Sada je: čet mar 28, 2024 2:07 pm.

Prijava

Korisničko ime:   Šifra:   Automatsko prijavljivanje  

Vremenska zona: UTC + 01:00




Započni novu temu Odgovori  [ 213 post(ov)a ]  Stranica Prethodna  1 ... 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11  Sljedeća
Autor/ica Poruka
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: ned okt 24, 2010 1:30 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Francis Melville - Secrets of High Magic

slika

The great masters of high magic may no longer be among us, but their wisdom remains—and their secrets are here to be revealed. True high magic is the art (and science) of using little-known or long-forgotten forces and objects from nature to achieve benevolent changes in the individual's consciousness or in the surrounding physical environment. It encompasses a wide array of doctrines and techniques, including the conjuring of spirits and nonhuman entities, ritual divination, the making and consecration of wands, swords, and talismans, and exploration of other universes. The essence of high magic has been captured in this handsomely bound book. The author gives instructions for making a magic altar and creating tools of magic. He also gives basic instruction in divination methods that include geomancy, I-Ching, and tarot cards. He goes on to explain the pentagram, the hexagram, the ritual of the rose cross, and advanced techniques that are intended to invoke deities. Here is practical, lucid instruction in the methods of self-initiation to a wide array of occult traditions.

192 pages, 25.4 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/L-r1Srfv/Francis_Melville_-_Secrets_of_.html




Joseph Benner - The Way to the Kingdom

slika

BEING DEFINITE AND SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SELFTRAINING AND DISCIPLINE, ENABLING THE EARNEST DISCIPLE TO FIND THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

CONTENTS

SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM
Our Immediate Purpose, The Kingdom, Inner Work, The Plan, Definite Work

THE LIGHT WHICH LIGHTETH EVERY MAN
Meditation, Groups

I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE
I Am the Way, Personality, Meditation, The Meditation Exercises, The Importance of Daily Study

I AM THE DOOR
I Am-the Only Way, I Am the Door, The Prayer, One Method of Healing

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
An Easter Thought, I Am the Resurrection and the Life, The Path, Healing, Spiritual Growth, One Must Pay for Wisdom

IF YE ABIDE IN ME!
Occultism, In the Home, Practical Work, A Serious Problem

I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
Mammon, Husband and Wife, Practical Work

I, IF, I BE LIFTED UP
God, Christ and the Higher self; would You Heal Yourself, Harmony

WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER
The Soul, The "Fall" into Generation, The Reason for Redemption, Desire

EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN
Reincarnation, The Personality, The Light

NOW ARE WE SONS OF GOD
Teachers, A Personal Letter

WE ARE COME UNTO MOUNT ZION
Fear, the Law of Prosperity, Received in a Group Meeting

AS A MAN THINKETH IN HIS HEART
The Great Secret

WHOM THE LORD LOVETH HE CHASTENETH
Practical Work, Groups

THE IMPERSONAL LIFE
Being Yourself, The Impersonal Life

THERE AM I IN THE MIDST OF THEM
From "The Spirit Spake," A Vision

JESUS, THE CHRIST
Second Easter Thought, Christ Jesus

CHRIST THE LOGOS
The Easter Ceremonies

BELIEVETH THAT YE HAVE RECEIVED, AND YE SHALL HAVE
Jesus Ever Present, Speaking the Word

THE COMFORTER
Occult Teachings

APPENDIX
Meditation No. 1, I Alone Am, A Prayer, Meditation No. 2, Speaking the Word, Books for Supplemental Reading

335 pages, 32.2 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/fN5v7A9O/Joseph_Benner_-_The_Way_to_the.html




Jan Van Ruysbroeck - The Spiritual Espousals

slika

Contents: Translators note; Introduction; The Prologue; Book I – The Active Life; Book II – The Life of Yearning for God; Book III – The Life of Contemplation of God

208 pages, 10.2 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/lItCq9oo/Jan_Van_Ruysbroeck_-_The_Spiri.html




John Bunyan - Pilgrim's Progress

slika

Pilgrim's Progress is a great work of Christian literature. Originally composed in the 17th century, this spiritual allegory has entertained and delighted innumerous readers for over 300 years. Part I tells of "Christian" and his journey to "Celestial City;" Part II tells of the journey of Christian's wife Christiana and their children to Celestial City. The two parts work together as a unified whole, which describes and depicts the believer's life and struggles. Indeed, given the easy style of the book, readers of all ages can understand the spiritual significance of the depictions in the story. However, Pilgrim's Progress does not simply instruct readers with spiritual allegories; it entertains them as well, through Bunyan's creative story telling. Enjoyable and spiritually instructive, Pilgrim's Progress is highly recommended.

One of the most powerful dramas of Christian faith ever written, this captivating allegory of man's religious journey in search of salvation follows the pilgrim as he travels an obstacle-filled road to the Celestial City. Along the way, he is confronted by monsters and spiritual terrors, among them Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. An enormously influential seventeenth-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language.

328 pages, 12.7 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/bvCRLUsJ/John_Bunyan_-_Pilgrims_Progres.html




Neville Goddard - Awakened Imagination

slika

Neville Goddard was one of the quietly dramatic and supremely influential teachers in the New Thought field for many years...In a simple, yet somehow elegant one-hour lecture, Neville was able to clarify the nature of God and God's relationship to every person. He spoke of God in intimate terms as though he knew god very well, which he did. --Roy Eugene Davis
The Power that makes Achievement and Attainment Inevitable.

Using short quotations from the Bible and from Blake, Yeats, Emerson, Lawrence, Quintillian, Hermes, and the Hermetica, Neville reveals the Power that makes the achievement of aims, the attainment of desires, inevitable; showing that the Christ is the human imagination.
Contents:
AWAKENED IMAGINATION

l. WHO IS YOUR IMAGINATION?
2. SEALED INSTRUCTIONS
3. HIGHWAYS OF THE INNER WORLD
4. THE PRUNING SHEARS OF REVISION
5. THE COIN OF HEAVEN
6. IT IS WITHIN
7. CREATION IS FINISHED
8. THE APPLE OF GOD'S EYE

THE SEARCH

94 pages, 25.4 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/_gLdvWy_/Neville_Goddard_-_Awakened_Ima.html




Neville Goddard – The Power of the Awareness

slika

Neville Goddard was one of the quietly dramatic and supremely influential teachers in the New Thought field for many years...In a simple, yet somehow elegant one-hour lecture, Neville was able to clarify the nature of God and God's relationship to every person. He spoke of God in intimate terms as though he knew god very well, which he did. --Roy Eugene Davis
THE POWER OF AWARENESS allows those who rebelled against a regid religious upbringing to renew some of the images etched in their consciousness, only in a more loving, positive and universal way. Neville shows how change of consciousness is the critical factor in life, for consciousness is the only reality, the first and only cause-substance of the phenomena of life.

Contents:

1. I AM
2. CONSCIOUSNESS
3. POWER OF ASSUMPTION
4. DESIRE
5. THE TRUTH THAT SETS YOU FREE
6. ATTENTION
7. ATTITUDE
8. RENUNCIATION
9. PREPARING YOUR PLACE
10. CREATION
11. INTERFERENCE
12. SUBJECTIVE CONTROL
13. ACCEPTANCE
14. THE EFFORTLESS WAY
15. THE CROWN OF THE MYSTERIES
16. PERSONAL IMPOTENCE
17. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
18. BE YE DOERS
19. ESSENTIALS
20. RIGHTEOUSNESS
21. FREE WILL
22. PERSISTENCE
23. CASE HISTORIES
24. FAILURE
25. FAITH
26. DESTINY
27. REVERENCE
122 pages, 10.3 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/GOKD7t_4/Neville_Goddard_-_The_Power_of.html




Neville Goddard - Your Faith is Your Fortune

slika

CONTENTS

1. Before Abraham Was
2. You Shall Decree
3. The Principle of Truth
4. Whom Seek Ye?
5. Who Am I ?
6. I Am He
7. Thy Will Be Done
8. No Other God
9. The Foundation Stone
10. To Him That Hath
11. Christmas
12. Crucifixion and Resurrection
13. The I'm-Pressions
14. Circumcision
15. Interval of Time
16. The Triune God
17. Prayer
18. The Twelve Disciples
19. Liquid Light
20. The Breath of Life
21. Daniel in the Lions' Den
22. Fishing
23. Be Ears That Hear
24. Clairvoyance-"Count of Monte Cristo"
25. Twenty-third Psalm
26. Gethsemane
27. A Formula for Victory

159 pages, 8.25 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/CE1ybeE6/Neville_Goddard_-_Your_Faith_i.html



More from HERMETISM 4shared folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/IXsYsPGu/Hermetism__hermetizam_.html


More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM 4shared folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: sub okt 30, 2010 12:52 am 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
David Jenks - A Study of Meditation

slika

David Jenks (1866–1935) was a priest of the Church of England, and member of the Society of the Sacred Mission. Fr David Jenks became the Director of the SSM in 1910, he succeeded Father Herbert Kelly.

Contents

Chapter I - On The Need Of Meditation

Chapter II - On The Preparatory Exercises

Chapter III - On The Use Of The Imagination

Chapter IV - On Thinking

Chapter V - On Converse

Chapter VI - On The Conclusion

Appendix

1- On The Choice Of Subjects

2- On A Different Method Of Meditation

3- On Short Meditations For Busy People

Outlines Of Meditation

110 pages, 7.21 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/UriasaK-/David_Jenks_-_A_Study_of_Medit.html



Frances W. Foulks – Effectual Prayer

slika

Many students of Truth, when turning from the old manner of praying and seeking a greater knowledge of true prayer, make a great problem of entering the silence. Indeed the silence does seem a problem to one who has never assumed control of his thoughts, who has never learned the art of relaxation, of concentration, of meditation, of being still and listening within. These are all steps that are taken to enter the silence where God dwells and where we hear the "still small voice," with its words of wisdom and love, where we contact the gifts that through eternity have been waiting for us to become still enough and receptive enough to receive them.

CONTENTS

Part One

Foreword

I - Effectual Prayer
II - Preparation
III - Relaxation
IV - Concentration
V - Meditation
VI - The Silence
VII - The Message
VIII - Living the Life

Part Two

Meditations for the High Watch
Spiritual Remedies for Particular Lacks

201 pages, 7.38 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Vu3WXmqg/Frances_W_Foulks__Effectual_Pr.html




C. K. Mahoney - The Philosophy of Prayer

slika

Contents:

Chapter I. Introduction

Superficiality and emotionalism—The lack of scientific method—The need of the ordinary man—Prayer the essence of religion—The naturalness of prayer—The importance of a scientific study of prayer

PART I - PRAYER AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL FACT

Chapter II. The Meaning Of Prayer

Definition and definitions — Subconscious Prayer—Prayer and sacrifice—The two ideas of sacrificeMagic and prayer—Prayer and mysticism

Chapter III. Prayer in its Highest Development

The "Lord's Prayer" as a model—The social nature of prayer—The Fatherhood of God—Prayer and praise—Petitions for material needs—The moral element in prayer—Humility

Chapter IV. The Subjective Effects of Prayer

The value of prayer recognized by an atheist—The soul unifying effect of prayer—A generator of faith—A dynamic of religious labor—A transformer of life and character

PART II - PRAYER AS A COSMIC FACT

Chapter V. Prayer and the World Order

Every man's need of a philosophy—The problems of prayer—The world ground—Mechanism—Teleology—Organic causation—Prayer and law—The laws of prayer

Chapter VI. The God of Prayer

The tragedy of the loss of God—Causes of this condition—Historic conceptions of God and their influence—Deism—Pantheism—Absolutism—Modern Philosophy—The kind of God the world needs—Evolutionary philosophy discovers God—The idea of God not outworn—The God of the Bible—Personality—Prayerlifted into a cosmic significance

Selected Bibliography
Index

132 pages, 5.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/-BckCJgX/C_K_Mahoney_-_The_Philosophy_o.html



St. Francis de Sales - The Mystical Flora of St. Francis de Sales

slika

Few among the Church's writers surpass St. Francis de Sales in the skilful use of comparisons drawn from nature to illustrate the operations of grace in the spiritual life. Here the choicest of St. Francis's spiritual comparisons drawn from plants and flowers are collected together - arranged to form a perfect treatise on the devout life, from its first principles to its consummation, according to the plan laid down by the saint himself in his ascetic writings. A book to delight gardeners and naturalists alike, looking at the virtues of more than sixty plants, flowers and fruits in the garden of the soul.

Saint Francis comes in from the garden with his hands full of spiritual comparisons from the flowers he has found in bloom – through his words our souls become as vividly conscious of the truth he expounds as our senses would be of the flower of which he speaks, were we to hold its stem in our hands and breathe in its fragrance.

142 pages, 10.2 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/5fFqCgiH/St_Francis_de_Sales_-_The_Myst.html



St. Francis de Sales - The Mystical Explanation of the Canticle of Canticles

slika

„In a letter written some fifteen years after the death of St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane Frances de Chantal tells us how, in looking over the long-forgotten contents of an old disused box, many writings of the Saint were found, and among them an explanation of the Canticle of Canticles set out in the form of a meditation.

She adds that she had never heard the Holy Founder speak of this treatise, but that the then Superioress of the Community declared that he had often preached on the subject to which it referred, in the early days of the Visitation. We are thus led to see how at an early period the thoughts which ultimately found expression in the great treatise on the Love of God were already taking shape in the Saint s mind; and how, in the midst of many labours demanding the full exercise of that practical sense, which was so distinctive a quality of his character, he was living habitually in a higher region of very close union with God. The insight which a perusal of the „Mystical Explanation“ gives us into the history of his spiritual development, is at the same time an incentive to all those who have to pass a life of activity in God s service, to devote themselves without ceasing to loving thought of Divine things; to maintain themselves in the midst of their labour closely united to God; and to cultivate the interior spirit no less, but far more, than the manifestations of external zeal. It is a lesson that we all need at the present day, in the hurry and pressure of so many urgent duties.“

"There are two sorts of unions of the soul with God in this world: the first by grace, which is made in Baptism, or by means of Penance; the second by devotion, and this is made by means of spiritual exercises. The one makes us innocent and the other spiritual. Solomon, considering himself to have given sufficient instruction on the first sort of union in his other books, only teaches the second in the Canticles, in which he supposes the spouse, that is, the devout soul, to be already married to her Divine Beloved, and represents their holy and chaste married loves, practised by mental prayer, which is simply the consideration of God and Divine things.

Under this name of consideration are comprised four different acts of the understanding ; viz. thought, study, meditation, and contemplation."

284 pages, 16.8 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/SXSQPPEu/St_Francis_de_Sales_-_The_Myst.html




H. M. B. Reid - The Holy Spirit and the Mystics

slika

Contents

Chapter

I. The Holy Spirit In The Scriptures
II. The Holy Spirit In The Ancient Church
III. The Spirit, Mediaeval And Modern
IV. Mysticism And The Spirit
V. Mysticism And The Church
VI. Mysticism And The World
Index

262 pages, 4.59 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/WL17F8Yb/H_M_B_Reid_-_The_Holy_Spirit_a.html




A. F. Hewit - Light in Darkness; a Treatise on the Obscure Night of the Soul

slika

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

Of the Sources and Certainty of Spiritual Doctrine

CHAPTER II.

Of Melancholy and Sadness

CHAPTER III.

The Cause and Nature of the Obscure Night

CHAPTER IV.
Active Exercises and Sensible Graces Incapable of Uniting the Soul with God

CHAPTER V.

Visions and other extraordinary Communications not the Medium of Union with God

CHAPTER VI.

The State of the Soul in the Obscure Night, and its Sufferings more fully explained—Directions for passing through the Obscure Night with Security

180 pages, 6.26 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/f0Jehi17/A_F_Hewit_-_Light_in_Darkness_.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: pon nov 01, 2010 5:19 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Adolphe Tanquerey - The Spiritual Life; A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology

slika
slika
slika
slika
slika

„This book is simply a must have for the spiritual life. It is long but it is definately worth the read.

One reason this book is set above others is that it goes through all the doctrinal and dogmatic foundations of the spiritual life giving us the reasons why we should serve and love God. The author says himself that he doesn't think a work on the spiritual life should omit a review of what exactly God has done for us. Also placing himself on solid dogmatic grounds the author avoids falling into subjectivism or a undue focus on ourself. This is the first (and shortest) part of the book.

Secondly the author goes in depth to the three ways. That is, the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive. He thoroughly treats all of them so you can get plenty of help in the one that you may happen to be in, but you will also learn to look forward to what may come. It is, of course, important to know what you are working towards in addition to knowing what to do in your present state.

The author treats just about everything imaginable in the spiritual life. He treats the gifts of the Holy Ghost, meditation, contemplation, perfection, interior graces, mystical phenomena, trials, the "dark nights", beginning the SL, advancing in virtue, Communion/confession, combatting the passions, growing in charity, and many other things.

The author bases his teaching mainly on Scripture, Saint Thomas, the so-called "french school" (Olier, Berulle, Eudes, etc,), Saint Theresa and Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Francis de Sales. Although he does quote many others and has a very wide knowledge of spiritual authors.

The author also maintains the traditional teaching on the spiritual life: that love of God is perfection. The modern era has made achieving various "mental states" as perfection. This is of course very wrong. This book will help you to grow in love for God. Whether you acieve any extraordinary gifts is God's decision. God's free gifts cannot be attained by any "technique".

Finally I would recommend this book because it not only only inflames your will with a desire to love God and serve Him as some books do, it also give real concrete steps to achieve this.“ Amazon review

827 pages, 106 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/UNLjSPev/Adolphe_Tanquerey_-_The_Spirit.html




Ann Spangler - Praying the Names of God

slika

A twenty-six-week devotional study by the bestselling coauthor of Women of the BibleNames in the ancient world did more than simply distinguish one person from another, they often conveyed the essential nature and character of a person. This is especially true when it comes to the names of God recorded in the Bible.

Praying the Names of God explores the primary names and titles of God in the Old Testament to reveal the deeper meanings behind them. El Shadday, Elohim, Adonay, Abba, El Elyon--God Almighty, Mighty Creator, Lord, Father, God Most High--these are just a few of the names and titles of God that yield rich insights into his nature and character. Praying the Names of God shows readers how to study and pray God's names by focusing each week on one of the primary names or titles of God. - Monday--readers study a portion of Scripture that reveals the name. - Tuesday-Thursday--readers pray specific Scripture passages related to the name. - Friday--readers pray Scripture promises connected to the name. By incorporating the divine names and titles into their prayers--and learning about the biblical context in which the name was revealed--readers will gain a more intimate understanding of who God is and how he can be relied on in every circumstance of their lives.Praying the Names of God is a unique devotional, one that offers a rich program of daily prayer and study designed to lead people into fresh encounters with the living God.

354 pages, 56.6 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/lGRCIDPs/Ann_Spangler_-_Praying_the_Nam.html




Courbon - Familiar Instructions on Mental Prayer

slika

slika

There is hardly any one religious exercise so generally neglected by Christians of the present day as meditation, or mental prayer. This may perhaps partly be accounted for by the want of books which treat of this subject, which it is hoped this little Manual may supply; and partly it is to be attributed to the temper of our times and people. No one can deny that to the practice of meditation the habits of our age and country are most diametrically opposed. We have all more or less come to think that there is no acceptable employment but in action — no wholesome fruit in what does not bring its seen reward: in one word — there is little faith amongst us. A life of prayer, contemplation and self-devotion, such as has trained many a saint for glory, and has issued in results of the most incalculable benefit to the Church, we of this busy age are fain to account but a form of idleness and a waste of opportunities. What then must heaven itself be, where praise and loving contemplation are the principal works?

Alas! that we should have drunk so largely of this Spirit, which accounts meditation an unprofitableness, so as to have made it an exercise of exceeding great difficulty to our minds. Of course minds are difierent and they are made yet more different by habit. There are, and ever will be, in the Church, two distinct characters, the contemplative and the practical; and each has done its part towards Gos's work, though it is not to be doubted that the former is the more heavenly. So much, however, do our minds run in the practical direction, that a steady contemplation of Divine truth, for however short a time, is a matter to many of extreme difficulty: and yet, after all, all such hindrances are greater in idea than in reality.

Let it be remembered, that the one ultimate object of meditation, or mental prayer, is the union of the soul with God through intense love, while its particular object is the avoiding all sin and the doing all the little every-day duties of life in the best way we can.

225 pages, 3.72 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/FCz_jpsS/Courbon_-_Familiar_Instruction.html




A Thomas Merton Reader – A Selection from the Writings of the Trappist Monk Thomas Merton

slika

slika

(left: Thomas Merton)

More than a representative selection of the writings of the respected and beloved American Trappist monk, this book is the essential synthesis of his thought and development from the early explorations of his mind and spirit to his significant and poignant commentaries on the present uneasy human situation. Through its selection and organization, accomplished with the consultation and endorsement of the author, the work demonstrates the compelling force of a great spiritual writer and reflects his uniquely creative achievement.

Here is a drama of the human spirit that attempts to portray something of the landscape of the soul a work to feed the heart and the mind, to be read and reread, and to be used and treasured.

A profile of Merton as a thinker, writer, poet, peacemaker, and social critic contains significant selections from his famous and lesser-known works and considers such topics as war, love, Eastern spirituality, monastic life, and solitude. Reissue.
This book is a selection from roughly twenty-five years of writing, most of which was done in a contemplative monastery.

This edition brings us Thomas Merton is all his aspects: spiritual writer, poet, peacemaker, man among men, servant of God -- a one-volume synopsis of his quest for truth, drawn not only from his major works but from his lesser-known writings as well.

