Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Parables, Hymns & Prayers from Central Asia

Klimkeit, Hans-Joachim; Klimkeit, Hans-Joachim [Translator]

ISBN 10: 0060645865 / ISBN 13: 9780060645861

Published by HarperCollins, 1993

About this Item

In shrink wrap.

Seller Inventory # 100-33431

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Parables, Hymns & Prayers from Central Asia
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060645865
• ISBN 13: 9780060645861
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In the late 1970s the first English translation of the Coptic texts discovered in Egypt in 1945, which came to be known as the Nag Hammadi Library, profoundly changed the world's understanding of Christianity. Now with the publication of Gnosis on the Silk Road - a never before published collection of extraordinary texts from the Gnostic tradition in Central Asia - renowned scholar and author Hans-Joachim Klimkeit has provided a unique Eastern companion text to that important work.
This first-ever English translation of the major Gnostic texts from Asia is a vital discovery that reveals a new expression of Christianity as it blended with the mystical religions of Turkey, Persia, Central Asia, and even China.
Klimkeit presents an astonishing collection of parables, hymns, narratives, and prayers that unveil a major Christian movement primarily founded by the prophet Mani, who merged Gnostic Christianity with the radical religious dualism of Persian religion and Zoroaster. As the movement spread along the Silk Road from Turkey to Asia, it adopted prominent features from Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Asian faiths. The result was a Christian philosophy and practice that was much closer to the mystical, meditative religions of the East.
Like the Western Gnosticism reflected in the Nag Hammadi Library, this Eastern Gnosticism was condemned as heresy by orthodox Christianity, and only today with the opening up of the former Soviet Union and the increased awareness of the importance of the Silk Road has the world been given a chance to learn from this radically different approach to Christianity.

Reviews

In this work, Klimkeit (history of religion, Univ. of Bonn) makes available for the first time in English a little-known corpus of texts that are extremely important for the study of Manicheanism, a serious rival to early Christianity. Klimkeit, who is German, translates the original mainly Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, and Turkish documents into good English. An introductory chapter sets forth the theological and historical milieu of these "Turfan texts," which are incomplete to fragmentary. Brief introductory comments precede each text, with generous notes following. The translations and notes were obviously made for those not conversant with the religions. This work will appeal to those studying Manicheanism and the Gnostic religions who are not comfortable with the original languages or who want an easily accessible compendium. For specialized collections only.
- Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.