Christian Gnosis: From Saint Paul to Meister Eckhart

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Christian Gnosis: From Saint Paul to Meister Eckhart

Third Edition

Basing himself principally upon the teachings of Saint Paul and the Clementine Stromata, Wolfgang Smith distinguishes the idea of gnosis in nascent Christianity from its Gnostic counterfeit. After his initial considerations of the implications of authentic gnosis for cosmology—intimately connected to his work in the philosophy of physics—he finds the same considerations have bearing upon the theological notion of creatio ex nihilo as well. This crucial recognition leads the author to consider alternative formulations within the Judeo-Christian tradition, from Christian Kabbalah to Jacob Boehme and Meister Eckhart. What emerges are the outlines of a “Trinitarian nondualism” definitive of Christian gnosis.

About the Author
Wolfgang Smith graduated from Cornell at age eighteen with majors in physics, mathematics, and philosophy. He subsequently contributed a theoretical solution to the re-entry problem for space flight. After taking his doctorate in mathematics at Columbia, he served for thirty years as professor of mathematics at M.I.T., U.C.L.A., and Oregon State University. Smith then devoted himself to correcting the fallacies of scientistic belief, focusing on foundational problems pertaining to quantum theory and visual perception by way of the traditional tripartite cosmology.