CONTENTS

First and Last Thoughts: An Author's Preface

Part One THE UNREAL CITY

1 Prisoner's Base
2 Our Lady of the Museums
St. Antonin
3 At School in England
Oakham
Cambridge
4 Passage
5 Poems: Landscape: Beast, Song: From Crossportion's Pastoral, Lent In A Year Of War, The Flight Into Egypt, The Night Train, Aubade: Lak Erie Ash Wednesday, An Elegy For Ernest Hemingway, Landscape
6 Children in the Market Place: The New Society, Friends And Comrades, Columbia
7 Hell as Hatred
8 In the Face of Death
9 Reviews of Nabokov and Ransom: Laughter in the Dark, The World's Body
10 The Problem of Unbelief
11 Our Lady of Cobre
Epilogue

Part Two MAGNETIC NORTH

1 With a Great Price: Doubt And Asceticism, In A New World
2 Freedom
3 Prayer and the Subconscious
4 „As a Man Is, So He Prays“
5 Magnetic North
6 The Baroness
7 The Sleeping Volcano
8 Poems: Aubade – Harlem, Dirge For The Proud World, An Argument - Of The Passion Of Christ, Crusoe, The Bombarded City, Song
9 Everything That Is, Is Holy
10 No Man Is an Island
11 Sentences on Hope
12 Sincerity
13 The Grove and Beyond
Epilogue: "My Soul Remembered God"

Part Three THE MONASTERY

Prologue
1 To the Monastery
2 In the Monastic Community
3 To Become a Monk
4 Christmas Night
5 Our Lady of Sorrows
6 Poems: For My Brother: Reported Missing In Action, 1943, The Trappist Cemetery - Gethsemani , The Trappist Abbey: Matins, Evening: Zero Weather , After The Night Office - Gethsemani Abbey, The Reader, St. Malachy, Elegy For The Monastery Barn, A Practical Program For Monks
7 „If Ever There Was a Country“
8 The Foundation of Gethsemani Abbey
9 Day unto Day
Epilogue: Fire Watch, July 4, 1952

Part Four MENTORS AND DOCTRINES

1 William Blake
2 Bramachari
3 Mentors: Etienne Gilson, Father Moore, Dan Walsh, Jacques Maritain
4 Poets: T. S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Robert Lowell , Jorge Carrera, Andrade
5 Herakleitos the Obscure
6 Letter to Surkov
7 Religion and the Bomb: May, 1962, Cold War And Theology, The Fight For Peace, Conclusions
8 War and the Prayer for Peace: The Root Of War, Moral Confusion, On Praying For Peace, Prayer For Peace
9 St. John o the Cross
10 The Letters of St Bernard
11 Christian Culture Needs Oriental Wisdom
12 Conquistador, Tourist, and Indian

Part Five LOVE

Prologue: Pure Love
1 The Ways of Love
2 A Body of Broken Bones
3 The Moral Theology of the Devil
Love Can Be Kept Only by Being Given Away
5 The Woman Clothed with the Sun
6 Poems: Freedom As Experience, Cana, Evening, The Annunciation, A Psalm, The Quickening Of St. John, The Baptist
7 Love in Meditation
8 Prometheus: A Meditation
A Note: Two Faces Of Prometheus
Prometheus: A Meditation
9 The Good Samaritan
10 Tower of Babel
11 Chant to Be Used in Processions Around a Sitewith Furnaces

Part Six VISION

Epigraph
Prologue: Mysticism in the Nuclear Age
1 Vision and Illusion
2 Asceticism and Sacrifice
3 Art and Spirituality
Poetry, Symbolism, And Typology
Poetry And Contemplation: A Reappraisal
4 Poems: The Landfall, The Sowing Of Meanings, Stranger , A Prelude: For The Feast Of St. Agnes , A Responsory, 1948 , The Captives - A Psalm , Senescente Mundo
5 Seeds of Contemplation
6 The Wind Blows Where It Pleases
7 False Mysticism
8 The Shadow of Thy Wings
9 Sharing the Fruits of Contemplation
Epilogue

Part Seven THE SACRED LAND

Epigraph
1 Silence
2 Atlas and the Fat Man
3 The Wisdom of the Desert
4 The Recovery of Paradise
5 Poems: In The Rain And The Sun, Wisdom, Elias - Variations On A Theme , "When In The Soul Of The Serene Disciple ..." , Spring Storm , Dry Places , The Heavenly City
6 Theology of Creativity
7 Nativity Kerygma
8 The Wine of New Life
9 The General Dance
Epilogue: Meditatio Pauperis in Solitudine

586 pages, 40.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/QjxMU7R1/A_Thomas_Merton_Reader__A_Sele.html




Dom B. Weld-Blundell – Contemplative Prayer

slika

And now to turn to the contents of the book, of which something must be said. „Sancta Sophia“ is principally a book of instructions for the Prayer of Contemplation, as the subtitle of the original edition explains. What is contemplation? Broadly speaking, it may be defined as clear, easy, mental view of a thing, a quiet, contented gazingon an object. It is the result of a diligent search into the nature, qualities, circumstances of the object. Of course, there are different kinds of contemplation, according to the nature of the object contemplated. There is a contemplation which is purely philosophical. It consists in the contemplation of some natural truth or object, the nature, qualities, conditions of which are thoroughly understood by a previous course of study and reflection. It is philosophical, because it is an act principally of the intellect, the affections taking but little part in it. But there is another contemplation which is mystical, and of this Sancta Sophia treats. It has God for its object. By this contemplation (to use Father Baker s own expressions) the soul without discourse, without inquisitive speculations, without the use even of the internal senses or of sensible images, regards God simply as infinite, incomprehensible truth. It is a pure, simple, reposeful operation of the mind, by which God is contemplated in the obscurity of faith. And as the soul realizes Who He is, she rests in Him with the wholebent of the will and affections, as her infinite, universal, incomprehensible good. This is true contemplation, and is properly the occupation of the angels and the blessed in heaven. Without any discourse, by a simple act of intuition, they behold God in the beatific light as Infinite Good and Infinite Perfection, and they adhere to Him with the whole force of their wills and affections.

Contents:

Book I - On An Internal Life In General

Chapter I - Souls May Aspire To Contemplation In Every State Of Life
Chapter II - These Instructions Profitable To Seculars
Chapter III - The Active And The Contemplative Life
Chapter IV - The Active And Contemplative State Compared
Chapter V - The Difficulties Of A Contemplative Life And The Need Of Resolution
Chapter VI - The Parable Of A Pilgrim
Chapter VII - Two Internal Guides In All Christians
Chapter VIII - An External Director
Chapter IX - Spiritual Reading
Chapter X - Immediate Divine Inspirations
Chapter XI - Impediments To Divine Inspirations
Chapter XII - The Manner In Which God Communicates Light And Grace To Interior Souls
Chapter XIII - How To Obtain Light In Doubtful Cases
Chapter XIV - The Degree Of Certainty Attached To Divine Inspirations

Book II - Mortification, The First Instrument Of Perfection

Chapter I - All Duties Embraced By Mortification And Prayer
Chapter II - Mortification Of Affection For Venial Sins
Chapter III - The Necessity Of Mortification
Chapter IV - General Rules Of Mortification
Chapter V - Voluntary And Necessary Mortification
Chapter VI - Abstraction And Solitude
Chapter VII - Silence
Chapter VIII - Tranquillity Of Mind
Chapter IX - The Mortification Of The Affections
Chapter X - The Mortification Of Love
Chapter XI - The Nature Of Divine Charity
Chapter XII - Purity Of Intention
Chapter XIII - Temperance; In Refection
Chapter XIV - Patience
Chapter XV - Scrupulosity In General
Chapter XVI - Scruples About Internal Temptations
Chapter XVII - Scruples About The Sacraments
Chapter XVIII - Humility
Chapter XIX - Obedience
Chapter XX - The Virtues In General

Book III - Prayer, The Second Instrument Of Perfection

Chapter I - Prayer In General
Chapter II - Vocal Prayer
Chapter III - The Excellence Of Internal Affective Prayer
Chapter IV - Prayer Without Ceasing
Chapter V - Sensible Devotion
Chapter VI - Distractions
Chapter VII - Apology Of Father Baltazar Alvarez, S.J.
Chapter VIII - Degrees Of Prayer
Chapter IX - The First Degree Of Prayer: Meditation
Chapter X - How To Exercise Meditation
Chapter XI - Retreats
Chapter XII - Signs When A Change Of Prayer Should Be Made
Chapter XIII - The Second Degree Of Prayer: Acts Of The Will And Affections
Chapter XIV - How Various Acts Ark To Be Exercised
Chapter XV - Acts Of Resignation
Chapter XVI - Prayer And Distracting Employments
Chapter XVII - Prayer In Time Of Sickness
Chapter XVIII - Spiritual Discretion
Chapter XIX - The Prayer Of Interior Silence
Chapter XX - Perfect Contemplation
Chapter XXI - The Prayer Of Aspirations
Chapter XXII - Passive Unions Partly Sensible
Chapter XXIII - Passive Unions Purely Intellectual
Chapter XXIV - The Great Desolation
Chapter XXV - The State Of Perfection

518 pages, 30.2 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/xCeg50ti/Dom_B_Weld-Blundell__Contempla.html




Bede Frost - The Art of Mental Prayer

slika

The purpose of this book is clear, definite and restricted. It is to give to the clergy, religious and devout laity who, for one reason or another, are unable to go to the sources themselves, a concise and as brief a treatment as the subject allows of the interior life of prayer in its early stages as it has been taught and practised by the great masters of the spiritual life. It covers all that need be known, apart from that actual personal experience which each one may gain only for himself and without which little can be done in guiding others in the paths of prayer. If it is asked why I begin with the early sixteenth century, with St. Ignatius, St. Francois, St. Teresa and St. Pedro de Alcantara rather than with Cassian, St. Nilus or even with the Victorines, it is simply because it was then that the practice of mental prayer, which had ever been regarded as an essential to the normal Christian life, became an exact science, an art, was 'codified' and enclosed within 'methods' such as this volume deals with.

Yet it must not be inferred that methodic mental prayer was an entirely new thing in the sixteenth century. In the Scala claustralium of Dom Guigues of Chartreuse (1083-1137) we find that fourfold act of prayer which was to be developed in succeeding ages. The four degrees of prayer, says Dom Guigues, are reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.

Reading is an attentive study made by applying the mind to Holy Scripture.
Meditation is a careful investigation, by the aid of the reason, of a hidden truth.
Prayer is the elevation of the heart towards God in order to avoid evil and obtain good.
Contemplation is the raising of the soul in God, ravished in the taste of eternal joys... The ineffable sweetness of the blessed life is sought in reading, found in meditation, asked for in prayer, tasted in contemplation.' The rest of the book consists of an explanation of this manner of prayer.

Contents:

Preface
Introduction

Part I: Preliminaries

I. The 'Gap' In The Religious Situation Of To-Day
II. What Is The Christian Life?
III. The Object And Necessity Of Mental Prayer

Part II: Methods

I. Ignatian
II. Franciscan
III. Carmelite
IV. Salesian
V. Liguorian
VI. Oratorian

Part III: Explanations

I. Some Chief Difficulties Of Mental Prayer
II. The Ascetic And Spiritual Preparation For Prayer
III. Progress In The Life Of Prayer
IV. Direction Of Souls In The Life Of Prayer
Appenddx. An Analysis Of The Teaching Of St. John Of The Cross On The State Of Beginners
Bibliography

292 pages, 5.50 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/B72b42cO/Bede_Frost_-_The_Art_of_Mental.html



St. John of the Cross - The Living Flame of Love

slika

THE LIVING FLAME OF LOVE is the ultimate love poem. Its author, St. John of the Cross, wrote it from the wonderful and awesome perspective of a soul who has finally arrived home, a soul who now at last can rest in the arms of his Beloved. St. John's poem speaks of joy without end, freedom without boundaries, and happiness that continually wells up from the warm and safe springs of the deep Love within him. This poem tells a happy and playful and thrilling story because it is the story of a soul who has searched for its God in the center of its own being and, having found him there, has been made whole and complete.

There is no longer any need to walk the vast deserts or scan the night sky for the first rays of morning's light. The illusive God, who hid his beauty to insure that the journey be continued, is here-as he always was. John's love poem sings of this Presence, and the living flames unite a gentle God with the child he has guided safely to himself. No more longing, no more confusion, no more doubt-only Love is left.
This classic love story embodies all that is pure and good and beautiful about being a child of God. It shows us a soul at the center of its being-totally in peace at its point of origin, fully immersed in the loving flames that give it life and warmth.

When we read this poem of love, however, with all its beauty and peace and magnificence, do we dare embrace its story and make it our own, or do we stay "safely" outside ourselves and look on in admiration and wonder, afraid to cling to the dream and rest in the Reality? Do we reach out for the God of our hearts, longing to lose ourselves in his mercy and strength, only to turn away when he looks at us with tender love? We are made for God. Truly our hearts are restless until they rest in him. The same loving God who drew John of the Cross to himself also softly calls to each of us. We too are invited to journey toward this wondrous God who only asks that we return his love.

Yes, this is the ultimate love poem. It tells of completeness, of bounteous joy, intoxicating love, and total fulfillment.

384 pages, 32 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/PQi-V3X1/St_John_of_the_Cross_-_The_Liv.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: sri nov 03, 2010 1:11 am 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Father Thomas Keating - Centering Prayer Method

slika

Centering prayer is a popular method of contemplative prayer or Christian meditation, placing a strong emphasis on interior silence.

Though most authors trace its roots to the contemplative prayer of the Desert Fathers of early Christian monasticism, to the Lectio Divina tradition of Benedictine monasticism, and to works like The Cloud of Unknowing and the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, its origins as part of the "Centering Prayer" movement in modern Catholicism and Christianity can be traced to several books published by three Trappist monks of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts in the 1970s: Fr. William Meninger, Fr. M. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating.


Video 1:

Kod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IKpFHfNdnE


Centering Prayer, eight minute introduction by the founder, Fr. Thomas Keating. This edited, brief "How To" is designed to encourage further exploration of the ancient mystical prayer practice that can lead to Contemplation

Video 2:

Kod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pumnj0jNmXs&feature=related


Centering Prayer, Thoughts - "How To" by the founder, Fr. Thomas Keating explaining the useful role of "thoughts" and how to deal with them while praying or meditating - and the use of your "Sacred Word". Brief, edited eight minutes.


Quick Centering Prayer guidelines "how to" in PDF (2 pages):

Kod:
http://www.cpt.org/files/WS%20-%20Centering%20Prayer.pdf




Father Thomas Keating - Oneness & The Heart of the World

slika

In this talk, Father Keating discusses the dynamic nature of God and the paradox implicit in experiencing divine oneness. With humor and wisdom, he explores the practice of contemplative prayer, and how we might begin to approach God through being present to our senses.
==================================================

Father Thomas Keating is one of the foremost teachers of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition. He was born in New York in 1923 and converted to Catholicism while a student at Yale University in the 1940s. He entered a cloistered Roman Catholic monastery of the Cistercian order. Keating is the former abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, and has resided at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado.

Father Keating, along with M. Basil Pennington, is co-founder of the Centering Prayer movement and of Contemplative Outreach, a worldwide nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the practice of this Christian form of meditation. He has presented the Centering Prayer method and its related mystical theology to gatherings of non-Christians, Protestants, and Roman Catholics worldwide. He has also taken this ministry to seminarians, priests, lay people, and prisoners. Father Keating also frequently participates in dialogues with contemplatives of other religions.

Duration: 34 minutes

Kod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88UukqH3kDQ

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: čet nov 04, 2010 5:17 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Early Christian Mysticism: The Jesus Prayer

slika

Discover the transformative wisdom at the origins of Christianity developed in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. These practical teachings handed down through the Apostles and the illumined Elders of the first centuries have been lost to the Western world for a thousand years. Return to the source where the spiritual power and pristine revelations of the Christ provided a timeless healing and enlightenment for the soul in search of meaning and Truth.

Duration: 59 minutes

Kod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqZs5NzK1_s




The Spirituality of Early Christianity

slika

An indepth dialogue on the teachings of early Christianity and the spirituality of eastern Orthodoxy, still little known in the West. A rare source of mystical wisdom.

Duration: 26 minutes

Kod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kMhvqwbx_M&feature=related




Ted Nottingham - Symbolism in the Book of Revelation

slika

Discover the spiritual meaning of numbers and metaphors in the Book of Revelation based on the mystical symbolism used in the Ancient Near East.

Ted Nottingham presents an unveiling of new meaning and a surfacing of wisdom rarely understood in this controversial sacred book. Included in the teaching is the method of "Gematria", an ancient Hebrew system for discovering the hidden meaning of letters words and sentences, using numbers and letters of the alphabet.

The presentation features a host of images from across the centuries illustrating the visions of Revelation.

Duration: 54 minutes

Kod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA-9sFCYjFU




Rabbi David Cooper - Wisdom School Teachings

slika

Rabbi David A Cooper lived with his wife in the Old City of Jerusalem for over six years during the 1980’s, studying Kabbalah and Hasidism with a number of different masters of those traditions—who typically choose not to be identified. He has also been a student of Sufism, initiated by Pir Valayit Khan, as well as Zen Buddhism with Roshi Bernie Glassman, and Tibetan Buddhism with Tsoknyi Rinpoche. He has studied and sat on retreat with many Vipassana teachers, from both the East and the West, in the Theravadin tradition.

Rabbi Cooper has written about many of his experiences in seven books and two sets of CDs. His most popular book, God Is a Verb, has been a national best seller, with over 120,000 copies in print in English, plus being available for Dutch, Portuguese, Rumanian and East Indian readers. His best selling audio set, The Mystical Kabbalah, was for a while one of the top ten best selling series at the well known firm of Sounds True. He has led workshops and retreats in almost every state of the union as well as Holland, Germany, Poland, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. He has appeared on public radio and public television, as well as the main subject in a Dutch produced documentary on Jewish Mysticism.

Contains:

- The magid: your inner guide to mystical insight
- How to connect with the "initial light of creation"—and ultimate awareness
- Meditations for inner harmony, opening to compassion, and more
- Angels and the energy of thought
- The Four Worlds and the Five Soul Levels
- Archangel meditation: an ancient practice for receiving "emanations from God"
- The Tree of Life
- The 10 sefirot: emanations of the divine
- The 32 Paths of Wisdom
- Merging with the divine
- Ecstatic Kabbalah (kabbalistic chanting)
- Beautiful series of contemplative Hebrew chants that soothe the soul, still the mind and open the heart and much more

Duration: 16 hours! (mp3s)

Kod:
http://www.rabbidavidcooper.com/12-pathways.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: sub nov 06, 2010 4:00 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
D.D. Lowery - Selections from the Devotional Writings of Madame Guyon

slika

„These selections from the writings of Madame Guyon are necessarily limited to such of her works as were accessible to me. Among them, happily, are those most important to fully meet the purpose of this small volume; namely, to present, in concise form, her teaching on some of the practical and doctrinal phases of Christianity. At the same time the aim throughout this entire work has been to furnish the reader with wholesome food for meditation during the "Quiet Hour," and with fuel to rekindle the dying embers on the altar of devotion. How well I have succeeded in the selection and compilation and arrangement of the matter, with the above thought in view, I must let the reader determine. The title of this book may not convey to some minds the real idea and purpose of its contents. The term, "devotional," as used here, is not to be understood as restricted in its application to forms and expressions of public and private worship, but, as employed here, to literature of a highly inspirational and deeply spiritual character. This is preeminently true of all Madame Guyon's writings.“

Contents

PART I – MISCELLANY

I. Struggle and Death of Self
- Bondage
- Groping for Light
- Self-Effort, or Trusting in Human Merit
- The Death of Self

II. Faith
- For Guidance
- For Duty
- The Testing of Faith

III. Surrender, or Abandonment
- Immediate and Unquestioning
- Absolute and Unreserved

IV. Submission
- Willing and Cheerful Submission
- The Fruit of Submission (or of Obedience)

V. Fellowship
- Divine Union
- The Abiding Divine Presence, the Soul's Keeper and Provider

VI. Communion
- Inward Communion
- Silent and Unceasing Prayer

VII. Tranquillity
- Tranquillity Through Transformation
- The Tranquil Soul Remains Undisturbed by
- External Conditions

PART II - ON PRAYER, OR METHOD OF PRAYER

Prefatory Note
Introductory
First Degree
Meditative Prayer - The Lord's Prayer
Second Degree
Aridities
Abandonment
Sufferings - Accepted as from God
Mysteries
Virtue
Mortification
Perfect Conversion
Active Contemplation
Rest Before God
Interior Silence
Self-Examination
Turning From Faults to God
Distractions and Temptations
Prayer, a Devotional Sacrifice
Active Silence
Internal Acts
Barren Preaching
Divine Union
The Passive Way to its Attainment

168 pages, 5.5 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/5fQPkkzC/DD_Lowery_-_Selections_from_th.html




Madame Guyon - A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

slika

A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Guyon gives simple instructions in contemplative prayer, prayer without words or distinct ideas. It also encourages readers to accept all things as from God’s hand.

Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (commonly known as Madame Guyon) (1648-1717) was a celebrated French mystical writer of the Quietist school. This little book was written for a few individuals who wanted to love God with their whole hearts, and as others wanted a copy, it was committed to the press. It quickly went into multiple printings. Since then this work has been widely distributed and very influential—to places as far as China, where Watchman Nee gave copies to new converts.

At the time, which was a rather stormy era in French religious history, the work resulted in her being attacked and defended by some of the most brilliant writers of her day, even resulting in her imprisonment for a time. The work continues to attract strong defenders and critics, but many find in it a fruitful way to seek God.

(Quietism is a Christian philosophy that swept through France, Italy and Spain during the 17th century, but it had much earlier origins. The mystics known as Quietists insist with more or less emphasis on intellectual stillness and interior passivity as essential conditions of perfection.)

Table of Contents

About This Book
Title Page
Preface to This Edition
Chapter I. The Universal Call to Prayer
Chapter II. The Method of Prayer
Chapter III. The First Degree of Prayer
Chapter IV. The Second Degree of Prayer
Chapter V. Of Spiritual Aridity
Chapter VI. Of Self-Surrender
Chapter VII. Of Sufferings
Chapter VIII. Of Mysteries
Chapter IX. Of Virtue
Chapter X. Of Mortification
Chapter XI. Of Conversion
Chapter XII. Of the Presence of God
Chapter XIII. Of Rest before God
Chapter XIV. Of Inward Silence
Chapter XV. Of Confession and Self-examination
Chapter XVI. Of Reading and Vocal Prayer
Chapter XVII. Of Petitions
Chapter XVIII. Of Defects or Infirmities
Chapter XIX. Of Distractions and Temptations
Chapter XX. Of Self-Annihilation
Chapter XXI. The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer
Chapter XXII. Of Internal Acts
Chapter XXIII. To Pastors and Teachers
Chapter XXIV. Of the way to attain Divine Union
Indexes
Index of Scripture References
Index of Pages of the Print Edition

51 pages, 235 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/3qscluV8/Madame_Guyon_-_A_Short_and_Eas.html



Savinien Louismet - The Mystical Knowledge of God

slika

slika

"The present work is a treatise on the experimental knowledge o God, such as it is possible for every Christian to acquire, if he will but do what is needful thereto. The reader must not expect to find in these few pages the whole doctrine of the mystic life, nor even of mental prayer, as such; still less must he look for an exposition of the extraordinary and miraculous dealings of God with a few favoured souls. I may attempt these higher themes later on, God willing; but in the present work my aim is purely and simply to show that every Christian can obtain a most beautiful kind of knowledge of God, and enlarge it, by the practice of love. It is the substance of a series of sermons, preached by me from time to time at Buckfast, reduced to a body of doctrine for the more convenient use of myself, and those under my spiritual guidance. I have been persuaded to give it to the public at large, in the hope
that it may do good.

