The Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes: The Initiatory Teachings of the Last Supper

by Mark H. Gaffney

Book Overview

Reveals the hidden meaning of the Grail and a secret Christian doctrine for achieving higher consciousness - Shows that Gnosticism is not a derivative of Christianity but the revelation of the true... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089281697X
• ISBN13: 9780892816972
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected.

The Naassenes would certainly disagree with the author regarding his findings on the last supper and their initiatory philosophy.

Excellent Material

One of the best books on the origin of the orthodox view of Christianity, by comparing it to this one gnostic sect. Primarily good at pointing out the differences between the concept of Jesus as God, and Jesus, the one who shows us how to be like him -an enlightened being with knowldege of who we and God are. Very excellent background on the politics of having the Levites and their priesthood be the ones who decided what would be orthodox teachings and the exclusion of the Ashoreth cult. I liked the book. :) JoAnna Cham

Gnosticism in a Different Light

What was it about Gnostic Christian sects which so obsessed the early church fathers? That a three hundred year reign of persecution eventually drove the Gnostics out of existence is beyond doubt. The sentiments of the early fathers are recorded in such voluminous tracts as the ten-volume "Refutation of all Heresies" by Bishop Hippolytus. But what did the Gnostics really teach? Here Mark Gaffney supplies us with a partial answer. Gaffney takes a close look at one Gnostic sect in particular, the Naassenes, and comes up with the conclusion that they had full knowledge of spiritual practices now normally associated only with eastern religions. Sadly, all we know about the Naassenes comes to us from one of their chief persecutors-the aforementioned heretic hunter, Bishop Hippolytus. But amazingly the latter devotes a full five chapters to the group, even going so far as to quote extensively from a now-lost Naassene text which modern scholars have come to denote as "The Naassene Sermon." Gaffney calls the bishop's achievement in preserving the text "remarkable." Yet he adds with irony, "his acerbic attempts to discredit Naassene belief are plainly refuted by the very material he compiled and recorded." While the book includes the sermon in its entirety in an appendix, Gaffney's analysis of it in the preceding fourteen chapters provides invaluable insights. Among these are that the Naassenes were aware of such Hindu concepts as the chakra centers of the body, and may have even practiced a form of Kundalini yoga, even if they didn't call it by that name. The fascinating question, which Gaffney explores, is: did the Naassenes receive these teachings directly from Jesus, or at any rate from James the Just, the brother of Jesus? That at any rate is what the Naassenes claimed, and Gaffney seems willing to grant that the claim may be bonafide. The book indeed presents "powerful evidence that the Gnostic element was present in Christianity from the beginning", and did not originate in the second century as scholarship has previously supposed. Clues of this abound-even in the Bible itself. This is not to say that all Gnostic sects thought alike. Gnosticism was varied. Some Gnostic groups held beliefs which could be described as dubious at best. But Gaffney asserts that the Naassenes had a "direct knowledge of sacred anatomy." This knowledge, or "gnosis," lay in stark contrast to orthodox Christianity, which "created an overly rigid mentality" among its adherents. Gaffney posits that what has been passed down to us as a result of the persecution of groups like the Naassenes is a soul-less, spiritually dead form of Christianity. This, he says, has led to a tragic "spiritual decline of the West"-tragic not only for the West, it may be added, but for the world as a whole. Indeed it could perhaps fairly be said that the legacy of Bishop Hippolytus lives on in the legions of so-called "values voters" who returned George Bush to a second term in office despite the

Just plain good scholarly work.

I was hesitant at first to start reading through the book. I often start out reading books on good topics with wonderful titles and a rivetting back cover only to find that was all the book had going for it. I am happy to say that was not the case this time out. Mr. Gaffney did a great job researching and writing this book on a subject the Church would rather people not know of. The sheer amount of history you will learn about early Christianity is astonishing, and it is all (repeat, all) well more than adequately footnoted, indexed and appendixed. Also, the comparisons and contrasts between early Christianity and other of its contemporary religions and its predecessors is very nicely handled. This is a must-read for those who genuinely want to get to the nitty-gritty of their Church and how it has evolved over the past few thousand years. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Initiatory Teachings...

Many times, as we garner truths from our life experiences, we stack one of these truths upon another, never bothering to check and see if any of these beliefs are in conflict with each other. When a book comes along that helps us to examine these conflicts, a great service is done in assisting each of us to awaken a bit more. Mark Gaffney, in Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes, has written such a book. After much research, study and insights gained, Mark shares with us The Initiatory teachings of The Last Supper: "I have never met a priest, nor encountered a scholar who suspects a deeper lesson had been conveyed on that final evening. It was only after I began to study the Naassene Sermon that it dawned on me that the main purpose of that ancient document was to announce a great mystery. It hints that when Jesus said, `This is my body' he was not transforming anything. No, he was making a much more profound statement. He was acknowledging a deep spiritual truth. He was saying, `I am this bread,' in other words, `I and this bread are one. The God who dwells within me is also present in this bread! And why? Because matter and spirit are co-extensive.' Jesus might just as well have said, `The God who dwells within me also dwells within the fibers of this cotton napkin, and within all of you.' Or he might simply have said, `I am that.' "