy of A Dictionary of Gnosticism to give away, plus a Quest Books tote bag. All you have to do is subscribe to the blog itself.

Perhaps I should subscribe!

http://themagicalbuffet.com/blog1/2010/03/17/quest-books-loves-magical-buffet-readers/

Reading the Gnostics

2010-03-14T08:21:00.001-07:00

I've contributed a guest article, "Reading the Gnostics" to the Magical Buffet blog. It's an introduction to the glories of the Nag Hammadi Library, while hinting subtly that interested readers should go out and buy my Dictionary of Gnosticism. If there's any discussion on the blog post I'll chip in with my comments.

Fortean Times 260

2010-03-09T07:29:00.001-08:00

Fortean Times, the long-running UK magazine of paranormal investigation, UFOs, cryptozoology, ancient civilizations and other mysteries, has included a full page article on myself and my Dictionary of Gnosticism, "G Is For Gnostic." It's a very well written piece by alternative religion writer David V . Barrett. It's in the current issue, number 260.

Watkins Bookshop Closes

2010-03-01T10:15:00.001-08:00

Watkins Bookshop, London's premier esoteric bookshop, which was founded in 1897, has closed and the company is being liquidated. My commiserations to go the staff, particularly my friend Klaus who also happened to be the editor of my first ever book. Watkins stocked Bardic Press titles and my books with other publishers and were generally very helpful. I only discovered that Watkins had gone down the tubes when I received a creditor's letter. Luckily they only owed me a small amount of money. Watkins Publishing is now owned by Duncan Baird, so it doesn't affect The Gnostics: History Traditions Scriptures Influence.

Two news items on the demise of Watkins:

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/113633-cecil-court-institution-watkins-books-in-administration.html

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23810176-cecil-courts-esoteric-book-shop-watkins-shuts-down.do

Knowsis

2010-01-28T05:19:00.000-08:00

I had to laugh at this local newspaper account of a spelling bee:
"

Logan Karlen, a seventh-grader at Elsinore Middle School, finished second, successfully spelling paraphernalia in the third round of a spell-off for the runner-up spot.

Logan, 12, who finished second in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District two years ago, is happy that Kendra won't be eligible next year, giving him a better opportunity to win.

"Until Kendra got here, I thought I had a pretty good chance," Logan said. "Still, I thought I had a chance, but she's the cream of the crop."

Logan said he prepared by studying the word list with his mother, who he said is the biggest reason for his success.

He was tripped up of "gnosis," an esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics to be essential to salvation."

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/lake-elsinore/article_3833a7f0-1450-500f-8c0c-d3b4fc9f6ea4.html

andrewphillipsmith.com

2010-01-19T02:28:00.000-08:00

I've updated andrewphillipsmith.com.The site now includes all of my in-print books, with my own comments on them, links to all of them online interviews available, a bio, FAQ and more.

Not the Sexiest Gnostic

2010-01-15T10:05:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that my dictionary made it onto the Top 10 Gnostic Stories of 2009, courtesy of Chicago Examiner writer Miguel Conner.

http://www.examiner.com/x-28537-Chicago-Gnosticism--Heretical-Spirituality-Examiner~y2009m12d22-The-top-10-Gnostic-stories-of-2009

10. ‘A Dictionary of Gnosticism’ is published. Andrew Phillip Smith released the first comprehensive lexicon on Gnostic terminology since the perennial heretics came into the scene thousands of years ago. The Gnostics wrote in many languages including Coptic, Greek, Syriac and even some dialects of Chinese. They enjoyed puns and invented words in a way that would make Lewis Carroll proud. From Simon Magus to The Matrix, it’s all there and defined. Containing over 1,700 entries, ‘A Dictionary of Gnosticism’ is an essential tool for both those friendly and hostile to Gnosticism.

Sad to say, I didn't make it onto his subsequent list of the Top 10 Sexiest Gnostics.

Intro to A Dictionary of Gnosticism

2010-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

What with being in Hungary, plus all the snow in Ireland and the UK, plus being ill, it feels like the new year is only just beginning for me.