In the pulpit it was natural to speak 'tanquam potestatem habens' as one haying a divine mandate to fulfil. In these pages I have not much departed from the same homiletic or hortatory style, judging it to suit the purpose of the work I've cannot improve upon the Fathers of the Church, from, let us say, Dyonisius the Areopagite, down to St. Francis of Sales: in my opinion a grievous mistake has been made in giving to works of piety too didactic a form. No one need be frightened by the hulk of this treatise; eight short chapters conclude it all. It could be read at one sitting, though in order to benefit from it, it would be more profitable to have it, and read it again and again. Its very conciseness will make this a light task.

In Part I. I endeavour to set before the reader the reality and the true nature of the mystical knowledge of God.

In Part II. I treat of the enlargement of the same. Even this second party if attentively considered, will be seen to he nothing more than a further illustration, and a deeper one, of what is meant by this precious, experimental knowledge of God."

114 pages, 3 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/iEGGE7wX/Savinien_Louismet_-_The_Mystic.html




Edward Maitland - The Bible's Own Account of Itself

slika

„These chapters were originally written as an exposition of the Mysticism of the West, in distinction from that of the East as propounded by the Theosophical Society.

In view of a certain identity between the two systems, it is but right to state here that the work represented by these chapters, and formulated in the joint writings of the late Dr. Anna Kingsford and myself, was commenced prior to the formation of the Theosophical Society, and carried out in complete independence of its teachings. Such resemblance as occurs is due, therefore, to the correspondence originally subsisting between the religious systems of the East and the West.“

CONTENTS:

PREFACE to the Second Edition
PREFACE to the First Edition

CHAPTER I. -- The failure of Orthodoxy and Agnosticism to interpret the Bible due to their common error in assuming its standpoint to be the literal, instead of that which the Bible itself claims--namely, the mystical

CHAPTER II. -- The sources of information whereby to determine this question are four in number, being (1) the Bible itself; (2) the consensus of qualified commentators; (3) the general usage in corresponding scriptures; and

CHAPTER III. -- (4) The intrinsic nature of the case, as arising from the function of religion, and discerned by the spiritual consciousness.

CHAPTER IV. -- The doctrine of the Bible is neither that of Orthodoxy nor of Materialism, but of Pantheism, in that it involves the divinity of inherency in such wise that evolution, which is the manifestation of inherency, is accomplished only by the realisation of divinity, the only barrier to which realisation is man"s own will.

CHAPTER V.-- The necessary unity, duality, and trinity of Original, and therein of all, Being. The mystical "woman" of the Bible, in the universal, Substance; in the individual, the Soul. Her recognition and appreciation to constitute the " Woman's Age." The two trinities, of the Unmanifest and the Manifest, and the failure of Orthodoxy to distinguish between them.

CHAPTER VI. -- The passage of Original Being from the static to the dynamic state, in which it is designated "Holy Spirit," is followed by the "generation" of the gods and the world.

CHAPTER VII. -- The narratives of the Creation, the Flood, and the Nativity. Divine incarnation, rightly defined, both a logical necessity and an actual fact.

CHAPTER VIII. -- The divinity of inherency, evolution, immortality, regeneration, and re-incarnation, as indispensable to divine incarnation, implied in the promise made to Eve in the sentence pronounced on the serpent, and similarly in the declaration of Jesus to Nicodemus.

CHAPTER IX. -- The "Divine Marriage." The initial and final stages of man's spiritual evolution, represented by "Adam" and "Christ," "Eve" and "Mary," "David." Method of redemption purely spiritual. Unscriptural and blasphemus nature of the Orthodox presentation. The sacrifice alone of divine appointment, and efficacious, that insisted on by the prophets in opposition to the priests. These two orders in conflict throughout the Bible. How to "put on Christ." The Higher Alchemy and the true Resurrection.

CHAPTER X.-- The Soul's Intuition, the interpreter and deliverer, represented in the Bible as a woman, and symbolised also by the "ass." Rahab, Jael, Esther ; David and Daniel; Balaam, Samison, and Jesus. The ego in man, the problem of this the same as that of God in the universe. "Christ" macrocosmic as well as microcosmic. The Church Invisible as "body" of the former. The love of God by which man is saved, the love of perfection. The Finding of Christ the completion of the Intuition and realisation of the Ideal. Jesus, why selected to be the new exemplar.

CHAPTER XI. -- The mystic exodus from the mystic Egypt, a recovered ritual of the ancient mysteries.

CHAPTER XII. -- The significance of the work represented by this exposition as indicative of the meaning of the Age. The "time of the end," the "end of the world." the "abomination of desolation," the "budding of the fig-tree," the coming to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God," the "drying up of the Euphrates and passage of the kings of the East," the "Two Witnesses." their resurrection and ascension, the " war in heaven " and "standing up of Michael," the "coming of the Son of man" and descent of the "Holy City"—the intended sense of these expressions, and their present actual realisation in that sense. The Mystic and the Materialist, the former's admonition to the latter, and exposition of the order of the Christ.

104 pages, 4.48 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/LbG2oBCT/Edward_Maitland_-_The_Bibles_O.html



Thomas Keating - The Mystery of Christ; The Liturgy as the Spiritual Experience

slika

"Christian spirituality and theology cannot be separated. God has joined them together in an indissoluble bond. The liturgy enshrines and manifests this vital unity. It is designed above all to transmit "the mind of Christ", the consciousness that Jesus manifested of the Ultimate Reality as "Abba," the God of infinite compassion. "Abba" is, at one and the same time, totally transcendent and totally concerned about the human condition. When those who participate in the liturgy are disposed by adequate preparation and understanding, this experience of God, in ever increasing degrees, is transmitted.

This transmission may take place by way of insight into the Mystery of Christ, of an infusion of divine love, or of both at once. It can also take place beyond any psychological perception in the darkness and immediacy of pure faith. In the latter case, it is known only by its fruits in our lives. In whatever way the transmission of the Mystery of Christ takes place, it is always recognized as sheer gift or grace. In the context of the Mystery of Christ and our participation in it, grace is the presence and action of Christ not only in the sacraments of the church and in prayer, but also in everyday life.

Contemplative prayer is the ideal preparation for liturgy. Liturgy, in turn, when properly executed, fosters contemplative prayer. Together they further the ongoing process of conversion to which the Gospel calls us. They awaken us to the realization that we ourselves, as members of Christ's Body, are the cutting edge of the New Creation inaugurated by Christ's resurrection and ascension.

In the retreats of which these conferences were a part, four to five hours each day were devoted in common to contemplative prayer following the centering prayer method. Contemplative prayer in common is a powerful bonding experience as well as a profound form of liturgy. The daily practice of contemplative prayer, whether in common or in private, refines the capacity to listen to die word of God at ever deeper and more receptive levels of attentiveness. When the word of God in scripture and the sacramental rites have worked their way through our senses and reflective apparatus and penetrated to the intuitive level of our being, the immense energies of the Spirit are released, and our consciousness is gradually transformed into die mind of Christ."

"The leader within the Catholic world in the task of recovering our Christian contemplative heritage". -- Ewert H. Cousins

140 pages, 6.7 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/0D1Lym4_/Thomas_Keating_-_The_Mystery_o.html




Brother Lawrence - The Practice of the Presence of God

slika

Brother Lawrence is one of the most admired and imitated sons of the Catholic church. He worked for a time as a soldier before entering the Discalced Carmelite Prior in Paris. Lawrence was uneducated, and so had to enter the monastery as a layman. He worked in the kitchens and as a cobbler there for the remainder of his life. Lawrence is known for his devotion and ability to bring God into every aspect of his life. His classic Christian work, Practice of the Presence of God, details how to gain that constant and comforting connection to God. Readers have treasured this short and easy book for centuries because of Lawrence's honest advice and his obvious passion for spiritual matters. He rejoiced in everyday tasks, prayed constantly, and was known around the monastery for his kindness and willingness to help others. Practice of the Presence of God is a creative Christian work that is required reading according to many believers. Readers will come away with great peace and joy, and a better understanding of what it means to constantly be in God's presence.

This former soldier entered a Carmelite monastery as a lay brother after spending some time in the very much real world. He became much loved for his friendliness and devotion and we are grateful that he was befriended by a member of the Catholic bureaucracy from outside the monastery. Thus, we have his letters and maxims, and biographical material.

The good Brother gives clear and specific ways of handling our wayward thoughts, our errant behavior, our confusion, depression, and spiritual doubts. Anyone from any faith tradition would enjoy and benefit from the esteemed Brother's thoughts. It is not hard to take away a deep faith in this simple practice after just a page or two and see immediate results in one's life. This is a gentle, non-demanding way of continual prayer, that never seems to burden one, or to be a forceful or forced act. Hopefully, this will be a primer for starting contemplative or meditation practice for the reader.

73 pages, 1 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/VLIFzOga/Brother_Lawrence_-_The_Practic.html




Patrick J. Ryan - Thoughts of St. Ignatius Loyola for Every Day of the Year

slika

St. Ignatius Loyola is one of the great shapers of the Catholic tradition. The Spanish soldier turned pilgrim for Christ bequeathed not only an extraordinary institutional legacy but also a distinctive spirituality that today nourishes men and women looking for ways to integrate faith and life. Informing Jesuit education, ministry, and training in communities around the world, Ignatian spirituality offers a practical vision—of engaged, responsible, discerning men and women striving to find God in all things—that resonates in this age of transition.

Organized into a daybook for contemplation, Ignatius’s words serve as personal spiritual exercises. They touch on a range of topics, from affirmations of God’s presence and Christ’s love to practical advice for living a life of virtue in service to others. In this accessible gathering, anyone seeking a richer spiritual life will find words that inspire, challenge, enlighten, and transform.

121 pages, 2.13 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/PPb4wZCV/Patrick_J_Ryan_-_Thoughts_of_S.html




More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: uto nov 09, 2010 12:32 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Rabbi Michael ben Pesach Portnaar - Kabbalah for Complete Life Management

slika

CONTENTS:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 MY FIRST THOUGHTS
1.2 THE CHANGEABLE AND THE UNCHANGEABLE
1.3 THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
1.4 TO OBTAIN THE BEST OF YOURSELF
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 WHAT KIND OF MEDICINE DO WE NEED?
1.2 THE INNER AND THE OUTER
1.3 DON’T STRUGGLE. DISCONNECT YOUR RATIONALITY
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 WHO AM I?
2.2 THE INNER STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN BEING ON EARTH
2.3 WHERE AM I?
2.4 WERE DO I FIND MY TRUE ME? WHERE IS MY FREE CHOICE?
2.5 FROM WHERE DO MY WISHES COME?
2.6 THE AMBITION FOR WHOLENESS IS WITHIN THE GOAL OF THE UNIVERSE
2.7 FOUR CATEGORIES OF HUMAN BEINGS
2.8 FOUR PHASES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BEING
2.9 FOUR FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
2.10 THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN BEING
2.11 WHAT DOES IT MEAN ‘PURIFY YOURSELF?’
2.12 EVERYTHING CONSISTS OF TEN FLAVOURS
2.13 WHERE IS MY TRUE OBSERVATION?
2.14 THE METHOD TO STRENGTHEN OUR WISHES
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 WHAT IS THE TRUE KABBALAH TEACHING?
3.2 ABOUT REINCARNATION
3.3 THERE ARE NO RITUALS IN THE KABBALAH
3.4 KABBALAH BEGINS WERE ALL OTHER – LOGIC- ENDS
3.5 KABBALAH AND FORTUNETELLING
3.6 EVERYONE HAS HIS OWN LIBERATOR.
3.7 KABBALAH IS NO SCIENCE NOR RELIGION
3.8 KABBALAH AND THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
3.9 THE KABBALAH AND THIS WORLD
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 THE SIXTH SENSE: THE FEELING FOR THE INNER
4.2 THE SENSE OF LIVING
4.3 THE FOUR COMMANDMENTS
4.4 TURN YOUR ENEMY INTO YOUR FRIEND
4.5 THE ONLY FREE CHOICE YOU HAVE IS CHOOSING YOUR SURROUNDINGS
4.6 FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE IN YOUR SURROUNDING
4.7 OUTSIDE MYSELF EVERYTHING IS PERFECT
4.8 THE FOUR LAYERS IN YOUR INNER
4.9 SHOW YOUR WEAKNESS
4.10 THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO COME TO WHOLENESS THAN THROUGH THE INNER BEING
4.11 THE LEFT HAND PUSHES AWAY, THE RIGHT HAND PULLS
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 THE ATTITUDE OF SELF LOVE
5.2 COLLECTING YOUR WISHES
5.3 LIFE IS HERE AND NOW
5.4 THE AREA OF THE GOOD AND THE EVIL IS NAMED ‘HUMAN BEING’
CHAPTER SIX
6.1 KABBALAH THERAPY: THE THERAPY OF RECEIVING IN THE RIGHT WAY
6.2 PLACE OF DISEASES IN THE HUMAN BEING
6.3 THE ATTITUDE WITH THE KABBALAH MASTER
6.4 BEAUTY CAN’T SAVE THE WORLD
6.5 RESISTING SEDUCTIONS
6.6 RECEIVING IN THE RIGHT WAY
6.7 THREE TYPES OF PERSONS WITH QUALITIES YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR INNER WORK
6.8 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
6.9 TO RECEIVE THE LIGHT BY WAY OF A SCREEN
CHAPTER SEVEN
7.1 THE FIVE W’S AND A’S IN EVERY SITUATION
7.2 THE GREATEST PLEASURE COMES AFTER THE DEEPEST DISAPPOINTMENT
CHAPTER EIGHT
8.1 LIGHT WILL AROUSE IN US THE WISH TO RECEIVE
8.2 EVERYTHING HAS A MEANING
8.3 THE LAST GENERATION WILL HAVE THE MOST LIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
9.1 WHOLENESS IS IN YOUR HEART
9.2 WHO IS SPEAKING INSIDE OF ME: MY SELF-LOVE OR MY TRUE ‘I’
9.3 HE WHO MAKES HIMSELF SMALL WILL SEE THE LIGHT
9.4 DON'T LET YOURSELF BE DAZZLED
9.5 BEING DEIGN IN SCARCITY AND BEING HUMBLE IN ABUNDANCE
9.6 WHAT IS GUILT
CHAPTER TEN
10.1 WHAT CAN I DO WITH THE CYNICAL PEOPLE AROUND ME?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
11.1 LET MONEY GO AND IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU
11.2 TRUST BEYOND REASONING
11.3 EVEN MISERY IS USEFUL
11.4 RULES FOR ASKING QUESTIONS AT YOURSELF AND TO OTHERS
CHAPTER TWELVE
12.1 TO SEE A PERSON FROM HIS INNER INSPIRATION AND GOAL
12.2 A SHORT STORY ABOUT A VAGRANT AND AN ADDICT
12.3 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE OVER YOU SOMEONE ELSE’S PAIN
12.4 YOUR OWN TERRITORY, TWO BY TWO
12.5 HE WHO GOES WITH THE FLOW
12.6 WE ARE ALWAYS SPEAKING OVER ONE BEING IN THE KABBALAH
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
13.1 ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND YOUR GOAL
13.2 INTERACTION BETWEEN THE INNER AND THE OUTER
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
14.1 LANGUAGE AND THE MEANING OF WORDS
14.2 YOUR FIRST NAME
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
15.1 THE EVOLUTION OF YOUR MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM INNER POINTS
15.2 ABOUT A TRUE REQUEST AND TRUE SHORTCOMINGS
15.3 BE CONFIDENT IN THE LIGHT AND IN YOURSELF

177 pages, 914 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Oh6KxlcY/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html




Rabbi Michael ben Pesach Portnaar - Guide for Inner Spiritual Work

slika

In our daily life we go through many situations and as a rule they control us. They overwhelm us with rudeness, ill fated and in a way they give us no space to exercise our own free will. They block our independent self-supporting actions, they wake up anger and lack of understanding and eventually they lead to a very deep everlasting feeling of disappointment.

It seems inevitable and in a way it is. The human being can’t come in any way to fulfillment only by the true perspective of our world: and that is the way of suffering – a long and unnecessarily painful path. The human being can only see a fragment from the real reality and not the whole picture. However, when the worlds were created an instruction was given, announced and then buried in oblivion. There is only one manual, one path that leads to fulfillment.

This work, the method for the inner spiritual work, is meant to help you to gain the aim of life. The material of sources are bundled here and presented as a guide to take you through the inner spiritual work for beginners. It is the start of what will be in the future a clear method for them who are interested in the one and only truth.

Every one of you who read this book and practice these principles will feel this path. It will show you the way to come out from yourself and step-by-step it will lead you to fulfillment, to wholeness. When it deeply touches you and you want to know more, please contact us and who knows start learning with us.

The articles of rav B. Ashlag keep the same numbering as in the book ‘The heard’ and are in usual letters. My commentaries are in italics.This book is for every one who has interests and the need for the spiritual.

CONTENTS:

1. There is None Else Beside Him
2. The Matter of Spiritual Attainment
4. What is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when annulling before the Creator in the Work?
4. A. What is the Reason for the Heaviness One Feels when annulling before the Creator in the Work?
7. What Is, the Habit Becomes a Second Nature in the Work
8. What is the Difference between a Shade of Kedusha and a Shade of Sitra Achra
10. What is Make Haste My Beloved in the Work
12. The Essence of His Work
13. Pomegranate
14. What is the Greatness of the Creator?
18. What is, My Soul shall weep in Secret in the Work
19. The gates of tears will open.
20. Lishma
21. When One Feels Oneself in a State of Ascent
22. Torah Lishma
22. A. Torah Lishma
23. You that Love the Lord, Hate Evil
24. You that Love the Lord, Hate Evil
25. Things that come from the Heart
25. A. Things that come from the Heart
26. One’s Future Depends and Relates to Gratitude for the Past
27. What is “The Lord is High and the Low will see”
27. A. What is “The Lord is High and the Low will see”
28. I shall Not Die but Live
29. When Thoughts Come to a Person
30. The Most Important is to Want Only to Bestow
31. All that Pleases the Spirit of the Creatures
32. A Lot is an Awakening from Above
34. The Profit of a Land
35. Concerning the Vitality of Kedusha
35. A. Concerning the Vitality of Kedusha
36. What are the Three Bodies in a Man
39. And they Sewed Fig-Leaves
40. Faith in the Rav, What is the Measure
41. What is Greatness and Smallness in Faith
43. The Matter of Truth and Faith
44. Mind and Heart
45. Two Discernments in the Torah and in the Work
46. The Domination of Israel over the Klipot
46. A. The Domination of Israel over the Klipot
47. In the Place where You Find His Greatness
48. The Rudimentary Element
49. Most Important, the Mind and the Heart
50. Two Situations
51. If You Encounter this Villain
52. A Transgression does not Put Out a Mitzva
53. The Matter of Limitation
53. A. The Matter of Limitation
54. The Purpose of the Work
56. Torah is Called Indication
57. Will Bring Him as a Burned Offering to His Will
57. A. Will Bring Him as a Burned Offering to His Will
58. Joy is a "Reflection" of Good Deeds
59. About the Rod and the Serpent
60. A Mitzva that Comes through Transgression
61. Round About Him it stormeth Mightily
62. Descends and Incites, Ascends and Complains
63. I was Borrowed on, and I Repay
64. From Lo Lishma to Lishma
65. The revealed and the hidden
66. The presenting of the Torah
67. Withdraw yourself from the evil
67. A. A bad habit
68. The connection between man and the sephirot
69. The correction of the whole world
70. A rule: there is no violence in the spiritual
71. In darkness CRY
72. Security is a clothing of the light
76. Add a little salt at the sacrifice
77. The soul teaches man
78. The Torah, the Creator and Jisrael are one
81. The ascending of Ma”N
84. Adam was sended away out of the paradise so he couldn’t take from the Tree of Life
94. Preserve Your Souls
98. The spiritual is the eternal
100. The written and spoken Torah
107. Two Angels
113. ‘Hear O Jisrael’
115. The lifeless, the vegetable, the animal and the human being
116. Prescriptions can do without intention
134. Wine that makes you drunk
138. Fear and frithening hold man in their grip
141. When a man is steadfast
148. What is bitter, what is sweet
172. Obstacles and Hinderances
181. Respect
184. The differance between faith and reason
196. The sucking of the egoism
201. The spiritual and the material
202. In the face of sweat you shall eat thy bread
203. Bombastic leads to humbleness
204. Believe and Pleasure
208. The sence of efforts
209. Three conditions for a prayer
211. He who is standing before the King
232. The accomplishing of effortness

187 pages, 1.09 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/RkD5dgRA/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html




Rabbi Michael ben Pesach Portnaar - The Foundation Course Kabbalah Part I & II

slika

In our daily life we meet a lot of situations that in a way controls our life. They overrule us with their coarseness, fatality, and in a way there is no space for to practice our own free will. They are blocking our independent and independency actions; they evoke in us anger and incomprehension and at last a deep, everlasting disappointment. It seems inevitable and in a way it is. Because only by living according the laws of this world it isn’t possible for a person to come to the achievement of the so longed wholeness, or it will be a long and unnecessarily painful way. And when a human being is in this aspect he only sees a fragment of the whole reality, and not the whole picture.

When the world was created there was given an instruction, and of course there was given to the whole mankind the instruction, but we have forgotten! There is only one subscription, one way, which leads to fulfilment.

So, everyone who reads this book and what is more, start working with what he reads, will feel the right way. He will be shown the way step-by-step that brings him to fulfilment, leads him to wholeness. And when you become attached and you want to know more, don’t hesitate, you can always contact us, and may be start learning with the one who are walking the same way.

Please notice this book is a subscription from the spoken word, sometimes it is inevitable to make grammatical mistakes, but remember, it is as it is, the most important thing is to get the feeling with what has been said.

This book is for everyone who has the interest and the feeling of a demand deep within him for the spiritual. These lessons of the foundation course in kabbalah were given during the period of 2004 – 2005 in Amsterdam. These entire lessons were recorded. It is within our intention to make more and more lessons available in text and to submit at this book.

I feel a deep gratitude for my students Tineke Kivits and Tassos Panajotidis, without their help this e-book would not be realized. This e-book is for them who are interested and to give them some impression from our education of the Lurian Kabbalah.

Shalom,
Rabbi Michael-ben-Pesach Portnaar

I. Part - 193 pages.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Q_qg6wEO/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html


II. Part - 66 pages.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/w1OM3yMh/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html




Rabbi Michael ben Pesach Portnaar - Kabbalah and the Place of Love

slika

Paper at the symposium with the theme ‘The hidden word in Islam, Christianity and Judaism’ that took place on May 6, 2006 in Bilthoven, Netherlands, by Rabbi, Kabbalist Michael Portnaar, Ph. D.

