Gnostica
About the Book Series
Gnostica publishes the latest scholarship on esoteric movements, including the Gnostic, Hermetic, Manichaean, Theosophical and related traditions. Contributions also include critical editions of texts, historical case studies, critical analyses, cross-cultural comparisons and state-of-the-art surveys.
From Blavatsky to Krishnamurti: “It is Finished”: Unravelling an Esoteric Eschatology and Christology
1st Edition
By Al Boag
September 16, 2025
This book highlights some important continuities as well as differences between the teachings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), co-founder of the Theosophical Society in 1875, and Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), the Theosophist who was trained to be the World Teacher. Until now very little ...
The Blavatskian and Biblical Roots of Krishnamurti’s Imagined Role
1st Edition
By Al Boag
September 16, 2025
This book focuses on Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) and charts the development of his teaching. It covers from 1922 when Krishnamurti claimed he was “God” until his death, including his declarations to be the World Teacher and eventual departure from the Theosophical Society. The author explores ...
The Mandaean Rivers Scroll (Diwan Nahrawatha): An Analysis
1st Edition
By Brikha Nasoraia
May 27, 2024
This book features detailed analysis of an ancient secret scroll from the Middle East known as the Rivers Scroll or Diwan Nahrawatha, providing valuable insight into the Gnostic Mandaean religion. This important scroll offers a window of understanding into the Mandaean tradition, with its intricate...
The Valentinian Temple: Visions, Revelations, and the Nag Hammadi Apocalypse of Paul
1st Edition
By Matthew Twigg
January 29, 2024
Is the Nag Hammadi Apocalypse of Paul a Valentinian text? Many would say no, few would say yes. The Valentinian Temple brings together all the available evidence to produce a systematic argument in favour of the Apocalypse of Paul’s Valentinian origins. From Valentinus himself to the Gospel of ...
The Words of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas: The Genesis of a Wisdom Tradition
1st Edition
By David W. Kim
January 09, 2023
This book offers a detailed analysis of the Gospel of Thomas in its historic and literary context, providing a new understanding of the genesis of the Jesus tradition. Discovered in the twentieth century, the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas is an important early text whose origins and place in the ...
Histories of the Hidden God: Concealment and Revelation in Western Gnostic, Esoteric, and Mystical Traditions
1st Edition
Edited
By April D DeConick, Grant Adamson
January 20, 2016
In Western religious traditions, God is conventionally conceived as a humanlike creator, lawgiver, and king, a being both accessible and actively present in history. Yet there is a concurrent and strong tradition of a God who actively hides. The two traditions have led to a tension between a God ...
Contemporary Esotericism
1st Edition
Edited
By Egil Asprem, Kennet Granholm
December 22, 2014
The study of contemporary esoteric discourse has hitherto been a largely neglected part of the new academic field of Western esotericism. Contemporary Esotericism provides a broad overview and assessment of the complex world of Western esoteric thought today. Combining historiographical analysis ...
Angels of Desire: Esoteric Bodies, Aesthetics and Ethics
1st Edition
By Jay Johnston
August 20, 2014
The idea that the human body consists of 'subtle bodies' - psycho-spiritual essences - can be found in a variety of esoteric traditions. This radical form of selfhood challenges the dualisms at the heart of Western discourse : mind/body, divine/human, matter/spirit, reason/emotion, I/other. 'Angels...