Not much to report on yet this year, but the entire introduction to A Dictionary of Gnosticism, is available online courtesy of The Monthly Aspectarian, by permission of Quest Books. It's a potted history of Gnosticism

http://www.lightworks.com/_Issues/2009/12/TMA-0912-098.html?N00000

Looking Back at the Year

2009-12-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

I always felt that I’ve done less than half of what I could have done, but, looking back, this year was a fairly full one. I put out three Bardic Press publications. One of these was the first new Bardic Press book for a couple of years, Planetary Types: The Science of Celestial Influence, by Anthony Cartledge. Planetary Types looks at the human typology based on the characteristics and influence of the planets that was, in the twentieth century at least, first described by Rodney Collin, a pupil of P.D. Ouspensky. Cartledge describes the physical and psychological characteristics of these types, and their origin in the Fourth Way teachings, and then goes on to tie them in to the modern scientific exploration of astrology, particularly the unimpeachable statistical results of Michel Gauquelin, who found a statistically significant link between planetary positions at the time of birth and profession. So top generals or top athletes are more likely to have Mars in a particular range of positions in the natal horoscope than is allowed by chance. The author goes on to refine this connection and to suggest a possible mechanism by which the planets might influence character. The book is something of a sleeper, but I’m sure that it will have a significant long term impact.
The other two Bardic Press publications are the first two issues of The Gnostic, published in Spring and Autumn of this year. The Gnostic has been very well received and I intend to keep up the bi-annual publication schedule and to continue with a solid base of articles related to Gnosticism, along with other forms of spirituality, Gnostic-inspired creative work and whatever else takes my fancy.
A Dictionary of Gnosticism was published in November. I knew that there was a real need for this book—the first of its kind ever to be published—and I’m please to announce that it’s already on its second print run, and I’m very happy with the reception it has so far received. I’ve done several interviews on the book, and Fortean Times will be running a piece on me in the new year.
I’ve also contributed editorials, columns, reviews and articles for The Gnostic, plus a short story which looks at the emotional implications of carrying out the quantum suicide physics thought experiment as a piece of performance art! I do want to write more fiction in the coming year. I have plenty of ideas and I simply need to pick one of them and get down to it,

Among the non-fiction books I have been working on but haven’t completed are: a biography of Alan Moore (unauthorised), my longstanding biography of Rodney Collin, and a book about the Mandaeans. I have ideas for half a dozen other books, one of which is a short book on what we know of the lives of the ancient Gnostics, tentatively titled Ten Ancient Gnostics (or Eight, or Nine, or Eleven, or however many the final book contains.)
One of the most notable aspects of my spiritual exploration was a weeklong gathering of people who follow or are interested in the teaching of J.G. Bennett, a pupil of Gurdjieff, in Wales this August. My travels have taken me to Italy (for a wedding), Wales and Hungary, and as this blog post appears I’ll be back again in Budapest about to celebrate New Year with my best friend, Lala/Ashford.

So Happy New Year to you.

Fourteen Gnostic Christmases (Thirteen False and One True)

2009-12-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

Fourteen Gnostic Christmases (Thirteen False, One True)

One of the lesser-known works in the NHL is the Revelation of Adam (also known as the Apocalypse of Adam.) This is the fifth text in Codex V and, like all of the other Nag Hammadi writings, survives in a Coptic translation of a Greek original. It is clearly a Sethian Gnostic work, and its lack of any certain Christian reference has fascinated scholars. Is it an early example of Jewish Gnosticism, or should we assume that it has a Christian connection, since the Sethian Gnosticism that we know is Christian (or, as I would prefer it, Christian-related since Seth rather than Jesus isn’t the central figure for Sethians)? In any case, The Revelation of Adam raises some interesting questions.

Scholars see it as quite early, a product of the late first or early second centuries.

It begins with a typically Sethian reinterpretation of the early development of humanity, from the creation of Adam and Eve, to Noah and the flood and a hint at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. From that time on, it indicates, an Illuminator of Gnosis will descend to aid those humans who can receive his teaching and be redeemed. But the origin of this Illuminator figure will be misunderstood by the kingdoms descended from Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah. This is where the Gnostic Christmases come in. Each of these erroneous origins proposes a separate birth story for the Illuminator, so we have thirteen false nativities, in effect thirteen false Christmases.

Only the fourteenth version is correct. What is the difference between the mistaken tales of the kingdoms and the correct version related by the generation without a king? Perhaps that the Illuminator was chosen from all the aeons, and doesn’t seem in any way to be incarnate. Read for yourself, thirteen false Christmases and one true Christmas.