7 pages, 104 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/GG-Tqo4D/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html



Rabbi Michael ben Pesach Portnaar - Learn Zohar

slika

About the book

The book is in Aramaic, the original text of Zohar, with the famous commentary of haSulam (the Ladder), which is in Hebrew. In our book both components are given in bold characters: both in the original language as in the English translation. The commentary of haSulam is not indicated separately, for it will not enhance clarity.

This book also includes two of my commentaries on the Zohar and haSulam:

בדרך אל הסולם ( 1 - Badérech el-haSulám - On the way to the Ladder (abbr.Bl”S) is based on the Zohar lessons which I’ve started giving a couple of years ago in Amsterdam to my Dutch and Belgian students. Those lessons were recorded on audio.

מרגלות הסולם ( 2 – Marglót haSulam - The Feet of the Ladder (abbr. M"S) is based on the Zohar Lessons which I’ve started giving from September 2007 in English online. It is an important additional commentary that should be learned together with Baderech el haSulam.

As a result, one will learn each lesson as it were two times: at first Baderech el haSulam and next Marglot haSulam. Because of this the education material becomes more durable and will be notched in the inner self of the reader. Everyone who reads this book with full attention and who will apply the content on himself, will sense the way to the spiritual worlds and his own salvation. Step by step you will be guided to your salvation, fulfillment and completeness. If you get deeply touched by it and you want to know more about the only Instruction, don’t hesitate to contact us. It might be possible for you to start (or continue) your study at our Centre for Lurian Kabbalah.

This e-book is only in illustration of this section of our education in Lurian Kabbalah, to give an impression to one who may be interested.

"No group, no society, nor any spiritual movement, or otherwise conformed to methods into group loyalty in the social society (social and animal), will receive the ultimate development which is excluded for and given for him personally! Only due to the individual aspects of the Lurian kabbalah what is the everlasting method that is in this time revealed to the human race, there is a positive chance. Therefore are given to this world the books of Ari and the Zohar so that every individual – and in that way the whole human race - can receive the ultimate release of his own egoistic slavery."

Rabbi Michael-ben-Pesach Portnaar

166 pages, 1.2 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/H1STYjyw/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html



More from KABBALAH-QABALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: pet nov 12, 2010 5:51 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Archimandrite George - Theosis, the True Purpose of Human Life

slika

The beauty of this book is its simplicity. In clear and simple terms it states the original purpose of the Christian life – namely Theosis.

Its author Archimandrite George has been the Abbot of St. Gregorios Monastery since 1974. He is well known throughout the Orthodox world both as a theologian and spiritual father. He has written many books and articles on theology and the spiritual life. His works have been translated into many languages.

The idea of Theosis will be unfamiliar to the Western mind, although it is not a new concept to Christianity.

When Christ said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,”1 this is a call to a life of Theosis.

Theosis is personal communion with God “face to face”.

To the Western mind, this idea may seem incomprehensible, even sacrilegious, but it derives unquestionably from Christ’s teachings. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the messianic dream of the Jewish race; His mission to connect us with the Kingdom of God – a Kingdom not of this world. When Jesus said, “You are gods, “be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect,” or “the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father,” this is to be taken literally.

CONTENTS

Translator's note
Preface
Theosis the true purpose of human life
The incarnation of God: The cause of man's Theosis
The contribution of the Theotokos to the Theosis of man
The Church: The place of man's Theosis
Theosis is possible through the uncreated energies of God
Qualifications for Theosis
Experiences of Theosis
Failure of many people to reach Theosis
Consequences of guidance for Theosis
Consequences of guidance that does not lead to Theosis
Glossary

86 pages, 377 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/qzuKpFJT/Archimandrite_George_-_Theosis.html




Luke Dysinger - Psalmody and Prayer in the Writings of Evagrius Ponticus

slika

Evagrius Ponticus was the most prolific writer of the Christian Desert Fathers. This book is a study of his life, works, and theology. It gives particular attention to his little-studied exegetical treatises, especially the Scholia on Psalms, as well as his better-known works, in order topresent a more balanced picture of Evagrius the monk. The practice of psalmody in Northern Egyptian monastic communities of the late fourth century is explored, as is Evagrius' understanding of psalmody's healing properties, and his recommendation of memorized scripture as a spiritual weapon againsttemptation. Further chapters discuss Evagrius' model of spiritual progress and his use of medical terminology and theory; the logoi of providence and judgement and their use in Christian contemplation; and Evagrius' controversial Christology and his work, the Kephalaia Gnostica.

This book explores the writings of Evagrius Ponticus. It seeks a connection between the seemingly disparate aspects of Evagrius' mystical theology by approaching the relationship between psalmody and prayer from three perspectives. First, Evagrius' life, works, and spiritual doctrine are presented, followed by a description of the monastic discipline of psalmody as practised by Evagrius and his contemporaries; Evagrius texts on the interrelationship between psalmody and prayer are then considered. Second, Evagrius' recommendations on the usefulness of psalmody in healing of the passions are discussed. Finally, the biblical scholia are studied, which facilitate what Evagrius called 'undistracted psalmody', that is, contemplation by means of the words used in psalmody of the person of Christ and of Christ's salvific work within creation.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations viii
Introduction
1 The Life and Thought of Evagrius Ponticus
2 The Monastic Discipline of Psalmody
3 Evagrius on Exegesis and Psalmody
4 Psalmody as Spiritual Remedy
1.1 Biography
1.2 Writings
1.2.1 Narrative Treatises and Letters
1.2.2 Kephalaia and Exegetical Texts
1.2.3 Relative Dating of Evagrius' Works
1.3 Ascetical and Mystical Theology
1.3.1 Evagrian Psychology, Anthropology, and Cosmology
1.3.2 Asceticism and Contemplation
2.1 Athanasius, Palladius, and the Desert Fathers
2.2 John Cassian
2.2.1 The Practice of Psalmody
2.2.2 The Spirit of Psalmody
3.1 Contemplative Exegesis
3.2 Evagrius' Principal Texts on Psalmody
3.2.1 De Oratione 82
3.2.2 De Oratione 83
3.2.3 De Oratione 85
3.2.4 Praktikos 69-71; Scholion 1 on Psalm 137.1
3.3 Summary
4.1 The Physician of Souls
4.1.1 Medical Imagery in Origen
4.1.2 Medical Imagery in Athanasius and the Cappadocians
4.1.3 Evagrius' Use of Medical Language and Theory
4.2 The Calming of Thumos

322 pages, 4.18 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/csSYgbxl/Luke_Dysinger_-_Psalmody_and_P.html



Timothy J. Johnson - Franciscans at Prayer

slika

Surveying the broad panorama of medieval Franciscans at prayer, this book offers a nuanced perspective on Franciscan beliefs and spiritual practices that underscores the depth and breath of their mutual passion for the divine and the world they shared.

CONTENTS

Introduction
Editorial Note

EARLY WITNESSES

Prayer in the Writings of Francis of Assisi and the Early Brothers
Clare of Assisi and the Mysticism of Motherhood
Prayer in the Life of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano

CONTEMPLATION AND THE ACADEMY

The Prothemes of Bonaventure’s Sermones dominicales and Minorite Prayer
Contemplation and the Formation of the vir spiritualis in Bonaventure’s Collationes in Hexaemeron
Fides quaerens intellectum: John Duns Scotus, Philosophy and Prayer

MYSTICISM, ORTHODOXY AND POLEMICS

Angela of Foligno’s Spiral Pattern of Prayer
Singing with Angels: Iacopone da Todi’s Prayerful Rhetoric
Just talking about God: Orthodox Prayer, among the Heretical Beguins
Friar Alonso de Espina, Prayer and Medieval Jewish, Muslim and Christian Polemical Literature

PORTALS TO THE SACRED

Illi qui volunt religiose stare in eremis: Eremitical Practice in the Life of the Early Franciscans
At Prayer in the Shadow of the Tree of Life
Byzantine Icons, Franciscan Prayer: Images of Intercession and Ascent in the Upper Church of San Francesco, Assisi

TRADITIONS IN TIME

Franciscan Liturgical Prayer
The Discipline of the Heart: Pedagogies of Prayer in
Medieval Franciscan Works of Religious Instruction
From Contemplation to Inquisition: The Franciscan
Practice of Recollection in Sixteenth-Century Spain
Contributors
Index

548 pages, 7.56 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/yAnXsPwo/Timothy_J_Johnson_-_Franciscan.html




St. Bonaventure - Holiness of Life

slika

slika

Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (ca. 1217 to 15 July 1274), the religious name of Giovanni di Fidanza, was a Franciscan friar, Master of Theology at the University of Paris, Minister General of the Franciscan Order, and Cardinal of the Catholic Church. During his lifetime he rose to become one of the most prominent men in Latin Christianity. His academic career as a theologian was cut short when in 1257 he was put in charge of the Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.). He steered the Franciscans on a moderate and intellectual course that made them the most prominent order in the Catholic Church until the coming of the Jesuits. His theology was marked by an attempt completely to integrate faith and reason. He thought of Christ as the “one true master” who offers humans knowledge that begins in faith, is developed through rational understanding, and is perfected by mystical union with God.

"Holiness of Life" is a small work but contains much in a narrow compass. It exhales the author's sweetness of soul. In it Bonaventure shows spiritual knowledge, knowledge of God, and knowledge of self. He discovers that he knows how to pray, how to love God, how to be poor and to imitate Christ's poverty, and how to progress in virtue.

155 pages, 6.77 MB, PF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/YyW87LPy/St_Bonaventure_-_Holiness_of_L.html




W.H. Griffith Thomas - Life Abiding and Abounding, Bible Studies in Prayer and Meditation

slika

CONTENTS

Introduction

CHAPTER I - "More Than My Necessary Food"

1.The Life Faithful to God
2. The Word Hidden in the Heart
3. The Methods of Meditation

CHAPTER II - "The Christian's Vital Breath"

1. Aspects of Prayer
2. Subjects of Prayer
3. Conditions of Prayer
4. Accompaniments of Prayer

88 pages, 3.16 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/fM4e2NB3/WH_Griffith_Thomas_-_Life_Abid.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: sri nov 17, 2010 8:40 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Moshe Idel's Academic Articles on Kabbalah and Jewish Tradition

Moshe Idel is Max Cooper Professor in Jewish Thought, Department of Jewish Thought at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and Senior Researcher at the Shalom Hartman Institute. Born in 1947 in Romania, he arrived in 1963 to Israel and has lectured since 1975 at the Hebrew University. He received the Israel Prize for Jewish Thought in 1999, the Emmet Prize in 2002, and is a member of the Israeli Academy since 2006. He has served as visiting Professor at the JTS of America, UCLA, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and College de France. Among his publications are Old Worlds, New Mirror, On Jewish Mysticism and Twentieth-Century Thought, (Penn UP, 2010), Kabbalah: New Perspectives (Yale UP 1988), Absorbing Perfections: Kabbalah and Interpretation (Yale UP 2002), and Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism (Continuum, 2007).

Moshe Idel - Abraham Abulafia's Technique to Achieve Prophecy

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/2pWEXDow/Moshe_Idel_-_Abraham_Abulafias.html


Moshe Idel - Hitbodedut as Concentration in Ecstatic Kabbalah

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/NgJCq69D/Moshe_Idel_-_Hitbodedut_as_Con.html


Moshe Idel - Maimondes' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/-Qm_LGgd/Moshe_Idel_-_Maimondes_Guide_o.html


Moshe Idel - Kabbalah, Pythagorean Philosophy and Modern Scholarship

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/LUzX2mYl/Moshe_Idel_-_Kabbalah_Pythagor.html


Moshe Idel - Metamorphoses of a Platonic Theme in Jewish Mysticism

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/v4iQotrT/Moshe_Idel_-_Metamorphoses_of_.html


Moshe Idel - Pardes, the Quest for Spiritual Paradise in Judaism

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/XXHEozEn/Moshe_Idel_-_Pardes_the_Quest_.html


Moshe Idel - Rabbinism Versus Kabbalism, on G. Scholem's Phenomenology of Judaism

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/M5g1rceE/Moshe_Idel_-_Rabbinism_Versus_.html


Moshe Idel - The Infant Experiment, the Search for the First Language

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/d_RhERyX/Moshe_Idel_-_The_Infant_Experi.html




David Stevenson - The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century 1590-1710

slika

"...a work of creative scholarship flavoured by exceptional candour and gusto...makes an important contribution to the movement among historians which is rescuing pre-Union Scotland from its reputation for near-savage backwardness, and showing how deep were the roots of Enlightenment in the country's culture. London Review of Books

Freemasonry has always been a highly controversial movement. Yet in spite of the vast literature that has been produced on the subject, its origins have remained obscure. David Stevenson demonstrates that the real origins of the essentials of modern freemasonry lie in Scotland around 1600, when the system of lodges was created by Stonemasons. With rituals and secrets blending medieval mythology with a number of late Renaissance intellectual influences, a movement was created that was to spread through England, across Europe, and then around the world.

Contents

List of plates page
Preface
List of abbreviations and conventions

1. Introduction

Masonic history
The origins of freemasonry
The Scottish evidence
Problems of definition

2. The Medieval contribution

The organisation of the craft
The Old Charges

3. William Schaw, master of works and general warden

The life of William Schaw
The Coplands of Udoch, wardens of the masons
The First Schaw Statutes
The Second Schaw Statutes

4. The Sinclairs of Roslin and the masters of works

The First St Clair Charter
The Sinelairs of Roslin
The Second St Clair Charter
The struggle for jurisdiction
The Falkland Statutes
The last general wardens

5. The Renaissance contribution

Neoplatonism and the occult striving of the late Renaissance
Hermeticism and the cult of Egypt
The art of memory
The Rosicrucians
The architect, the mathematician and the manual arts
Renaissance, Reformation and the Scottish masons

6. Rituals of identification and initiation

The Mason Word
The catechisms: rituals of identification
The catechisms: rituals of initiation

7. Sir Robert Moray: masonry, symbolism and ethics
The life of Sir Robert Moray
A mason and his mark
Voluntary social institutions and the cult of friendship

8. The early Scottish lodges

Lodges and incorporations
The coming of the non-operatives
Life in the lodges

9. Early Scottish and English freemasonry

Freemasonry in seventeenth-century Scotland
Freemasonry in seventeenth-century England

Appendix: Early (pre-1710) masonic lodges in Scotland
Bibliographical note
Index

269 pages, 10 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/StFmlWP8/David_Stevenson_-_The_Origins_.html




Kevin L. Gest - The Secrets of Solomon's Temple: Discover the Hidden Truth that Lies at the Heart of Freemasonry

slika

The Secrets of Solomon's Temple explores the background of Freemasonry and presents it in a new and fascinating context as it relates to our modern world. It also reveals the true identity of King Solomon and shows his Temple in a way it's never been explored before.

Kevin L. Gest is a writer, Freemason, and former engineer who spent 12 years researching the hidden mysteries of Solomon's temple. Kevin lives in East Sussex, United Kingdom

Contents

Introduction: The Opening: Sunrise, an Inspiration

Chapter One: Why the Sun?

A New Town—A New Temple
The Unusual Decor Raised Questions
The Quest for Understanding
Missing Images
Mystical Images
The Quest Begins—Thanks to the BBC
The Zodiac and the Pavement—Another Look
Conclusion

Chapter Two: The Rise of the Sun

Precession of the Equinox
How Big Is the Ball?
Today, We Have an Earth Measure
The Shadow
Heliocentric vs. Geocentric
Numbers, Arithmetic, and the Macro-Cosmos
The Origins of Geometry
Conclusion

Chapter Three: Secret Knowledge—Sacred Wisdom

The Chain
The Circle’s Constant—Squaring the Circle
The Value of Phi
The Mason’s Secret Square
The Secret Square—And the Number
Sacred Geometry—A Mason’s Secret
The Ancient Memory of the Sun and Moon Lives On
The Celtic Cross
Conclusion
Chapter Four: The Secret of Solomon’s Seal
Hexagram—Early Origins
The Star of David as a Symbol of the Jewish Peoples
Inconclusive Evidence
Pentagram
The Connection with Freemasonry
A Solution to the Secret of Solomon’s Seal
The Hexagram/Pentagram Link to Units of Measure
A Geometric Discovery—Solomon’s Seal and the Pentagram
Conclusion

Chapter Five: Pythagoras, Mystery Schools, and Freemasonry

The Pythagorean Numbers and Their Symbolic Representation
Conclusion

Chapter Six: Ecclesiastical Influence—Wonderful Masons

The Temple—A Lavish Undertaking
Bede—The Tabernacle and the Temple
Ecclesiastical Connections with Masonry
Sacred Geometry, Ancient Wisdom, and the Great Cathedrals of Europe
Peterborough Cathedral
Sizing Peterborough Cathedral Using the Sun-Hypothesis
Defining the Seventy-Eight-Foot Reference
Chartres
Barcelona
The Connection with the Wardens
Light Instead of Shadow
Light—And the Temple of Abu Simbel
Conclusion

Chapter Seven: Sacred Knowledge Resurfaces

Vesica and the Design
The Zodiac
Looking for Pythagoras
G Is for Geometry
Further Possibility—Shadow Alignment
Further Possibility—Geometry Based on the Circles
The Sacred Geometry of the Octagon and the Star of David
The Square and Compasses
Geometric Constants in the Temple
Conclusion

Chapter Eight: Things May Not Be as We Were Taught

Recently Discovered Ancestor Knowledge
Our Faith in Religious Events and Their Meaning
The Plagues of Egypt
The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah
The Name of Jesus
A Conjuring Trick with Bones
Virgin Birth—And the Immaculate Conception
New Discoveries—New Revelations
The Virgin Birth—A Revised Scenario
Did Jesus Marry Mary Magdalene?
The Bible and Attempts at Chronology
The Changing Face of the Old Testament
Problems with Translations
Did the Exodus Cross the Red Sea?
Conclusion

Chapter Nine: Moses Prepared the Foundations of the Temple

The Influence of the Classical Greek and Roman Empires
The Ancient Egyptians and the Heretical Pharaoh
The Israelites and the Land of the Pharaohs
Moses—Educated in the Mysteries
Moses the General—Betrayal and Escape
Moses’s Return to Egypt
Moses Returns to Familiar Territory—Near the Burning Bush
Raguel Brings Order—And the Seeds of the Commandments?
The Ark of the Covenant
The Ark—A Cunning Device?
The Ark and the Queen of Sheba
The Tabernacle
Ascending Mount Sinai—Moses’s Mountain
Conclusion

Chapter Ten: David, Heresy, and Chronology

Before David Designed the Temple
Samuel, David, and Saul
The Secret Monitor
A New Chronology—A New Timeline
A New Chronology
David and the Amarna Heresy
David Commences the Temple Design
The Shechinah
Conclusion

Chapter Eleven: Solomon and His Wisdom—Revealed

David and the Sun God
Conclusion

Chapter Twelve: Who Was Solomon? What Was Moloch?

David and Bathsheba
Exploring the Furnishings
The Sea, the Basins, and the Implements
Moloch/Molech
Burnt Offerings
The Use of the Furnishings
So, Who Was Solomon?
Conclusion

Chapter Thirteen: Revealing the Design of Solomon’s Temple

Why Mount Moriah?—The Significance of the Cube
Setting Out the Foundations
Adding the Portico
The Position of the Ark
The Cherubim
The Cube and the Center
The Side Rooms
The Clerestory Windows
The Clerestory Windows and the Effect of the Sun
The Door Jambs and Light of the Cherubim
The Temple Sun Lives On
The Mystery of the Oracle
And the Priests Stopped
Conclusion

Chapter Fourteen: Secrets in the Pillars

What We Are Told about the Pillars
The Capitals—The Interwoven Chains
The Capitals—The Pomegranates
The Capitals—The Bowl Shape and Lilies
The Reverend Caldecott’s Babylonian Arithmetic
The Shadow of the Pillars
The Jantar Mantar
The Position of the Pillars in Front of the Portico
The Supra-Capitals
The Secret Lozenge
The Hidden Square of Rosslyn
The Pillars—The Hidden Knowledge
The Temple—The Final Solution
Divine Revelation
Why Has Solomon’s Temple Been So Revered?
Then All Was Lost
Is There a Link with the Temple of Abu Simel?
The Temple Design Lives On

Chapter Fifteen: The Knights Templar Legacy and a New Hiram Abif

The Knights Templar
The Templar-Sun Dial Church
The Eight of the Templar Rule and a Discovery in Sussex
Hiram Abif or Huram-Abi?
Huram the Alchemist
Who Was Hiram Abif?
Revealing Another Hiram Abif
The Principles Connection

Chapter Sixteen: The Closing

History of the Arch
Teaching about Celestial Mechanics
A Loss for the Gentleman’s Club
Founded in 1717—Why Then?

Appendix 1: The Mystery of the Megalithic Yard Revealed
The Discovery of the Megalithic Yard
Making Your Own Megalithic Yard
Appendix 2: The Universe Reflected in the Details
of the Tabernacle and Governments of the Priests
Appendix 3: A Speculative Outline Chronology for the History of the Craft

Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments

370 pages, 4.05 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/DJl5d_KQ/Kevin_L_Gest_-_The_Secrets_of_.html




Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism - Woman's Agency and Rituals in Mixed and Female Masonic Orders

slika

Women have been structurally part of the masonic enterprise from at least the middle of the 18th century. Yet, little is known about the ways in which they themselves obtained and exercised power to influence the systems they were involved in, in order to adapt them to be more appropriate to their needs. This volume intends to concentrate on two aspects: Women's agency (i.e. the power women gained and exercised in this context) and rituals (i.e. the role of men and women in changing and shaping the rituals women work with). These two aspects are closely related, since it requires some agency to realise changes in existing rituals.

CONTENTS

Preface
Abbreviations
List of Illustrations
Addresses of the Editors and Authors

Introduction by Jan A.M. Snoek

The Relationships of Androgynous Secret Orders with Freemasonry; Documents on the Ordre des Hermites de bonne humeur in Sachsen-Gotha (1739-1758) by Bärbel Raschke

The Grand Lodge of Adoption, La Loge de Juste, The Hague, 1751: A Short-lived Experiment in Mixed Freemasonry or a Victim of Elegant Exploitation? by Malcolm Davies

Maçonnerie des Dames: The Plans of the Strict Observance to Establish a Female Branch by Andreas Önnerfors

Freemason Feminists: Masonic Reform and the Women’s Movement in France, 1840-1914 by James Smith Allen

The ‘Women’s Question’. The Discussion, Especially in the Nineteenth Century, About Opening Membership of the Dutch Grand Lodge to Women by Anton van de Sande

Women and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: Nineteenth Century Occultist Initiation from a Gender Perspective by Henrik Bogdan

Stretton’s ‘Operative’ Masonry: Legacy or Forgery? by Bernard Dat

Freemasonry and Suffrage: The Manifestation of Social Conscience by Ann Pilcher Dayton

‘Builders of the Temple of the New Civilisation’: Annie Besant and Freemasonry by Andrew Prescott

Diversity In Unity? Background and History of the Different Masonic Traditions Within the Craft Lodges of the Dutch Federation of the International Order of Mixed Freemasonry ‘Le Droit Humain’ by Anne van Marion-Weijer

Index of Orders and Lodges
Index of Names

462 pages, 4.12 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/ym1dAPxq/Texts_and_Studies_in_Western_E.html




Symposium Series - Gnosticism and Later Platonism, Themes, Figures, and Texts

slika

This volume is devoted to an exploration of the relation between Gnosticism and later Platonism in the first four centuries C. E. The essays presented here originated in presentations made during the 1993-1998 meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature's Gnosticism and Later Platonism Seminar by ranking scholars in the fields of Gnosticism and the history of later Greek, especially Platonic, philosophy. Not only do they represent the cutting edge of this branch of scholarship, but they also introduce the reader to many facets of Sethian and Valentinian texts, ritual, and doctrine, to the metaphysics of Moderatus, the Chaldaean Oracles, Numenius, Amelius, Plotinus, and Iamblichus, and to the nature of negative theology and theurgy.

Contents:

The Derivation of Matter in Monistic Gnosticism, Positive and Negative Matter in Later Platonism: The Uncovering of Plotinus's Dialogue with the Gnostics, After Aporia: Theurgy in Later Platonism, Ritual in Gnosticism, Platonism and Gnosticism. The Anonymous Commentary on the Parmenides: Middle or Neoplatonic?, The Setting of the Platonizing Sethian Treatises in Middle Platonism, Iamblichus, the Sethians, and Marsanes, Ancient Apophatic Theology, Negative Theologies and Demiurgical Myths in Late Antiquity, Aseity and Connectedness in the Plotinian Philosophy of Providence

353 pages, 2.53 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/obHouu6-/Symposium_Series_-_Gnosticism_.html




Sebastian Brock - The Luminous Eye: The Spiritual World Vision of Saint Ephrem

slika

slika

This book provides an accessible entryway into the fascinating and sometimes mystifying world of early Christian theology, symbolism and poetry. No author could be better qualified to write it than Sebastian Brock, one of the greatest living scholars of the Syriac language and literature. The book concentrates on the works of the greatest theologian-poet of the Syriac language, Ephrem of Nisibis (ca. 306-373 CE).

Ephrem is well known for his fluid and dynamic use of a wide range of symbols and metaphors as he expounded his faith. Most of his poems were written for the common people of his time, specifically, for use during church services. Thus, they were not designed to be esoteric, but rather artful and memorable. However, his view of the spiritual universe was so different from any modern western view that we moderns can easily get lost without a guidebook such as this one.

Brock helps us understand Ephrem's use of paradox, symbols and the way Ephrem deliberately moves around the periphery of certain concepts while avoiding careful definition of them. Ephrem's symbols come from ancient Mesopotamian literature, from Jewish traditions and from Scripture itself. A chapter each is devoted to the key images of the "robe of glory," the "medicine of life" and the "bridal chamber of the heart." Many other symbols and concepts are dealt with, including: the hidden and the revealed, the one and the many, historical and sacred time, free will, the divinity as fire, the pearl and the lance.

199 pages, 15.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/MiJqI0Ac/Sebastian_Brock_-_The_Luminous.html



Owen Chadwick - John Cassian; a Study in Primitive Monasticism

slika

slika

223 pages, 7.62 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/4d_UtBIU/Owen_Chadwick_-_John_Cassian_a.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: ned nov 28, 2010 4:28 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Stevan Davies - The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom

slika

Discovered in Egypt in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi Library, the Gospel of Thomas was long considered irrelevant to the study of Jesus’ teachings. Stevan Davies’ influential The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Wisdom overturned this view, and enabled the Gospel of Thomas to be taken seriously as a source for the earliest Christianity. This Bardic Press edition brings a classic work of accessible scholarshp back into print. A entirely new forty page introduction discusses recent developments in scholarship, looks at Thomas’ independence from the New Testament gospels, discusses the role of Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of Thomas, and offers a variety of valuable insights. A fascinating additional essay speculates that Thomas may have been used as an oracle text in a similar way to the I Ching.

Contents

1. The Gospel of Thomas 1
2. Is the Gospel of Thomas Gnostic?
3. Wisdom and Thomas
4. Image and Light
5. Christology and Sophiology
6. Thomas and the New Testament
7. Thomas and Baptism
8. Thomas and First Corinthians
Appendix I. The Structure of Thomas
Appendix II. A Translation of the Gospel of Thomas
Notes
Index of the Gospel of Thomas, Canonical Scriptures,
and Apocrypha

191 pages, 6.11 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/8m6yfi06/Stevan_Davies_-_The_Gospel_of_.html




Christopher A. Beeley - Gregory of Nazianzus on the Trinity and the Knowledge of God

slika

Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 CE), "the Theologian," is the premier teacher on the Holy Trinity in Eastern Christian tradition, yet for over a century historians and theologians have largely neglected his work.

Christopher Beeley's groundbreaking study -- the first comprehensive treatment in modern scholarship -- examines Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity within the full range of his theological and practical vision. Following an overview of Gregory's life and major works, Beeley traces the central soteriological meaning of Gregory's doctrine in the spiritual dialectic of purification and illumination; the dynamic process of divinization (theosis); the singular identity of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God; the divinity and essential presence of the Holy Spirit; and the interpretation of Scripture "according to the Spirit." The book culminates in Gregory's understanding of the Trinity as a whole -- which is "theology" in the fullest sense -- rooted in the monarchy of God the Father and uniquely known in the divine economy of salvation. Finally, Beeley identifies the Trinitarian shape of pastoral ministry, on which Gregory is also the foundational teacher for later Christian tradition.

Beeley offers new insights in several key areas, reinterpreting the famous Theological Orations and Christological epistles within the full corpus of Gregory's orations, poems, and letters. Gregory stands out as the leading ecclesiastical figure in the Eastern Roman Empire and the most powerful theologian of his age, who produced the definitive expression of Trinitarian orthodoxy from a characteristically Eastern tradition of Origenist theology, independent of the work of Athanasius and in several respects more insightful than his Cappadocian contemporaries.

Long eclipsed in modern scholarship, Gregory Nazianzen is now brought into full view as the major witness to the Trinity among the Greek fathers of the Church.

Contents

Abbreviations, xv
Maps, xvii

Introduction: Gregory’s Life and Work,
329–359: Childhood and Education,
359–375: Ministry in Cappadocia,
Excursus: The Fourth-Century Doctrinal Controversies,
379–381: Ministry in Constantinople,
381–390: Final Years in Cappadocia,

1. God and the Theologian,

The Purification of the Theologian,
Illumination: The Knowledge of the Incomprehensible God,
Conclusion,

2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God

Christology and Divinization
The Identity of Christ
The Unity of Christ
Christological Spirituality

3. The Holy Spirit

The Development of Gregory’s Pneumatology: 372–380
The Witness of Scripture and the Order of Theology
‘‘A Truly Golden and Saving Chain’’: The Direct Proof of the Spirit’s Divinity
Spiritual Exegesis and the Rhetoric of Piety

4. The Trinity

Theology of the Divine Economy
The Monarchy of God the Father
Conceiving of the Trinity
Participation in the Trinity

5. Pastoral Ministry

The Art of Arts and the Science of Sciences
Pastoral Experience and Priestly Virtue
Excursus: On the Love of the Poor
The Training of Holy Scripture
The Administration of the Holy Trinity

Conclusion: Gregory among the Fathers

Origen
Gregory Thaumaturgus
Athanasius and Didymus
Apollinarius
Basil of Caesarea
Gregory of Nyssa
The Homoiousians and Eastern Theological Tradition
Damasus and the West
Gregory the Theologian

Bibliography
Index of Theological Topics in Gregory’s Works,
Index of Citations to the Works of Gregory Nazianzen
General Index

415 pages, 2.71 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/9_bZ3TAx/Christopher_A_Beeley_-_Gregory.html




Christian Moevs - The Metaphysics of Dante's Comedy

slika

The recovery of Dante's metaphysics - which are very different from our own - is essential, argues Christian Moevs, if we are to resolve what has been called "the central problem in the interpretation of the Comedy." That problem is what to make of the Comedy's claim to the status of revelation, vision, or experiential record - as something more than imaginative literature. In this book Moevs offers the first sustained treatment of the metaphysical picture that grounds and motivates the Comedy, and the relation between those metaphysics and Dante's poetics. Moevs arrives at the radical conclusion that Dante believed that all of what we perceive as reality, the spatio-temporal world, is in fact a creation or projection of conscious being. Armed with this new understanding, Moevs is able to shed light on a series of perennial issues in the interpretation of the Comedy.

Contents

Abbreviations, Editions, Translations,
Introduction: Non-Duality and Self-Knowledge
1. The Empyrean
2. Matter
3. Form
4. Creation
5. Sunrises and Sunsets
Conclusion: Is Dante Telling the Truth?
Epilogue: No Mind, No Matter
Notes
Works Cited
Index

321 pages, 2 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/F_NskNcS/Christian_Moevs_-_The_Metaphys.html




Ann Spangler - Immanuel, Praying the Names of God through the Christmas Season

slika

Ann Spangler believes it's possible to transform the crazy, wonderful, stressful season we call Christmas into one of greater peace and deeper joy by recovering the gift of Advent. For hundreds of years, Christians have prepared for Christmas by carefully observing the four-week season leading up to it. What's more, when Christmas did arrive, they celebrated not just for one day but for twelve! So four weeks for Advent and nearly two weeks for Christmas makes six weeks, which is why Ann Spangler has prepared this six-week Christmas devotional. Drawing from her bestselling books Praying the Names of God and Praying the Names of Jesus, Spangler selected six names or titles---including Immanuel, Yeshua, and Bright Morning Star. Each name offers a week's worth of devotions focusing on God, the miraculous birth of his son, and the promise of his return. In Immanuel, you'll discover a perfect balance of prayer, reflection, and study to help you open your heart fully to the birth of Jesus and all that it means.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Pronunciation Guide to Names
A Deeper Wonder
Lord — Yahweh, Kyrios
Jesus the Savior — Yeshua, Iesous Soter
Immanuel — Immanu-el, Emmanouel
Child — Yeled, Pais
King; King of Kings — Melek, Basileus Basileon
Bright Morning Star — Kokab Habboqer
Habbahir, Aster Lampros Proinos
Notes
About the Publisher
Share Your Thoughts

149 pages, 995 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/qI-LTy3e/Ann_Spangler_-_Immanuel_Prayin.html



Oxford - The Gospel Of Mary

slika

This volume, the first in a major new series which will provide authoritative texts of key non-canonical gospel writings, comprises a critical edition, with full translations, of all the extant manuscripts of the Gospel of Mary. In addition, an extended Introduction discusses the key issues involved in the interpretation of the text, as well as locating it in its proper historical context, while a Commentary explicates points of detail. The gospel has been important in many recent discussions of non-canonical gospels, of early Christian Gnosticism, and of discussions of the figure of Mary Magdalene. The present volume will provide a valuable resource for all future discussions of this important early Christian text.

Contents

Abbreviations
List of Plates

PART I . INTRODUCTION

1. Attestation, Manuscripts, Language, Date
2. Characters in the Gospel of Mary
3. Unity
4. Genre
5. How Gnostic is the Gospel of Mary?
6. The Gospel of Mary and the New Testament

PART II. TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

7. Introduction
8. Manuscripts
9. Papyrus Berolinensis (BG) 8502
10. Oxyrhynchus Papyrus (POxy) 3525
11. Rylands Papyrus (PRyl) 463
12. Comparison of the Greek and Coptic Texts

PART III. COMMENTARY

Bibliography
Index of Ancient Sources
Index of Modern Authors Cited

245 pages, 2.45 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/5xNj2waN/Oxford_-_The_Gospel_Of_Mary.html



Ron Miller - The Gospel of Thomas, a Guidebook for Spiritual Practice

slika

To the many subcategories of Christianity, we can now add the "Thomas Believer." That's what Miller, chair of the Lake Forest College religion department, calls himself and devotees of the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of Jesus' sayings that had been circulating since the 19th century in fragmentary form but were found as a complete Coptic text at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. This guidebook, using Stevan Davies's translation, introduces the gospel and encourages readers to "become Jesus' twin," an image based on the name Thomas, which means "twin." Each chapter includes commentary on five to six sayings, along with a section on practice and questions for reflection. The concept of practice is essential for Miller, who rather controversially writes that Jesus "did not want our praise but our practice." Some of the practices are concrete spiritual exercises described in a "how to" fashion, while others feel more like additional commentary. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter would be more useful if they were more open-ended and less rhetorical ("Does it make sense to chain smoke while discussing consciousness expansion?"). The heart of this guidebook is the commentary; Miller is a captivating storyteller as well as a scholar. Anyone drawn to a universalistic spirituality will find much to savor and pass along here.

The Gospel of Thomas—a book of sayings and wisdom of Jesus compiled as early or earlier than the New Testament gospels—can transform your spiritual life.

There are many academic commentaries on the Gospel of Thomas, but this book has a different aim. It is meant to be a guidebook, that is, a translation of the sayings into daily practice. The goal of such practice is to become Jesus’s twin. This does not, of course, mean becoming an olive-skinned, bearded Mediterranean peasant wearing sandals. It is more about manifesting in our lives the same Christ consciousness revealed in the person we know as Jesus of Nazareth.
—from the Introduction

In the decades since its discovery, the Gospel of Thomas has intrigued people of all faiths around the world. Shedding new light on the origins of Christianity, the Gospel of Thomas raises questions about whether the New Testament’s version of Jesus’s teachings is entirely accurate and complete. In the Gospel of Thomas we see Jesus as a wisdom-loving sage, sharing aphorisms about the value of the present and each person’s role in the creation of the Kingdom of God here on earth. But these inspiring sayings can leave you wondering, "What next?"

Now you can learn how to start applying Jesus’s wisdom to your own life—and, in turn, to the world around you. This unique guidebook leads you through Thomas, offering practices that help you translate Jesus’s wisdom into a more fulfilling, enriching daily life, including:

* Becoming a Spiritual Adult
* Sorting Out the Old and the New
* Being a Healing Presence
* Daring to Be a City on a Hill
* God’s Reign Calls for Ready Hands
* Spirituality Is Not Skygazing
* And much more...

144 pages, 2.68 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/VfDzZtu2/Ron_Miller_-_The_Gospel_of_Tho.html



Eitan P. Fishbane - As Light Before Dawn, the Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist

slika

As Light Before Dawn explores the mystical thought of Isaac ben Samuel of Akko, a major medieval kabbalist whose work has until now received relatively little attention. Through consideration of an extensive literary corpus, including much that still remains in manuscript, this study examines an array of themes and questions that have great applicability to the comparative study of mysticism and the broader study of religion. These include prayer and the nature of mystical experience; meditative concentration directed to God; and the power of mental intention, authority, creativity, and the transmission of wisdom.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Part I Context

1. Perspectives and New Directions: Reflections on the State of Scholarship
2. The Wandering Kabbalist: Historical Profile and Context

Part II Reception and Transmission

3. Receiving Tradition, Constructing Authority
4. Intentions and the Recovery of Meaning
5. Seeing the Secret: Creative Process and the Hermeneutics of Insight

Part III Contemplative Practice, Mystical Experience

6. Contemplation, Theurgical Action, and the Presence of God
7. Techniques of Mystical Contemplation: Kavvanah and Devotional Experience

8. Asceticism, Prophecy, and Mystical Union

Conclusion
Bibliography
Index of Names and Book Titles
Index of Subjects and Terms
Index of Works Quoted

337 pages, 1.71 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/eqVMiGN7/Eitan_P_Fishbane_-_As_Light_Be.html




Brill - Marsilio Ficino, His Theology, His Philosophy, His Legacy

slika

This volume consists of 21 essays on Marsilio Ficino (1433-99), the great Florentine scholar, philosopher and priest who was the architect of Renaissance Platonism and whose long-lasting influence on philosophy, love and music theory, medicine and magic extended across Europe. Grouped into three sections, they cover such topics as priesthood, the influence of Hermetic monism, Plotinus and Augustine, Jewish transmission of the "prisca theologia, the 15th c. Plato-Aristotle controversy, the soul and its afterlife, the primacy of the will, "theriac and musical therapy, the notions of matter, seeds, mirrors and clocks, and other fascinating philosophical and theological issues. Also considered are Ficino's critics, his relationship to the Camaldolese Order, his letters to princes, his influence on art, on Copernicus, on Chapman, and the nature of the Platonic Academy. Contributors: Tamara Albertini, Michael J.B. Allen, Francis Ames-Lewis, Donald Beecher, Christopher S. Celenza, Stephen Clucas, Arthur Field,,Hiroshi Hirai, Moshe Idel, Dilwyn Knox, Sergius Kodera, Jill Kraye, Dennis F. Lackner, Jvrg Lauster and Anthony Lev

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Introduction

PART I

Ficino the Priest
The Camaldolese Academy: Ambrogio Traversari,Marsilio Ficino and the Christian Platonic Tradition
Marsilio Ficino as a Christian Thinker: Theological Aspects of his Platonism
Late Antiquity and Florentine Platonism: The 'Post-Plotinian' Ficino
Ficino, Augustine and the Pagans
Echoes of Egypt in Hermes and Ficino
Prisca Theologia in Marsilio Ficino and in Some Jewish Treatments
Life as a Dead Platonist

PART II

Marsilio Ficino and the Plato-Aristotle Controversy
Intellect and Will in Marsilio Ficino: Two Correlatives of a Renaissance Concept of the Mind
Orpheus redivivus: The Musical Magic of Marsilio Ficino
Ficino, Theriaca and the Stars
Concepts of Seeds and Nature in the Work of Marsilio Ficino
Narcissus, Divine Gazes and Bloody Mirrors: the Concept of Matter in Ficino
Ficino, Archimedes and the Celestial Arts

PART III

Neoplatonism and the Visual Arts at the Time of Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Advice to Princes
The Platonic Academy of Florence
Ficino in the Firing Line: A Renaissance Neoplatonist and His Critics
Ficino and Copernicus
'To rauish and refine an earthly soule': Ficino and the Poetry of George Chapman
Illustrations
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index

533 pages, 27.9 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/5LAzro0D/Brill_-_Marsilio_Ficino_His_Th.html




Brian Stock - Augustine the Reader, Meditation, Self-Knowledge and the Ethics of Interpretation

slika

Augustine of Hippo, a central figure in the history of Western thought, is also the author of a theory of reading that has had a profound influence on Western letters from the ages of Petrarch, Montaigne, Luther, and Rousseau to those of Freud and our own time. Brian Stock provides the first full account of this theory within the evolution of Augustine's early dialogues, his Confessions, and his systematic treatises.

Augustine was convinced that words and images play a mediating role in our perceptions of reality. In the union of philosophy, psychology, and literary insights that forms the basis of his theory of reading, the reader emerges as the dominant model of the reflective self. Meditative reading, indeed the meditative act that constitutes reading itself, becomes the portal to inner being. At the same time, Augustine argues that the self-knowledge reading brings is, of necessity, limited, since it is faith rather than interpretive reason that can translate reading into forms of understanding.

In making his theory of reading a central concern, Augustine rethinks ancient doctrines about images, memory, emotion, and cognition. In judging what readers gain and do not gain from the sensory and mental understanding of texts, he takes up questions that have reappeared in contemporary thinking. He prefigures, and in a way he teaches us to recognize, our own preoccupations with the phenomenology of reading, the hermeneutics of tradition, and the ethics of interpretation.

476 pages, 25.5 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Syg4147g/Brian_Stock_-_Augustine_the_Re.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html


More from KABBALAH-QABALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html


More from NEOPLATONISM, PLATONISM AND PYTHAGOREAN folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/7CUzU_F7/Neoplatonism_Platonism_and_Pyt.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: čet dec 02, 2010 1:16 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Routledge - Envisaging Heaven in the Middle Ages

slika

Envisaging Heaven in the Middle Ages considers medieval notions of heaven in theological and mystical writings, in visions of the otherworld and in medieval arts such as drama, poetry, music and vernacular literature.

The volume considers the influence of images and visions of heaven on the secular literature by some of the greatest writers of the period, such as Chrétien de Troyes and Chaucer. The coherence and beauty of these notions make heaven one of the most impressive medieval cathedrals of the mind.

The book shows that the idea of heaven in the Middle Ages was as varied as those who wrote about it, and reveals the extent to which the Christian afterlife was (as it is today) a projection of human hopes and fears. Because ‘the reality’ of heaven was one based on speculation, as well as fancy, medieval heavens were products both of ingenious thought and of creative, wishful imagination.

With contributions from such experts as Peter Dronke, Beverly Mayne Kienzle, Robin Kirkpatrick, Bernard McGinn, Peter Meredith, Barbara Newman and A.C. Spearing, this collection will be essential reading for all those interested in medieval religion and culture.