****

Now the first kingdom says of him that he came from [...]. A spirit [...] to heaven. He was nourished in the heavens. He received the glory of that one and the power. He came to the bosom of his mother. And thus he came to the water.

And the second kingdom says about him that he came from a great prophet. And a bird came, took the child who was born, and brought him onto a high mountain. And he was nourished by the bird of heaven. An angel came forth there. He said to him "Arise! God has given glory to you." He received glory and strength. And thus he came to the water.

The third kingdom says of him that he came from a virgin womb. He was cast out of his city, he and his mother. He was brought to a desert place. He was nourished there. He came and received glory and strength. And thus he came to the water.

The fourth kingdom says of him that he came from a virgin. [...] Solomon sought her, he and Phersalo and Sauel and his armies, which had been sent out. Solomon himself sent his army of demons to seek out the virgin. And they did not find the one whom they sought, but the virgin who was given them. It was she whom they fetched. Solomon took her. The virgin became pregnant and gave birth to the child there. She nourished him on a border of the desert. When he had been nourished, he received glory and power from the seed from which he was begotten. And thus he came to the water.

And the fifth kingdom says of him that he came from a drop from heaven. He was thrown into the sea. The abyss received him, gave birth to him, and brought him to heaven. He received glory and power. And thus he came to the water.

And the sixth kingdom says that [...] down to the aeon which is below, in order to gather flowers. She became pregnant from the desire of the flowers. She gave birth to him in that place. The angels of the flower garden nourished him. He received glory there, and power. And thus he came to the water.

And the seventh kingdom says of him that he is a drop. It came from heaven to earth. Dragons brought him down to caves. He became a child. A spirit came upon him and brought him on high to the place where the drop had come forth. He received glory and power there. And thus he came to the water.

And the eighth kingdom says of him that a cloud came upon the earth and enveloped a rock. He came from it. The angels who were above the cloud nourished him. He received glory and power there. And thus he came to the water.

And the ninth kingdom says of him that from the nine Muses one separated away. She came to a high mountain and spent (some) time seated there, so that she desired herself alone in order to become androgynous. She fulfilled her desire and became pregnant from her desire. He was born. The angels who were over the desire nourished him. And he received glory there, and power. And thus he came to the water.

The tenth kingdom says of him that his god loved a cloud of desire. He begot him in his hand and cast upon the cloud above him (some) of the drop, and he was born. He received glory and power there. And thus he came to the water.

And the eleventh kingdom says that the father desired his own daughter. She herself became pregnant from her father. She cast [...] tomb out in the desert. The angel nourished him there. And thus he came to the water.

The twelfth kingdom says of him that he came from two illuminators. He was nourished there. He received glory and power. And thus he came to the water.

And the thirteenth kingdom says of him that every birth of their ruler is a word. And this word received a mandate there. He received glory and power. And thus he came to the water, in order that the desire of those powers might be satisfied.

But the generation without a king over it says that God chose him from all the aeons. He caused a knowledge of the undefiled one of truth to come to be in him. He said, "Out of a foreign air, from a great aeon, the great illuminator came forth. And he made the generation of those men whom he had chosen for himself shine, so that they could shine upon the whole aeon"

Trans. George W. MacRae, http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/adam.html

In the Spirit

2009-12-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

I'm being interviewed by Gary Goldberg on In the Spirit on Thursday December 17. My interview begins at 2PM EST. Also on the show are Rev. Sally Bingham, Kirtan Rabbi, and Richard Smoley (who was editor of A Dictionary of Gnosticism.) I was on In the Spirit a few years ago and I believe that it was my first ever interview. I was speaking about The Lost Sayings of Jesus: Annotated & Explained. You can check out the schedule and listen live at http://www.wrpi.org.

Also, my most recent interview, for Rumor Mill News, is now available as an mp3 at . I've recently been interviewed by Aeon Byte, Sphinx Radio, Rumor Mill News, Fortean Times and now In the Spirit. You can find the RMN interview here: http://radio.rumormillnews.com/podcast/tag/gnosticism/ (it doesn't show up oin the archive page.)

Spiral Inward

2009-12-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

I used to recommend the Palm Tree Garden forum for online Gnostic discussion, but it was closed down a short while ago. Many of the PTG members are now at Spiral Inward's Gnostic Cafe. It has a homelier, less charged atmosphere than the PTG. You can access it here: http://spiralinward.com

Rumor Mill News

2009-12-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'm being interviewed on Rumor Mill News from 11am-2pm PST today, 7pm-10pm GMT. http://www.rumormillnewsradio.com/

It includes a phone-in if anyone wants to chat with me on air.