Contents

List of plates
List of contributors
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations

PART I - Introduction

1 Envisaging heaven: an introduction

PART II - The theology of heaven

2 Visio dei: seeing God in medieval theology and mysticism

3 Constructing heaven in Hildegard of Bingen’s Expositiones euangeliorum

4 The completeness of heaven

5 Heaven, earth and the angels: preaching paradise in the sermons of Jacques de Vitry

PART III - Mystical and visionary traditions

6 Access to heaven in medieval visions of the otherworld

7 Bringing heaven down to earth: beguine constructions of heaven

8 Von Aller Bilden Bildlosekeit: the trouble with images of heaven in the works of Henry Suso

9 Marguerite Porete: courtliness and transcendence in The Mirror of Simple Souls

PART IV - The art of heaven

10 ‘Some high place’: actualizing heaven in the Middle Ages

11 Heaven as performance and participation in the Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum of Hildegard of Bingen

12 Afterlives now: a study of Paradiso canto 28

13 The artifice of eternity: speaking of heaven in three medieval poems

PART V - Vernacular appropriations

14 Exchanging blood for wine: envisaging heaven in Irish bardic poetry

15 Chaucer’s lovers in metaphorical heaven

16 The influence of visions of the otherworld on some medieval romances

Index

273 pages, 985 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/hZhPb90j/Routledge_-_Envisaging_Heaven_.html



Cambridge English Prose Texts - English Mystics of the Middle Ages

slika

"Barry Windeatt's fine anthology of late Middle English mystical writings exemplifies in an almost startling manner what might be designated the central dilemma of modern spiritual scholarship." Christianity and Literature

"The texts are newly edited from the manuscripts and are supplemented with texual and explanatory notes and a glossary, making available some of the best work of the English mystics." Manuscripta

This edition brings together for the first time key texts representing the writings of the medieval English mystics. The texts are newly edited from the manuscripts, and are supplemented with textual and explanatory notes and a glossary. The book focusses on five major authors, Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Dame Julian of Norwich, and Margery Kempe. Shorter works are presented whole, where possible, and accompanied by extracts from the mystics' longer works; extracts from contemporary translations into English are also included to illustrate the reception of European mystical texts in later medieval England. Overall, this volume makes accessible some of the best work by English contemplatives and visionaries of the Middle Ages.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements page
Abbreviations
Editorial note
Introductory essay

RICHARD ROLLE (c. 1300-1349)

1 The Fire of Love
2 The Mendynge of Lyfe
3 Ego Dormio
4 The Commandment
5 The Form of Living

ANONYMOUS

6 The Cloud of Unknowing
7 The Book of Privy Counselling
8 Mystical Prayer

WALTER HILTON (d. 1396)

9 Epistle on the Mixed Life
10 Of Angels' Song
11 Eight Chapters on Perfection
12 The Scale of Perfection, Book I
13 The Scale of Perfection, Book II
14 Qui Habitat
15 The Prickynge of Love

JULIAN OF NORWICH (1342- after 1416)

16 Revelations of Divine Love (shorter version)
17 Revelations of Divine Love (longer version)

MARGERY KEMPE (c. 1373- C. 1440)

18 The Book of Margery Kempe

ANONYMOUS ENGLISH TRANSLATORS

19 The Mirrour of Simple Soules
20 A Ladder of Foure Ronges by the which Men Mowe Wele Clyme to Heven
21 The Doctrine of the Hert
22 The Chastising of God's Children
23 The Treatise of Perfection of the Sons of God

RICHARD METHLEY (1451/2-1527/8)

24 To Hew Heremyte: A Pystyl of Solytary Lyfe Nowadayes

Notes
Guide to further reading
Glossary 300

324 pages, 7.52 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/SVV-H75X/Cambridge_English_Prose_Texts_.html




Kod:
Robert Powell - The Sophia Teachings, the Emergence of Divine Feminine in Our Time


slika

Robert Powell-cofounder of the Sophia Foundation of North American in Nicasio, California-uncovers a secret stream of wisdom flowing through the heart of Christianity: the feminine principle known in Greek as "Sophia," or the being of Holy Wisdom herself. This sacred embodiment, named in the Old Testament as the first living being made by God, has comforted and guided seekers of truth in every age and in every human culture. Powell surveys the wonders and teachings associated with this unacknowledged treasure of Christianity's mystical past-a stream running from the Greek philosophers and King Solomon through the cosmic visions of Hildegard von Bingen, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the relation of Sophia to Mary the mother of Christ. THE SOPHIA TEACHINGS provides accessible and informative insights into the being of Sophia-generally overlooked by modern, patriarchal Christianity and misinterpreted by new age and and other movements that often trivialize the meaning and purpose of this significant cosmic entity.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1: The Divine Plan of Creation
2: Sophia in Ancient Greece
3: Why Sophia Disappeared from Western Culture
4: The Influence of Divine Sophia in the Western Mystical Tradition
5: The Influence of Divine Sophia in the East
6: Modern Teachings of Sophia
7: Reincarnation and the Second Coming
8: Other Traditions
9: The Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius
Epilogue

177 pages, 475 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/I88uZEFM/Robert_Powell_-_The_Sophia_Tea.html




Paul Rorem - Pseudo-Dionysius, a Commentary on the Texts and an Introduction to Their Influence

slika

"Dionysius the Areopagite" is the biblical name chosen by the pseudonymous author of an influential body of Christian theological texts, dating from around 500 C.E. The Celestial Hierarchy, The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, The Divine Names, and The Mystical Theology offer a synthesis of biblical interpretation, liturgical spirituality, and Neoplatonic philosophy. Their central motif, which has made them the charter of Christian mysticism, is the upward progress of the soul toward God through the spiritual interpretation of the Bible and the liturgy. Dionysius continually reminds his readers, however, that all human concepts fall short of the transcendence of God and must therefore be abandoned in negotiations and silence. In this book, Rorem provides a commentary on all of the Dionysian writings, chapter by chapter, and examines especially their complex inner coherence. The Dionysian influence on medieval theology is introduced in essays on specific topics: hierarchy, biblical symbolism, angels, Gothic architecture, liturgical allegory, the scholastic doctrine of God, and the mystical theology of the western Middle Ages. Rorem's book makes these texts more accessible to both scholars and students and includes a comprehensive bibliography of secondary sources.

284 pages, 17.4 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/cwlLfIZA/Paul_Rorem_-_Pseudo-Dionysius_.html



Exeter Symposium VII - Medieval Mystical Tradition in England

The latest volume of proceedings in the series initiated by Marion Glasscoe in 1980 shares with its predecessors a concentrated focus on the English mystical authors and the reception of their continental contemporaries in medieval England. At the same time, it bears witness to the range of disciplinary approaches - literary, historical, theological, art historical - which are currently bearing fruit in research on the medieval mystical tradition.The thirteen papers include new work on Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, the Cloud-author and the thirteenth-century anchoritic texts; texts connected with Syon Abbey and the Bridgettines; and the reception of Ruusbroec, Eckhart and the continental holy women in England. Among the themes explored are the spirituality of the religious orders; gender, class and mystical discourse; the theological precision of mystical language, and the translatio of the continental mystics into English cultural forms.

Contributors: DENISE N. BAKER, ALEXANDRA BARRATT, SUSANNAH MARY CHEWNING, MARLEEN CRE, VASLERIE EDDEN, VINCENT GILLESPIE, DAVID GRIFFITH, A.ANNETTE GRISE, ANN M. HUTCHISON, LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY, KARL HEINZ STEINMETZ, ANNIE SUTHERLAND, NAOE KUKITA YOSHIKAWA. Dr E.A. JONES teaches in the Department of English at the University of Exeter.

227 pages, 1.42 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/L9sXHL2r/Exeter_Symposium_VII_-_Medieva.html




Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature - Dante and the Mystical Tradition, Bernard of Clairvaux in the Commedia

slika

In this study, Steven Botterill explores the intellectual relationship between the greatest poet of the fourteenth century, Dante, and the greatest spiritual writer of the twelfth century, Bernard of Clairvaux. Botterill analyses the narrative episode involving Bernard as a character in the closing cantos of the Paradiso, against the background of his medieval reputation as a contemplative mystic, devotee of Mary, and, above all, a preacher of outstanding eloquence. Botterill draws on a wide range of materials to establish and illustrate the connections between Bernard's reputation and his portrayal in Dante's poem. Botterill's fresh approach to the analysis of the whole episode will provoke the reader to re-evaluate the significance and implications of Bernard's presence in the Commedia.

281 pages, 8.28 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/UREesul-/Cambridge_Studies_in_Medieval_.html




Crofton Black - Pico's Heptaplus and Biblical Hermeneutics

slika

This is the first full-length study of the Heptaplus, the commentary on the creation narrative of Genesis 1 by the celebrated Italian philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. It focuses on Pico’s theory of allegory. This theory was fundamentally dissimilar to mainstream medieval and Renaissance approaches to biblical interpretation. Rather than use the standard four senses of Scripture, Pico adopted an esoteric hermeneutic stance characteristic of Neoplatonic and kabbalistic exegesis, and developed an allegorical theory based on epistemology and the idea of intellectual ascent. The exploration of this theme makes it possible not only to interpret the Heptaplus in relation to Pico’s other works, but also to assess its role as a response to the contemporary philosophical controversy surrounding the intellect.

This study shows how Giovanni Pico della Mirandola used Neoplatonic and kabbalistic ideas to develop an innovative theory of biblical allegory. Based on epistemology and intellectual ascent, his theory relates to scholastic debate over the action of the intellect.

285 pages, 2.9 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Wn-CcCb6/Crofton_Black_-_Picos_Heptaplu.html




Goscelin of St.Bertin - The Book of Encouragement and Consolation

slika

Goscelin of St Bertin's 'Book of Encouragement and Consolation' (Liber Confortatorius) is extraordinary both as an example of high-medieval spiritual practice and as a record of a personal relationship. Written in about 1083 by the monk Goscelin to a protegee and personal friend, the recluse Eva, it takes up the tradition of St Jerome's letters of spiritual guidance to women, and anticipates medieval advice literature for anchoresses. As a compendious treatise, incorporating numerous exempla, excerpts from theological discussions, and advice on meditative practice, it has much to tell us about the intellectual interests and preoccupations of religious people in the late eleventh century. As a personal document, it allows a fascinating and uncommonly intimate insight into the psychology of religious life, the sense of self, the construction of gender, and the relationships between men and women in the high middle ages.

189 pages, 564 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/GekC9sXO/Goscelin_of_StBertin_-_The_Boo.html




James W. Goll - The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence

slika

Your heart has been created for the Presence of God, and it is not complete without His Presence living within. Naysayers try to convince you that His Presence is elusive and subjective but their voice is silenced by the desire yearning from within for a union with your Lord and Creator.

As a credible response for those who want to fill that inner void with His perfect union, The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence was written. Author James Goll's own journey into His Presence has brought him face-to-face with angels and the Lord. Jim has heard His voice and has moved in His Presence for many years, carefully recording what he now shares with you.

Joyfully you will discover how the Lord covets union with you as much as you seek His Presence. You will also:

* Discover the delight of quiet meditation.
* Learn to wait and to watch with your Lord.
* Experience the joy of contemplative prayer.
* Understand the fire of His love.
* Learn about others' journeys who sought and found the sweetness of His Presence.

The wisdom contained in this book will give you moment-by-moment confidence and hope as you journey toward the joy and pleasure of His Presence.

256 pages, 2.28 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/OblMcVdQ/James_W_Goll_-_The_Lost_Art_of.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: uto dec 07, 2010 3:57 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Martin Laird - Gregory of Nyssa and the Grasp of Faith: Union, Knowledge, and Divine Presence

slika

Scholars of Gregory of Nyssa have long acknowledged the centrality of faith in his theory of divine union. To date, however, there has been no sustained examination of this key topic. The present study fills this gap and elucidates important auxiliary themes that accrue to Gregory's notion of faith as a faculty of apophatic union with God. The result adjusts how we understand the Cappadocian's apophaticism in general and his so-called mysticism of darkness in particular.

After a general discussion of the increasing value of faith in late Neoplatonism and an overview of important work done on Gregorian faith, this study moves on to sketch a portrait of the mind and its dynamic, varying cognitive states and how these respond to the divine pedagogy of scripture, baptism, and the presence of God. With this portrait of the mind as a backdrop we see how Gregory values faith for its ability to unite with God, who remains beyond the comprehending grasp of mind. A close examination of the relationship between faith and mind shows Gregory bestowing on faith qualities which Plotinus would have granted only to the "crest of the wave of intellect."

While Gregorian faith serves as the faculty of apophatic union with God, faith yet gives something to mind. This dimension of Gregory's apophaticism has gone largely unnoticed by scholars. At the apex of an apophatic ascent faith unites with God the Word; by virtue of this union the believer takes on the qualities of the Word, who speaks (logophasis) in the deeds and discourse of the believer. Finally this study redresses how Gregory has been identified with a "mysticism of darkness" and argues that he proposes no less a "mysticism of light."

Contents:

Abbreviations
Introduction
Faith, the Christian Foundation
Faith in late Neoplatonism: Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus

1. The Exaltation of Faith: The State of Current Research

Faith in Gregory of Nyssa: the Critical Heritage
New Directions

2. The Flow of the Mind

Introduction
The Mind and Passions
The Mind and the Intelligible World
The Mind’s Ascent
The Mind and Grace
The Presence of God
Conclusion

3. The Grasp of Faith

Introduction
In Inscriptiones Psalmorum
Contra Eunomium I
Contra Eunomium II
De vita Moysis
Commentarius in Canticum canticorum
Conclusion

4. The Grasp of Faith and Supranoetic Union

Introduction
Celsus
The Chaldaean Oracles
Plotinus
Parallels between Plotinus and Gregory of Nyssa
Conclusion

5. Fountain of Presence, Breasts of Wine: The Flow of Knowledge in the In Canticum canticorum

Introduction
The Gold of Knowledge
The Flow of Water
A Schema of the Flow of Knowledge
Conclusion

6. Christ Speaking Himself: The Logophatic Discourse of Paul and the Bride

Introduction
Paul and Logophasis
The Bride and the Daughters of Jerusalem
Conclusion

7. The Luminous Dark Revisited

Introduction
Preliminary Considerations
From Light to Increasing Darkness
Light unto Light
Light Communing in Light
Conclusion

Bibliography
Index

253 pages, 2.14 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/B7G2_QtP/Martin_Laird_-_Gregory_of_Nyss.html



Davies and Turner - Silence and the Word, Negative Theology and Incarnation

slika

Negative theology or apophasis--the idea that God is best identified in terms of what we cannot know about him, in terms of "absence", "otherness", "difference"--has been influentiual in modern Christian thought, resonating as it does with secular notions of absence, otherness and difference developed in recent continental philosophy. Leading Christian thinkers now offer a range of important new perspectives on this tradition, both historical and contemporary, to show how a dimension of negativity has characterized not only traditional mysticism but most forms of Christian thought over the years.

241 pages, 7.5 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/j0_JI-oI/Davies_and_Turner_-_Silence_an.html



Henny Fiska Hagg - Clement of Alexandria and the Beginnings of Christian Apophaticism

slika

Can humans know God? Can created beings approach the Uncreated? The concept of God and questions about our ability to know him are central to this book. Eastern Orthodox theology distinguishes between knowing God as he is (his divine essence) and as he presents himself (through his energies), and thus it both negates and affirms the basic question: man cannot know God in his essence, but may know him through his energies. Henny Fiska Hagg investigates this earliest stage of Christian negative (apophatic) theology, as well as the beginnings of the distinction between essence and energies, focusing on Clement of Alexandria in the late second century. Clement's theological, social, religious, and philosophical milieu is also considered, as is his indebtedness to Middle Platonism and its concept of God.

Contents

Abbreviations

1. Introduction

2. Clement: Christian Writer in Second-Century Alexandria

Alexandria: The Social, Cultural, and Religious World
The Origins of Alexandrian Christianity
Clement in Alexandria: Life, Works, and Audience

3. The Concept of God in Middle Platonism

The Middle Platonists, Who Were They?
Main Topics of Middle Platonic Philosophy
Theocentricity and the Platonic Background
Alcinous, Numenius, and Atticus as Sources for the Middle Platonic Doctrine of the Divine
Hierarchy or Levels of Being
Ineffability, Divine Attributes, and the Knowledge of God
The Question of Transcendence

4. Clement’s Method of Concealment

Esotericism and the ‘Secret Gospel of Mark’
Esotericism and Concealment
Theory of Symbolism: The Inadequacy of Language
Esoteric Knowledge and Gnosis

5. Clement’s Concept of God (I):

The Apophatic Essence of the Father
The Dilemma of Transcendence: The Ineffability of God
The Essence of God

6. Clement’s Concept of God (II):

The Son as Logos
The Doctrine of the Logos
The Generation and Incarnation of the Logos
Unity and Distinction

7. The Knowledge of God

The Concept of Knowledge
The One and the One-Many
The Via Negativa
The Son as the Revealer of the Father: The Kataphatic Way
The Son as the Dynamis of God

8. Apophaticism and the Distinction between Essence and Power

Historical Sketch
The Distinction between Essence and Dynamis

9. Concluding Remarks

The Reception of Clement
Clement’s Contribution to Apophatic Theology

Bibliography
Index of Citations
General Index

327 pages, 1.58 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/dCL0Yld2/Henny_Fiska_Hagg_-_Clement_of_.html




David Torevell - Liturgy and the Beauty of the Unknown

slika

Contemporary culture is rediscovering the importance of beauty for both social transformation and personal happiness. Theologians have sought, in their varied ways, to demonstrate how God's beauty is associated with notions of truth and goodness. This book breaks new ground by suggesting that liturgy is the means par excellence by which an experience of beauty is communicated. Drawing from both secular and religious understandings, in particular the mystical and apophatic tradition, the book demonstrates how liturgy has the potential to achieve the one ultimately reliable form of beauty because its embodied components are able to reflect the disturbing beauty of the One to whom worship is always offered. Such components rely on understanding the aesthetic dynamics upon which liturgy relies. This book draws from a broad range of disciplines concerned with understanding beauty and self-transformation and concludes that while secular utopian forms have much to contribute to ethical transformation, they ultimately fail since they lack the Christological and eschatological framework needed, which liturgy alone provides.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 The Movement of Return
2 The Movement of Interiority
3 The Movement in the Image
4 The Movement of Desire
5 The Movement towards Silent Mystery
6 The Movement of Aesthetics
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

212 pages, 716 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/v059YCfg/David_Torevell_-_Liturgy_and_t.html




Lars Thunberg - Man and the Cosmos, the Vision of St. Maximus the Confessor

slika

Lars Thunberg, the author of the excellent study Microcosm and Mediator: The Theological Anthropology of St Maximus the Confessor, provides in this text a shorter, more popular study on this famous Byzantine theologian. While preserving the essence of his earlier work, he makes accessible to the general reader the thought of Maximus on the cosmos, the nature of man, man's relationship with God and the world, Christology, the liturgical and sacramental dimension, history and eschatology. Included also is an excellent appendix on 'Symbol and Mystery: Christ's Eucharistic Presence. 'According to Thunberg, what concerns Maximus most of all is 'the central fact [of] the reciprocity between God and man. On the ontological level, this reciprocity is one between an archetype and its image. It should become manifest on the existential level through a double movement: God's movement toward men in the Incarnation...and man's movement toward God in the imitative process of deification... The reciprocity between God and man for Maximus implies a natural capacity, and even will, to move in the direction of the other.'

179 pages, 7.85 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/7xbIwIoF/Lars_Thunberg_-_Man_and_the_Co.html



Annemarie Schimmel - The Mystery of Numbers

slika

Why is the number seven lucky--even holy--in almost every culture? Why do we speak of the four corners of the earth? Why do cats have nine lives (except in Iran, where they have seven)? From literature to folklore to private superstitions, numbers play a conspicuous role in our daily lives. But in this fascinating book, Annemarie Schimmel shows that numbers have been filled with mystery and meaning since the earliest times, and across every society.

In The Mystery of Numbers Annemarie Schimmel conducts an illuminating tour of the mysteries attributed to numbers over the centuries. She begins with an informative and often surprising introduction to the origins of number systems: pre-Roman Europeans, for example, may have had one based on twenty, not ten (as suggested by the English word "score" and the French word for 80, quatrevingt --four times twenty), while the Mayans had a system more sophisticated than our own. Schimmel also reveals how our fascination with numbers has led to a rich cross-fertilization of mathematical knowledge: "Arabic" numerals, for instance, were picked up by Europe from the Arabs, who had earlier adopted them from Indian sources ("Algorithm" and "algebra" are corruptions of the Arabic author and title names of a mathematical text prized in medieval Europe). But the heart of the book is an engrossing guide to the symbolism of numbers. Number symbolism, she shows, has deep roots in Western culture, from the philosophy of the Pythagoreans and Platonists, to the religious mysticism of the Cabala and the Islamic Brethren of Purity, to Kepler's belief that the laws of planetary motion should be mathematically elegant, to the unlucky thirteen. After exploring the sources of number symbolism, Schimmel examines individual numbers ranging from one to ten thousand, discussing the meanings they have had for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic traditions, with examples from Indian, Chinese, and Native American cultures as well. Two, for instance, has widely been seen as a number of contradiction and polarity, a number of discord and antithesis. And six, according to ancient and neo-platonic thinking, is the most perfect number because it is both the sum and the product of its parts (1+2+3=6 and 1x2x3=6). Using examples ranging from the Bible to the Mayans to Shakespeare, she shows how numbers have been considered feminine and masculine, holy and evil, lucky and unlucky.

A highly respected scholar of Islamic culture, Annemarie Schimmel draws on her vast knowledge to paint a rich, cross-cultural portrait of the many meanings of numbers. Engaging and accessible, her account uncovers the roots of a phenomenon we all feel every Friday the thirteenth.

325 pages, 9.62 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/JNKx66lO/Annemarie_Schimmel_-_The_Myste.html




R.McL.Wilson - Gospel of Phillip

slika

Contents:

Preface
Introduction
The Theology of Philip
The Gospel of Philip: English Translation
Commentary
Bibliography
Indexes

205 pages, 7.04 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/fttwyMRF/RMcLWilson_-_Gospel_of_Phillip.html




John Peter Kenney - The Mysticism of Saint Augustine, Re-Reading the Confessions

slika

This book explores Augustine's account of his experience as set down in the Confessions, and considers his mysticism in relation to his classical Platonist philosophy. John Peter Kenney argues that while the Christian contemplative mysticism created by Augustine is in many ways founded on Platonic thought, Platonism ultimately fails Augustine in that it cannot retain the truths that it anticipates. The Confessions offer a response to this impasse by generating two critical ideas in medieval and modern religious thought: first, the conception of contemplation as a purely epistemic event, in contrast to classical Platonism; second, the tenet that salvation is absolutely distinct from enlightenment.

CONTENTS

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction

PART I - Flight to the alone

1. The root of the soul
2. A long life stretched out
3. A kind of rest

PART II - Vision at Ostia

4. Books of the Platonists
5. A trembling glance
6. The presence of truth

PART III - A living soul of the faithful

7. A home of bliss
8. Total concentration of the heart
9. Snatched up to Paradise

Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

177 pages, 882 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/pzvvOwRJ/John_Peter_Kenney_-_The_Mystic.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html


More from SACRED GEOMETRY folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/NYdbLzuz/Sacred_Geometry__sveta_geometr.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: uto dec 21, 2010 5:58 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
The Cell of Self-Knowledge - Seven Early English Mystical Treatises

slika

From the end of the thirteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth century may be called the golden age of mystical literature in the vernacular. In Germany, we find Mechthild of Magdeburg (d. 1277), Meister Eckhart (d. 1327), Johannes Tauler (d. 1361), and Heinrich Suso (d. 1365); in Flanders, Jan Ruysbroek (d. 1381); in Italy, Dante Alighieri himself (d. 1321), Jacopone da Todi (d. 1306), St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), and many lesser writers who strove, in prose or in poetry, to express the hidden things of the spirit, the secret intercourse of the human soul with the Divine, no longer in the official Latin of the Church, but in the language of their own people, "a man's own vernacular," which "is nearest to him, inasmuch as it is most closely united to him."

Contents:

I. A very Devout Treatise, named Benjamin, of the Mights and Virtues of Man's Soul, and of the Way to True Contemplation, compiled by a Noble and Famous Doctor, a man of great holiness and devotion, named Richard of Saint Victor

The Prologue
Cap. I. How the Virtue of Dread riseth in the Affection
Cap. II. How Sorrow riseth in the Affection
Cap. III. How Hope riseth in the Affection
Cap. IV. How Love riseth in the Affection
Cap. V. How the Double Sight of Pain and Joy riseth in the Imagination
Cap. VI. How the Virtues of Abstinence and Patience rise in the Sensuality
Cap. VII. How Joy of Inward Sweetness riseth in the Affection
Cap. VIII. How Perfect Hatred of Sin riseth in the Affection
Cap. IX. How Ordained Shame riseth and groweth in the Affection
Cap. X. How Discretion and Contemplation rise in the Reason

II. Divers Doctrines Devout and Fruitful, taken out of the Life of that Glorious Virgin and Spouse of Our Lord, Saint Katherin of Seenes

III. A Short Treatise of Contemplation taught by Our Lord Jesu Christ, or taken out of the Book of Margery Kempe, Ancress of Lynn

IV. A Devout Treatise compiled by Master Walter Hylton of the Song of Angels

V. A Devout Treatise called the Epistle of Prayer

VI. A very necessary Epistle of Discretion in Stirrings of the Soul

VII. A Devout Treatise of Discerning of Spirits, very necessary for Ghostly Livers

174 pages, 6.23 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/MkAWQT2t/The_Cell_of_Self-Knowledge_-_S.html




Alan Watts - Myth and Ritual in Christianity

slika

Re-examines Christianity as a vital and illuminating myth, a complex of stories which human beings regard as demonstrations of the inner meaning of the Universe and of human life.

"Not only do we see how the complicated pattern of Christian ritual has evolved from events recorded in the Old and New Testaments, but much of the symbolism of other religions, much of the thought of philosophers and poets down the ages seems to fall miraculously into place within the overall scheme of things."

CONTENTS

PREFACE
PROLOGUE

I. In the Beginning
II. God and Satan
III. Advent
IV. Christmas and Epiphany
V. The Passion
VI. From Easter to Pentecost
VII. The Four Last Things

GLOSSARY
INDEX

286 pages, 20.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/CjoOpQeD/Alan_Watts_-_Myth_and_Ritual_i.html



Evelyn Underhill - The Golden Sequence, a Fourfold Study of the Spiritual Life

slika

"This is a personal little book. Its aim is not the establishment of some new thesis. It merely represents the precipitation of my own thoughts, as they have moved to and fro during the last few years, along a line which has the spiritual doctrine of St. John of the Cross at one end, and the philosophy of Professor Whitehead at the other: though I fear that few traces of the influence of these august god-parents appear in the finished result. The book, then, does not pretend to completeness; and is not to be regarded as a treatise, still less as a manual of the spiritual life. It consists of what ancient writers on these themes were accustomed to call 'considerations'; offered to those who share the writer's passion for the exploration of the realities, and interpretation of the experiences, which are signified by the familiar words and symbols of dogmatic religion.

CONTENTS

SPIRIT

I WHAT IS SPIRIT?
II GOD IS SPIRIT
III SPIRIT AS POWER
IV SPIRIT AS PERSON
V THE REVELATION OF SPIRIT

SPIRITUAL LIFE

I CREATED SPIRIT
II MAN NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL
III CREATIVE SPIRIT
IV LIFE FINITE AND INFINITE
V THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
VI THE TWOFOLD LIFE

PURIFICATION

I THE ESSENCE OF PURGATION
II THE CLEANSING OF THE SENSES
III THE CLEANSING OF THE INTELLECT
IV MEMORY AND IMAGINATION
V WILL AND LOVE

PRAYER

I THE SPAN OF PRAYER
II ADORATION
III COMMUNION
IV ACTION
V CONCLUSION

213 pages, 3.79 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/zWmCx4Hb/Evelyn_Underhill_-_The_Golden_.html




E. Herman - The Meaning and Value of Mysticism

slika

Originally published in 1915, this is a detailed investigation into mysticism and its place in the world at the time of publication. The author raises some interesting and thought-provoking questions, such as the relationship between mysticism and Christianity. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive.

Contents: The Nature of Mystic Apprehension - The Psychic Phenomena of Mysticism - The Contemplative Ideal - Some Elements of the Contemplative Life - A Typical Mystic: Blessed Angela De Foligno - Mysticism and Nature: Asceticism - Mysticism and nature: Symbolism - Mysticism and Philosophy - Mysticism and Theology - Mysticism and Eschatology

420 pages, 16.5 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/2uQnN6nJ/E_Herman_-_The_Meaning_and_Val.html




E. Hershey Sneath - At One with the Invisible; Studies in Mysticism

slika

This book is the outgrowth of a seminar in mysticism recently conducted at Yale University. There is an element of mysticism in all religion, and the aim of the seminar was to study its various aspects in the religious experience and teachings of those in whom it was conspicuous.

Contents:

Mysticism of: Hebrew Prophets, Jesus, Augustine, Dante, Meister Eckhart, St. Theresa, George Fox, Wordsworth; Mysticism in India and in Islam; Mystical Experience of St. Paul.

314 pages, 24.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/io7muTDo/E_Hershey_Sneath_-_At_One_with.html




Anna Wierzbicka - What Did Jesus Mean, Explaining the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables in Simple and Universal Human Concepts

slika

In this highly interdisciplinary work, linguist Anna Wierzbicka casts new light on the words of Jesus by taking her well-known semantic theory of "universal human concepts"- concepts which are intuitively understandable and self-explanatory across languages-and bringing it to bear on Jesus' parables and the Sermon on the Mount. Her approach results in strikingly novel interpretations of the Gospels. Written in dialogue with other biblical commentators, What Did Jesus Mean? is both scholarly rigorous yet accessible.

Contents:

1. Introduction
1. "What did Jesus mean"—Is it worth asking?
2. Different questions about Jesus
3. Conceptual primes and universal human concepts—new tools for the study of Jesus' sayings
4. An illustration
5. Is it possible to separate the universal aspect of Jesus' teaching from its cultural context?
6. Paradoxes of inculturation
7. Universal words: Unfamiliar but not unintelligible
8. The importance of Jesus' Jewish context for the understanding of his teaching
9. Jesus, the teacher of timeless truths?
10. An illustration: The "kingdom of God" explained in universal human concepts
11. The meaning of the word God
12. The search for a coherent picture

PART I: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

2. The Beatitudes

1. Introduction: The importance of the Beatitudes
2. Basic facts about the Beatitudes
3. Who are the "weeping" ones?
4. Who are the "hungry"?
5. Who are the "poor"?
6. Who are the "meek" (Matthew's praeis)?
7. Exploring the image of the lamb and some related New Testament images
8. Who are the "persecuted"?
9. What does it mean to be "blessed"?
10. Conclusion

3. You Have Heard . . . But I Say to You . . .

1. Jesus fulfils the Law
2. Whoever is angry with his brother . . .
3. Whoever divorces his wife . . .
4. Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her . . .
5. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
6. Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No', 'No'
7. Turn die other cheek
8. Love your enemies
9. "The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees"

4. Other Key Sayings

1. You are the salt of the earth
2. When you do a charitable deed do not sound a trumpet
3. Do not let your left hand know . . .
4- When you pray, go into your room
5. When you fast, anoint your head
6. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
7. The eye is the lamp of the body
8. You cannot serve God and mammon
9. Consider the lilies of the field
10. Do not judge
11. Ask, and it will be given to you
12. The golden rule
13. Enter by the narrow gate
14. Do people gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
15. The will of my Father
16. Building on the rock

5. The Lord's Prayer

1. Introduction
2. The meaning and significance of the word abba
3. "Father" as a metaphor
4. God as someone
5 What does God's fatherhood mean (in Jesus' teaching)?
6. Hallowed be thy name
7. Thy kingdom come
8. Give us this day our daily bread
9. And forgive us our sins
10. For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us
11. And do not lead us into temptation
12. Conclusion

PART II: THE PARABLES

6. The Sower
7. The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price
8. The Leaven and The Mustard Seed
9. The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin
10. The Prodigal Son
11. The Unforgiving Servant
12. The Laborers in the Vineyard
13. The Servant's Reward
14. The Great Feast
15. The Last Judgment
16. The Good Samaritan
17. The Rich Man and Lazarus
18. The Rich Fool
19. The Doorkeeper
20. The Talents
21. The Dishonest Steward
22. The Unjust Judge and the Friend at Midnight
23. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

PART III: CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER PERSPECTIVES

24. An Overall Picture of Jesus' Teaching
25. Implications for Theology; Christianity in a Nutshell
26. Language: A Key Issue in Understanding Jesus and Christianity

Notes
References
Index

524 pages, 8.93 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/1VYOMT0s/Anna_Wierzbicka_-_What_Did_Jes.html



Robin R. Meyers - Saving Jesus from the Church; How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus

slika

Countless thoughtful people are now so disgusted with the marriage of bad theology and hypocritical behavior by the church that a new Reformation is required in which the purpose of religion itself is reimagined.

Meyers takes the best of biblical scholarship and recasts these core Christian concepts to exhort the church to pursue an alternative vision of the Christian life:

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE A Preacher’s Nightmare: Am I a Christian?
ONE Jesus the Teacher, Not the Savior
TWO Faith as Being, Not Belief
THREE The Cross as Futility, Not Forgiveness
FOUR Easter as Presence, Not Proof
FIVE Original Blessing, Not Original Sin
SIX Christianity as Compassion, Not Condemnation
SEVEN Discipleship as Obedience, Not Observance
EIGHT Justice as Covenant, Not Control
NINE Prosperity as Dangerous, Not Divine
TEN Religion as Relationship, Not Righteousness
EPILOGUE A Preacher’s Dream: Faith as Following Jesus

This is not a call to the church to move to the far left or to try something brand new. Rather, it is the recovery of something very old. Saving Jesus from the Church shows us what it means to be a Christian and how to follow Jesus' teachings today.

252 pages, 1.13 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/EU-ewS7-/Robin_R_Meyers_-_Saving_Jesus_.html




Samuel Willard Crompton - Emanuel Swedenborg (Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers)

slika

CONTENTS

Foreword by Martin E.Marty
Dreams and Visions
Young Swedenborg and Old Sweden
Adventures Abroad
The Mature Man of Science
The Great Change
Heavenly Secrets
Heaven and Hell
The Last Years
Swedenborg’s Legacy
Appendix
Chronology and Timeline
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Further Reading
Index

124 pages, 566 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Tr1JMzZs/Samuel_Willard_Crompton_-_Eman.html




Watchman Nee - Spiritual Man

slika

This is a complete presentation on the workings of the human spirit and soul and body. The book aims at delivering people from the tyranny of self life with its carnality and from the domination of the passions and lusts of the flesh. It attempts to lead them to the full salvation of Christ. It is not to be taken as a manual but as a guide to true spirituality. It is recommended that this three volume work be read quickly through once. Then, lay it aside and wait until the Holy Spirit leads one into a certain stage of spiritual life when knowledge and understanding are needed. Turn, then to the special section of the book dealing with that particular experience for enlightenment. Thus, it will be realized that in Thy light, shall we see light (Ps. 36.9 ). May God use this book to help people in their journeying towards the spiritual.

CONTENTS

Part ONE: INTRODUCTION ON SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY

1 Spirit, Soul and Body
2 Spirit and Soul
3 The Fall of Man
4 Salvation

Part TWO:THE FLESH

1 The Flesh and Salvation
2 The Fleshly or Carnal Believer
3 The Cross and the Holy Spirit
4 The Boastings of the Flesh
5 The Believer’s Ultimate Attitude towards the Flesh

Part THREE:THE SOUL

1 Deliverance from Sin and the Soul Life
2 The Experience of Soulish Believers
3 The Dangers of Soulish Life
4 The Cross and the Soul
5 Spiritual Believers and the Soul

Part FOUR:THE SPIRIT

1 The Holy Spirit and the Believer’s Spirit
2 A Spiritual Man
3 Spiritual Work
4 Prayer and Warfare

Part FIVE:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SPIRIT

1 Intuition
2 Communion
3 Conscience

Part SIX:WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT

1 The Dangers of Spiritual Life
2 The Laws of the Spirit
3 The Principle of Mind Aiding the Spirit
4 The Normalcy of the Spirit

Part SEVEN:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOUL—EMOTION

1 The Believer and Emotion
2 Affection
3 Desire
4 A Life of Feeling
5 The Life of Faith

Part EIGHT:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOUL—THE MIND

1 The Mind a Battlefield
2 The Phenomena of a Passive Mind
3 The Way of Deliverance
4 The Laws of the Mind

Part NINE:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOUL—THE WILL

1 A Believer’s Will
2 Passivity and Its Dangers
3 The Believer’s Mistake
4 The Path to Freedom

Part TEN:THE BODY

1 The Believer and His Body
2 Sickness
3 God as the Life of the Body
4 Overcoming Death

738 pages, 2.86 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/hIawr8V9/Watchman_Nee_-_Spiritual_Man.html




Thomas C. Upham - A Treatise on Divine Union

slika

CONTENTS

PART FIRST - OF GOD, AND THE RELATIONS HE SUSTAINS TO HIS CREATURES

I. On the Nature of Divine Union,
II. On the Eternity of God,
III. On the Onmipresence of God,
IV. On the Greatness and Supremacy of God,
V. On the Rehxtion of the Uncreated to the Created,
VI. Summary of some Leading Principles,

PART SECOND - ON FAITH, AND THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN FAITH

I. On Faith as an Element of the Divine Nature,
II. On Faith as the Constitutive Element of Human and Divine Union,
III. On the relation of the Work of Christ to the Restoration of Union,
IV. The Life of Faith in Distinction from the Life of Desire,
V. Of the Union of God and Man in Faith,

PART THIRD - ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, AND THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN KNOWLEDGE

I. All Knowledge necessarily in God,
II. Human Knowledge based upon the Divine,
III. Characteristics of the Knowledge which is from God,
IV. On the Gradual Development of Divine Knowledge,
V. On the Union of God and Man in Knowledge,

PART FOURTH - ON THE LOVE OF GOD, AND THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN LOVE

I. On the Nature of Pure or Holy Love,
II. On the Scripture Declaration, that God is Love,
III. On the Love of Existence in Distinction from the Love of Character,
IV. Thoughts on the Creation of Holy Existences,
V. On the Three Forms of Love; namely, of Benevolence, of Complacency, and of Union,
VI. On the Union of God and Man in Love,
VII. On the Manifestations of Love in the Form of Sympathy,
VIII. On the Religion of Love as compared with the Religion of Obligation,
IX. The Union of God with Man in Love excludes all Idolatrous Love of the Creatures,

PART FIFTH - ON THE WILL OF GOD, AND THE UNION OF THE DIVINE AND HUMAN WILL

I. On the Relation of the Will of God with other parts of the Divine Nature,
II. On the Perpetual Identity of the Divine Will,
III. On the Natural and Moral Supremacy of the Divine Will,
IV. On the Union of the Human and Divine Will,
V. On the Different Degrees of Union with the Will of God,
VI. On Training the Will to Habits of Subjection,
VII. On the Relation of Suffering to Union,
VIII. Illustrations of the Relation between God and Man, by the Relative Position of Man and Child,

PART SIXTH - ON THE UNION OF MAN WITH GOD IN HIS PROVIDENCES

I. On the True Idea of Providence, and its Extent,
II. On the Law of Providence in Distinction from the General Nature or Fact of Providence,
III. On the Strictness of the Retributions of the Law of Providence,
IV. Of Providence in Connection with Man's Situation in Life,
V. On the Wisdom and Goodness of God, as displayed in his Providential Arrangements,
VI. On the Relation of Providence to Spiritual Growth,
VII. On the Law of Providence in Relation to Simplicity of Spirit,
VIII. Of the Union of God and Man in Providence,
IX. Relation of Harmony with Providence to the Order and Disorder which exist in the World,
X. Illustrations of Interior or Spiritual Solitude,
XI. Of the Spirit or Life which is the basis of this Union,

PART SEVENTH - UNION WITH GOD IN THE WORK OF MAN'S REDEMPTION

I. On the Successive Developments of the Plan of Redemption,
II. Of the Three Forms of Redemption—Physical, Mental and Social,
III. Of Union with God in the Work of Mental or Personal Redemption,
IV. Of Union with God in the Work of Redemption in relation to others,
V. Of Union with God in the Observance and the Duties of the Sabbath,
VI. Of Union with God in the Redemption and Sanctification of the Family,
VII. Of Union with God in the Work of Civil and National Redemption,
VIII. On Union with God in the Redemption of the Arts and Literature,
IX. On the Nature and Practical Extent of the Power of Love,
X. Principles and Explanations on the Subject of Practical Holiness,
XI. On the Union of Man with God in the Spirit of Prayer,
XII. On the Relation of the Character of Man to the Happiness of God

PART EIGHTH - OF THE PEACE OR REST OF THE SOUL IN A STATE OF UNION

I. On the True Idea of a Soul at Rest,
II. The Soul in Union rests from Reasonings,
III. The Soul in Union rests from Desires,
IV. The Soul in Union rests from the Reproofs of Conscience,
V. The Soul in Union rests from Disquieting Fears,
VI. The Soul in Union rests from Conflicts with Providence,
VII. The Soul in Union rests from the Anxieties of Labor,
VIII. The holy Soul has Peace, because - what it wants in itself it finds in God,
IX. The holy Soul has Peace, because its action is natural and without effort,
X. The Soul in Union with God has Rest, because it has passed from the Meditative to the Contemplative State,
XI. Of the Spirit and Practical Course of the Man who is at rest in God,
XII. The Soul in Peace is the true Kingdom of God.

458 pages, 24.1 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/SgGDQ3XZ/Thomas_C_Upham_-_A_Treatise_on.html




Thomas C. Upham - Principles of the Interior or Hidden Life

slika

slika

slika

524 pages, 11.5 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/_X02DiOa/Thomas_C_Upham_-_Principles_of.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: ned jan 02, 2011 4:15 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Larry W. Hurtado - One God One Lord, Early Christian Devotion Ancient Jewish Monotheism

slika

The classic and ground-breaking work in Christology, with extensive new introduction, evaluating the most recent developments in current scholarship.

Contents

Introduction
The Problem
Early Christology and Chronology
Excursus
Complexity in Ancient Judaism
The Historical Approach
Excursus
One God and Devotion to Jesus

1. Divine Agency in Ancient Jewish Monotheism

Divine Agency Speculation
Three Types • Variation of Types • Summary
The Shape of Postexilic Jewish Religious Devotion
Angelology and Monotheism - A Critique of W. Bousset's View • The Data • Conclusion
Monotheism and Other Divine Agents
Summary

2. Personified Divine Attributes as Divine Agents

Personified Divine Attributes - Wisdom • Logos
The Language of Divine Agency

3. Exalted Patriarchs as Divine Agents

Enoch Speculations - Enoch as Son of Man • Enoch as an Angel
Exalted Moses Traditions - Sirach • Testament of Moses • Exagoge of Ezekiel • Philo
Other Exalted Patriarchs
Exalted Patriarchs and Jewish Religious Devotion

4. Principal Angels

Angelology and Christology in Previous Studies
Principal Angels in Ancient Judaism
Principal Angels in Ezekiel and Daniel • Michael in Other Texts • Other Chief Angel References
Chief Angels and God
Chief Angels and the Bifurcation of God
Summary

5. The Early Christian Mutation

Jesus as God's Chief Agent
The Christian Mutation
Six Features of the Mutation - Early Christian Hymns • Prayer to Christ • The Name of Christ • The Lord's Supper • Confessing Jesus • Prophecy and the Risen Jesus
Causes of the Christian Mutation
The Ministry of Jesus • Easter and Afterward
Opposition to the New Movement
Summary

Conclusions
Notes
Index of Ancient Sources
Index of Authors

210 pages, 3.13 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/shqfKjss/Larry_W_Hurtado_-_One_God_One_.html




Walter Hilton - The Scale of Perfection

Known as the first book of mysticism to be written in the English language, Hilton's Scale of Perfection describes the ascent of the human soul from sin to perfection. Hilton suggests that all humankind should reform from their sinful souls and embrace a life of ascetic practice, firm faith, and godly contemplation. The reforming of the soul takes time and is only possible through the grace of God. Scale of Perfection contains a series of meditations on the seven deadly sins to help Christians recognize the areas of sin in their lives. Hilton hopes that, upon recognition, Christians will reject their immoral ways and repent of them. The metaphor of a disciple journeying to Jerusalem is frequently used to represent the process of the soul reforming in faith. Upon reaching Jerusalem, the disciple is filled with an overwhelming sense of peace; likewise, a soul properly reformed will, at the end of its journey, reach spiritual peace in the contemplation of God's perfect love.

This book is an invitation to a life of love and prayer. Walter Hilton was a 14th-century English mystic in the tradition of Roland Rolle and Julian of Norwich. Union with God, in Walter Hilton's eyes, is not achieved in an instant. The transfiguration of the soul is rather the result of perseverance and effort. Hilton sees an unbroken ladder leading upwards from our common human nature to perfect life in God. The ascent of the soul up the ladder is gradual, conditioned by God's grace and the individual's determination, whatever the hardships experienced. The result is the transformation of the soul from a dark, false image into the beauty of a child of God.

195 pages, 452 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Y6tcAAXF/Walter_Hilton_-_The_Scale_of_P.html




St. Teresa of Avila - The Way Of Perfection

Although St. Teresa of Avila lived and wrote almost four centuries ago, her superbly inspiring classic on the practice of prayer is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when she first wrote it.

THE WAY OF PERFECTION is a practical guide to prayer setting forth the Saint's counsels and directives for the attainment of spiritual perfection. Through the entire work there runs the author's desire to teach a deep and lasting love of prayer beginning with a treatment of the three essentials of the prayer-filled life -- fraternal love, detachment from created things, and true humility. St. Teresa's counsels on these are not only the fruit of lofty mental speculation, but of mature practical experience.

The next section develops these ideas and brings the reader directly to the subjects of prayer and contemplation. St. Teresa then gives various maxims for the practice of prayer and leads up to the topic which occupies the balance of the book -- a detailed and inspiring commentary on the Lord's Prayer.

Of all St. Teresa's writings, THE WAY OF PERFECTION is the most easily understood. Although it is a work of sublime mystical beauty, its outstanding hallmark is its simplicity which instructs, exhorts, and inspires all those who are seeking a more perfect way of life.

130 pages, 355 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/qBW8Gbqr/St_Teresa_of_Avila_-_The_Way_O.html




St. Teresa of Avila - The Interior Castle or The Mansions

Interior Castle is the work of 16th century Carmelite nun and Christian mystic St. Teresa of Avila. She wrote Interior Castle as a spiritual guide to union with God. Her inspiration for the work came from a vision she received from God. In it, there was a crystal globe with seven mansions, with God in the innermost mansion. St. Teresa interpreted this vision as an allegory for the soul's relationship with God; each mansion represents one place on a path towards the "spiritual marriage"--i.e. union--with God in the seventh mansion. One begins on this path through prayer and meditation. She also describes the resistance that the Devil places in various rooms, to keep believers from union with God. Throughout, she provides encouragements and advice for spiritual development. Beyond its spiritual merit, Interior Castle also contains much literary merit as a piece of Spanish Renaissance literature. A spiritually challenging book, Interior Castle stands on par with other great works of this time, such as Dark Night of the Soul.