Sphinx Radio

2009-12-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

William Kennedy of Sphinx Radio interviewed me last week and the interview is now up on his website, http://www.sphinxradio.com/

William also offered to contribute to the next issue of The Gnostic, which is terrific.

Just a reminder that both issue 2 of The Gnostic and A Dictionary of Gnosticism are now out. Plus there's some content over at two other website, http://www.andrewphillipsmith.com and http://www.the-gnostic.com, though both sites are incomplete.

I should correct the URL for the Palm Tree Garden Gnostic Forum which I incorrectly gave as a .com address rather than .org in the intro to The Gnostic 2, but, alas, the forum has now closed. Many of us are discussing Gnosticism at Spiral Inward's Gnostic Cafe instead http://spiralinward.com/forum/

I will be on Rumor Mill News Radio on Monday 7th December, 11am-2pm PST. I'll probably be on air for the whole program, including a phone-in.

Aeon Byte Interview

2009-11-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

I'm being interviewed again by Miguel Conner in his Aeon Byte Internet radio program. Just go to http://thegodabovegod.com and follow the instructions. We did the interview last week, and I think the new program will be available from Saturday 14. If you get there too early, you'll find the preceding podcast, which contains an interview with Richard Smoley, which I'm sure is well worth it.

Dictionary of Gnosticism Now Out

2009-11-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

My new book, A Dictionary of Gnosticism, is now available through Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0835608697/?tag=thegospeoftho-20

I haven't received my comp copies yet though *sob*. I'm being interviewed by Miguel Conner on Friday and he has already seen the book. Well, I live on a different contintent I suppose.

Plato's Cave Audio

2009-10-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was recorded reading Plato's Myth of the Cave from the Republic Book VII. I came across it recentl and ripped it to MP3. My readings have progressed considerably since then (this was in 2000) and I was never quite happy with the recording--I always prefer reading to an audience over a sound recording. Plus I feel that it's a bit stilted and dry. But it's still worth listening to. I read from the classic Jowett translation. The MP3 file is here (6Mb). I'll see what else I can dig up.

Clips from Tobias Churton's Documentary The Gnostics

2009-10-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Mark Goodacre has been posting some Youtube links to clips of Tobias Churton's 1987 documentary The Gnostics. There are three posts, best accessed under the Nag Hammadi tag. http://ntweblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Nag%20Hammadi

Mark also has a couple of blog posts about the details of the Nag Hammadi find.

Sophia and Exegesis on the Soul

2009-10-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

I was recently doing what I call a vanity search (also known as googlebating) and came across the following little essay on the Exegesis on the Soul by David Jones. http://www.jonesdl.com/previous-works/
Whatever its other merits, it footnotes Gnostic Writings on the Soul, my book on the Exegesis and the Hymn of the Pearl, extensively!

andrewphillipsmith.com

2009-10-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

My author website, www.andrewphillipsmith.com is now up. It's a bit bare bones still, but there's an FAQ, some biographical material, etc.

The Gnostic Website

2009-10-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

After much umming and ahhing and handwringing I've finally put up a basic website for The Gnostic. It only has the details for the first issue currently, but the second issue will be up soon and I'll put up full table of contents(es), audio clips of excerpts from the Alan Moore and Colin Wilson interviews, etc.

The URL is http://www.the-gnostic.com

Mani: The Lost Religion of Light

2009-10-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

I went along to the Manichaean exhibition at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin on Saturday. I believe it's the first of its kind anywhere. I'll go again before it finishes, and there's a lunchtime talk by the curator later this month. It was great to see some of the papyrus fragments, some of which had a very loose weave. I could hardly make out the Coptic letters on many of them. The Chester Beatty has the largest collection of Manichaean MSS in the world. On the downside, I purchased a DVD which only contained the very lame 2 minute video shown at the exhibition, plus the explanatory text at the exhibition told the visitor very little about Manichaean beliefs. The most poignant exhibit was a square brown lump, known as the "sod of turf" which is an unconserved and uninvestigated, badly compacted papyrus codex containing up to 200 pages of Manichaean texts. What treasures might be in there! Then again, I have to admit that I haven't yet read most of the surviving Manichaean texts.