Table of Contents

About This Book
Title Page
Note
Introduction
Preface

The First Mansions

Chapter I. Description of the Castle
Chapter II. The Human Soul

The Second Mansions

Chapter I. War

The Third Mansions

Chapter I. Fear of God
Chapter II. Aridity in Prayer

The Fourth Mansions

Chapter I. Sweetness in Prayer
Chapter II. Divine Consolations
Chapter III. Prayer of Quiet

The Fifth Mansions

Chapter I. Prayer of Union
Chapter II. Effects of Union
Chapter III. Cause of Union
Chapter IV. Spiritual Espousals

The Sixth Mansions

Chapter I. Preparation for Spiritual Marriage
Chapter II. The Wound of Love
Introductory Note to Chapter III by the Editor
Chapter III. Locutions
Chapter IV. Raptures
Chapter V. The Flight of the Spirit
Chapter VI. Spiritual Jubilation
Chapter VII. The Humanity of Our Lord
Chapter VIII. Intellectual Visions
Chapter IX. Imaginary Visions
Chapter X. Intellectual Visions Continued.
Chapter XI. The Dart of Love

The Seventh Mansions

Chapter I. God's Presence Chamber
Chapter II. Spiritual Marriage
Chapter III. Its Effects
Chapter IV. Martha and Mary
Epilogue
Subject Index
Indexes
Index of Pages of the Print Edition

146 pages, 913 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/TbL7OUFJ/St_Teresa_of_Avila_-_The_Inter.html




St. Bernard of Clairvaux - Commentary on the Song of Songs

The "mellifluous teacher," Bernard of Clairvaux, viewed the relationship between the divine Word and the individual soul as a spiritual marriage between the heavenly Bridegroom and the human bride. The sacramental humaneness of his mysticism, with love as its central focus, shaped Christian piety, spirituality, and mysticism from his day to this. Selection taken from An Anthology of Christian Mysticism, ed. Harvery Egan, S.J. (Liturgical Press, 1991): 166-179.

Contents

Sermon 1 On The Title Of The Book
Sermon 2 Various Meanings Of The Kiss
Sermon 3 The Kiss Of The Lord's Feet, Hands And Mouth (1)
Sermon 4 The Kiss Of The Lord's Feet, Hands And Mouth (2)
Sermon 5 On The Four Kinds Of Spirits
Sermon 6 God's Infinite Power, Mercy And Judgment
Sermon 7 God's Infinite Power, Mercy And Judgment
Sermon 8 The Holy Spirit: The Kiss Of The Mouth
Sermon 9 On The Breasts Of The Bride And The Bridegroom
Sermon 10 The Breasts And Their Perfumes
Sermon 11 Thanksgiving For Christ's Saving Work
Sermon 12 The Grace Of Loving-Kindness
Sermon 13 Our Thanksgiving And God's Glory
Sermon 14 The Church Of Christ And The Jews
Sermon 15 The Name Of Jesus
Sermon 16 Meaning Of The Number ‘7' And The Qualities Of True Confession
Sermon 17 On The Ways Of The Holy Spirit And The Envy Of The Devil
Sermon 18 The Two Operations Of The Holy Spirit
Sermon 19 The Loves Of The Angels
Sermon 20 Three Qualities Of Love
Sermon 21 The Love Of The Bride, The Church, For Christ
Sermon 22 On The Four Ointments Of The Bridegroom And The Four Cardinal Virtues
Sermon 23 In The Rooms Of The King
Sermon 23 In The Rooms Of The King (Continued)
Sermon 24 Detraction And Man's Righteousness
Sermon 25 Why The Bride Is Black But Beautiful
Sermon 26 The Blackness Of The Bride Compared To The Tents Of Kedar; Bernard's Lament For His Brother
Sermon 26 The Blackness Of The Bride Compared To The Tents Of Kedar; Bernard's Lament For His Brother (Continued)
Sermon 27 The Beauty Of The Bride Compared To The Curtains Of Solomon Why She Is Called A Heaven
Sermon 28 The Blackness And Beauty Of The Bridegroom And The Bride
Sermon 29 On Discord In The Church And In Communities
Sermon 30 Mystical Vineyards And The Prudence Of The Flesh
Sermon 31 The Various Ways Of Seeing God
Sermon 32 How Christ Adapts His Graces To Personal Needs
Sermon 33 Ends To Be Pursued --The Mystical Noontide; Temptations To Be Avoided
Sermon 34 True Humility
Sermon 35 The Bridegroom Reproves The Bride -- Two Kinds Of Ignorance
Sermon 36 The Acquiring Of Knowledge
Sermon 37 Knowledge And Ignorance Of God And Of Self
Sermon 38 Ignorance Of God Leads To Despair; The Beauty Of The Bride
Sermon 39 The Devil And His Army
Sermon 40 The Face Of The Bride
Sermon 41 The Intellect, Faith And Contemplation
Sermon 42 Fraternal Correction - Two Kinds Of Humility
Sermon 43 The Sufferings Of Christ

193 pages, 673 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/cwVImDzm/St_Bernard_of_Clairvaux_-_Comm.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: pet jan 07, 2011 7:37 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto - 138 Openings of Wisdom

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto - the Ramchal (1707-1746), presents a classic exposition of the kabbalistic system, providing the student with all the concepts and understandings necessary to navigate and find meaning in the Zohar , the teachings of the ARI and other kabbalistic and chassidic literature.

138 OPENINGS OF WISDOM was written by Ramchal as the final step on a ladder of initiation into the kabbalistic wisdom that starts with Derekh HaShem ("The Way of G-d") and Da'as Tevunos ("The Knowing Heart").

655 pages, 2.39 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/gtaP8Cgi/Rabbi_Moshe_Chaim_Luzzatto_-_1.html




Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok - Fundamentals of Kosher Kabbalah, A Guide To Kabbalistic Concepts and Terminology

Like the Torah itself, Kabbalistic literature, which rightly includes all of the Bible, Mishna and Talmud, contains multiple layers of understanding. At the very surface of these holy books are its most plain and simple meanings. Yet, there are also meanings in the texts that, although not stated outright are clearly implied within the context.

One of the greatest stumbling blocks aspiring students experience along the road of Kabbalistic study is the never-ending array of symbolic terminology and representative vocabulary.

The Kabbalists, like their predecessors the Biblical prophets, did not invent this series of mystical metaphors simply to confuse or mislead their students.

Kabbalistic terminology and vocabulary is a necessary aspect of Kabbalistic study. It allows for abstract metaphysical, spiritual realities to be comprehended by a human mind which is so overwhelmed by the physical senses of the concrete corporeal world around us.

G-d in His infinite mercies has directed the Kabbalists to establish a system of terminologies so that the rational, philosophical mind would have some avenue of passage from the rational to the supra-rational thinking function.

Kabbalistic terminology therefore plays this very crucial role in enabling the mind to be properly prepared to commune with G-d.

It is therefore very necessary that these symbols and this vocabulary be understood clearly and simply.

Contents:

1. The Beginning of Creation

2. The Sefirot

3. Olamot - The Four Worlds

4. The Sheva Hekhalot - The Seven Palaces

5. Partzufim - The Sefirotic Faces

6. Mayim Nokbin & Mayim Dukhrin - Female and Male Waters

7. NaRaNHaY - The Five Levels of Soul

8. The Mohin - Sefirotic Brains

9. The Mohin of Tzelem (the Divine Image)

10. Panim and Ahor - Sefirotic Face and Sefirotic Back

11. The Union of the Holy One - Blessed Be He, and His Shekhina

12. The L'shem Yihud Prayer

13. The Holy Name - Havaya (YHWH)

14. A'S'Ma'B - The Four Miluim of Havaya

15. The Miluim of Ehyeh

16. Ta'N'T'A - The Four Parts of the Hebrew Letter

17. The Primordial Worlds & the Creation of Evil

18. The Hebrew Letters and Vowels

19. Gematria: Hebrew Numerology

20. The Names of G-d & their Sefirot

21. The Semi-Sefirah Da'at

22. The Mohin of Z.A.

23. MaNTzaFaKh and the Shakh and Par Dinim

24. Light and the Multi-level Vessels

41 pages, 361 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/06ph18Dg/Rabbi_Ariel_Bar_Tzadok_-_Funda.html



Gershom Scholem - The Name of God and the Linguistic Theory of the Kabbala

"Thy word (or: essence) is true from the beginning" thus reads the Psalmist's passage, oft quoted in kabbalistic literature (Psalm 119: 160). According to the originally conceived Judaistic meaning, truth was the word of God which was audible both acoustically and linguistically. Under the system of the synagogue, revelation is an acoustic process, not a visual one; or revelation at least ensues from an area which is metaphysically associated with the acoustic and the perceptible (in a sensual context)."

53 pages, 2.79 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/peeTZD3v/Gershom_Scholem_-_The_Name_of_.html



Gershom Scholem - Abraham Abulafia and the Doctrine of Prophetic Kabbalism

Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia, the founder of the school of "Prophetic Kabbalah", was born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1240, and died sometime after 1291, in Comino, Maltese archipelago.

In his first treatises, Get ha-Shemot and Maftei’ach ha-Re'ayon, Abulafia describes a linguistic type of Kabbalah similar to the early writings of Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla. In his later writings, the founder of prophetic Kabbalah produces a synthesis between Maimonides’ Neoaristotelian understanding of prophecy as the result of the transformation of the intellectual influx into a linguistic message and techniques to reach such experiences by means of combinations of letters and their pronunciation, breathing exercises, contemplation of parts of the body, movements of the head and hands, and concentration exercises. Some of the elements of those techniques stem from commentaries on Sefer Yetzirah of Ashkenazi. He called his Kabbalah “the Kabbalah of names,” that is, of divine names, being a way to reach what he called the prophetic experience, or “prophetic Kabbalah,” as the ultimate aims of his way: unitive and revelatory experiences. In his writings expressions of what is known as the unio mystica of the human and the supernal intellects may be discerned. Much less concerned with the theosophy of his contemporary kabbalists, who were interested in theories of ten hypostatic sefirot, some of which he described as worse than the Christian belief in the trinity, Abulafia depicted the supernal realm, especially the cosmic Agent Intellect, in linguistic terms, as speech and letters.

46 pages, 7.98 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/3NKv1Lrw/Gershom_Scholem_-_Abraham_Abul.html



Gershom Scholem - Devekut Or Communion With God

Every discussion of Hasidic doctrine has to start with a basic question, namely: Is there a central point on which Hasidism is focused and from which its special attitude can be developed? I think there can be little doubt that there is, indeed, such a focal point, the discussion of which will take us right into the heart of the problem. This is the doctrine of devekut, the practical application of which has determined the spiritual physiognomy of Hasidism.

Devekut, the meaning of which I am going to analyze, is, of course, neither an exclusively Hasidic concept nor a novel invention of the Baal Shem. Exactly where the new departure in its Hasidic application is found will become clear if we proceed to consider both its "prehistory" and its position in Hasidism.

Throughout Kabbalistic literature, devekut is frequently mentioned as the highest ideal of the mystical life as the Kabbalists see it.

13 pages, 698 pages, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/D98U67N3/Gershom_Scholem_-_Devekut_Or_C.html



Martin Buber - Legend of the Baal-Shem

The Legend of the Baal-Shem is not only a compilation of stories about the founder of modern Hasidism, but also acts as a key to help demystify the deep mystical tradition of Judaism. For those who like stories that reflect a piece of recent history, this is a good collection. -- Review

The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber spoke directly to the most profound human concerns in all his works, including his discussions of Hasidism, a mystical-religious movement founded in Eastern Europe by Israel ben Eliezer, called the Baal-Shem (the Master of God's Name). Living in the first part of the eighteenth century in Podolia and Wolhynia, the Baal-Shem braved scorn and rejection from the rabbinical establishment and attracted followers from among the common people, the poor, and the mystically inclined. Here Buber offers a sensitive and intuitive account of Hasidism, followed by twenty stories about the life of the Baal-Shem. This book is the earliest and one of the most delightful of Buber's seven volumes on Hasidism and can be read not only as a collection of myth but as a key to understanding the central theme of Buber's thought: the I-Thou, or dialogical, relationship.

CONTENTS:

FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
The Life of the Hasidim
HITLAHAVUT: ECSTASY
AVODA: SERVICE
KAVANA: INTENTION
SHIFLUT: HUMILITY
The Werewolf
The Prince of Fire
The Revelation
The Martyrs and the Revenge
The Heavenly Journey
Jerusalem
Saul and David
The Prayer-Book
The Judgement
The Forgotten Story
The Soul Which Descended
The Psalm-Singer
The Disturbed Sabbath
The Conversion
The Return
From Strength to Strength
The Threefold Laugh
The Language of the Birds
The Call
The Shepherd
GLOSSARY

242 pages, 1.08 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/FwmCTpt0/Martin_Buber_-_Legend_of_the_B.html



Sanford L. Drob - Freud, Psychotherapy and the Lurianic Kabbalah

Freud’s reported interest in the Lurianic Kabbalah is explored from both theoretical and psychotherapeutic points of view. The Lurianic symbols are understood both as important historical antecedents to psychoanalysis and as a significant source of both insight and inspiration for contemporary psychotherapists.

20 pages, 196 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/kuieRo9J/Sanford_L_Drob_-_Freud_Psychot.html



Sanford L. Drob - The Lurianic Metaphors, Creativity and the Structure Of Language

In the Lurianic Kabbalah we are witness to a theosophical account of the world’s creation, which at the same time provides a foundation for a theory of human creativity as well as a general model for understanding linguistic significance. By explicating how the symbolic dynamic of the Lurianic Kabbalah accounts for both human creativity and the signification process, we can not only gain insight into human psychology and language, but also deepen our understanding of the Kabbalah and its capacity to reveal the hidden nature of God and the world.

I will begin by providing a general account of the Lurianic theosophy, and then proceed to show how the Lurianic symbols provide the foundation for a theory of human creativity. I will then briefly describe the Kabbalist’s views on language, and close by offering a preliminary outline for a Lurianic model of linguistic meaning.

18 pages, 173 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Tc0_LjCs/Sanford_L_Drob_-_The_Lurianic_.html



Sanford L. Drob - The Doctrine of Coincidentia Oppositorum in Jewish Mysticism

The doctrine of coincidentia oppositorum, the interpenetration, interdependence and unification of opposites has long been one of the defining characteristics of mystical (as opposed to philosophical) thought. Whereas mystics have often held that their experience can only be described in terms that violate the “principle of noncontradiction,” western philosophers have generally maintained that this fundamental logical principle is inviolable.1 Nevertheless, certain philosophers, including Nicholas of Cusa, Meister Eckhardt and G.W.F. Hegel have held that presumed polarities in thought do not exclude one another but are actually necessary conditions for the assertion of their opposites. In the 20th century the physicist Neils Bohr commented that superficial truths are those whose opposites are false, but that “deep truths” are such that their opposites or apparent contradictories are true as well. The psychologist Carl Jung concluded that the “Self” is a coincidentia oppositorum, and that each individual must strive to integrate opposing tendencies (anima and animus, persona and shadow) within his or her own psyche. More recently, postmodern thinkers such as Derrida have made negative use of the coincidentia oppositorum idea, as a means of overcoming the privileging of particular poles of the classic binary oppositions in western thought, and thereby deconstructing the foundational ideas of western metaphysics.

20 pages, 222 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/yzNpwbGo/Sanford_L_Drob_-_The_Doctrine_.html



Sanford L. Drob - Jung’s Kabbalistic Visions

Jung’s 1944 kabbalistic visions are examined from the standpoint of Jung’s earlier provocative remarks about Jewish psychology and National Socialism, his attitude towards the Jewish sources of his own theories, and from the perspective of both Jungian and kabbalistic dream theory. The author suggests that (1) Jung’s visions signaled a change in his attitudes and personality that is critical to a full understanding of his complex relationship to Judaism, (2) the kabbalistic understanding of dreams highlights significant points of contact between Jewish mysticism and analytic psychology, and (3) Jung’s own mystical interpretation of his kabbalistic visions raises important questions regarding his understanding of religious symbolism and the boundaries between psychological science and religious experience.

22 pages, 76.5 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/H9hWEjOq/Sanford_L_Drob_-_Jungs_Kabbali.html



Sanford L. Drob - A Rational Mystical Ascent, The Coincidence of Opposites in Kabbalistic and Hasidic Thought

In this paper I introduce two models through which we can begin to understand the Kabbalistic and Chasidic conception of the coincidence of opposites in rational philosophical and theological terms. These models each rest upon, and develop, the Kabbalistic/Chasidic view that language (or representation in general) sunders a primordial divine unity and is thus the origin of finitude and difference. The first, cartographic model, draws upon the idea that seemingly contradictory but actually complementary cartographic representations are necessary in order to provide an accurate two-dimensional representation (or map) of a spherical world. The second, linguistic model, draws upon Kabbalistic and postmodern views on the relationship between language and the world, and in particular the necessity of regarding the linguistic sign as both identical to and distinct from the thing (signified) it is said to represent. In the course of my discussion, I hope to provide some insights into the relevance of coincidentia oppositorum to contemporary philosophical, psychological, and especially, theological concerns.

61 pages, 370 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/a8OvTHru/Sanford_L_Drob_-_A_Rational_My.html



Sanford L. Drob - 19 Kabbalistic Ideas, Philosophical Implications of the New Kabbalah

Is There But One “Kabbalah”?

The Kabbalah, like many of the world’s great spiritual and textual traditions, is multilayered and multi-textured. Those who approach it must inevitably focus upon one or two of its several aspects, while de-emphasizing and even ignoring others. The result of this process of selection is that it can appear that two expositors of the Zohar to take the most important example, are speaking about two different texts. In the case of popular expositions of Jewish Mysticism this tendency is exaggerated as teachers of the Kabbalah take license with the text to promote their particular message or interpretation. With the proliferation of interest in the Kabbalah, both within and beyond Jewish circles, it would seem that one can study a “Kabbalah” which is completely different, and even at odds with, the “Kabbalah” studied by another, and that these “Kabbalahs” differ to an even greater degree from the “Kabbalah” studied by orthodox (e.g. Hasidic) Jews on the one hand and academic scholars of Jewish Mysticism on the other. Such a proliferation of interpretations is not necessarily a bad thing, and given the Kabbalists’ own understanding of the infinite interpretability of texts, it is probably inevitable. However, in order to gain some further insight into the many aspects of the Kabbalah, it will be useful describe five general strata of ideas that appear within the Kabbalistic literature. While in the actual Kabbalistic texts these strata inevitably intermingle and are often conditioned by one another, the emphasis on one or another of these aspects can lead to radically differing views of both Kabbalistic practice and ideas.

14 pages, 170 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/ODCGJo0H/Sanford_L_Drob_-_19_Kabbalisti.html



Sanford L. Drob - The Only God Who Can Save Us (From Ourselves): Kabbalah, Dogmatism, and the Open Economy of Thought

I have considered the problem of evil from a Lurianic perspective in Symbols of the Kabbalah, in a Chapter entitled “Kellipot and Sitra Achra, The Kabbalistic Myths of Evil.” There “evil” is discussed in the context of the Lurianic symbols of Tzimtzum, Shevirat ha-Kelim, Tikkun ha-Olam , and the Sitra Achra or “Other Side,” and the integral relationship between evil, freedom and knowledge is explored. Here I will expand on certain ideas regarding the relationship between evil and dogmatism that are implicit in the Lurianic symbol of the Kellipot; the “husks” which, according to Luria, imprison sparks of divine light that were emanated at the dawn of creation.

7 pages, 114 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/zBsZb8y5/Sanford_L_Drob_-_The_Only_God_.html




More from KABBALAH - QABALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: ned jan 16, 2011 8:09 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Moshe Idel - Infinities of Torah

The purpose of this paper is to describe different kinds of infinities which were attributed to the Torah by early kabbalists. The emergence of these conceptions was the result of a crystallization of earlier mystical motifs,which are presented here as mainly non-rabbinic tendencies. In the kabbalistic writings we discover that the midrashic view-in which the distances between God, the interpreter, and the Torah are scrupulously preserved-has been exchanged for a view in which the infinities of the Torah are seen as coexisting with a virtual closure of the gaps between God, interpreter, and Torah.

11 pages, 149 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/pca_QTJt/Moshe_Idel_-_Infinities_of_Tor.html




Elliot R. Wolfson - Language, Eros, Being, Kabbalistic Hermeneutics and Poetic Imagination

slika

This long-awaited, magisterial study-an unparalleled blend of philosophy, poetry, and philology-draws on theories of sexuality, phenomenology, comparative religion, philological writings on Kabbalah, Russian formalism, Wittgenstein, Rosenzweig, William Blake, and the very physics of the time-space continuum to establish what will surely be a highwater mark in work on Kabbalah. Not only a study of texts, Language, Eros, Being is perhaps the fullest confrontation of the body in Jewish studies, if not in religious studies as a whole.Elliot R. Wolfson explores the complex gender symbolism that permeates Kabbalistic literature. Focusing on the nexus of asceticism and eroticism, he seeks to define the role of symbolic and poetically charged language in the erotically configured visionary imagination of the medieval Kabbalists. He demonstrates that the traditional Kabbalistic view of gender was a monolithic and androcentric one, in which the feminine was conceived as being derived from the masculine. He does not shrink from the negative implications of this doctrine, but seeks to make an honest acknowledgment of it as the first step toward the redemption of an ancient wisdom.Comparisons with other mystical traditions including those in Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam-are a remarkable feature throughout the book. They will make it important well beyond Jewish studies, indeed, a must for historians of comparative religion, in particular of comparative mysticism. Praise for Elliot R. Wolfson:"Through a Speculum That Shines is an important and provocative contribution to the study of Jewish mysticism by one of the major scholars now working in this field."-Speculum

CONTENTS

Preface
Prologue: Timeswerue/Hermeneutic Reversibility
1 Showing the Saying: Laying Interpretative Ground
2 Differentiating (In)Difference: Heresy, Gender, and Kabbalah Study
3 Phallomorphic Exposure: Concealing Soteric Esotericism
4 Male Androgyne: Engendering E/Masculation
5 Flesh Become Word: Textual Embodiment and Poetic Incarnation
6 Envisioning Eros: Poiesis and Heeding Silence
7 Eunuchs Who Keep Sabbath: Erotic Asceticism / Ascetic Eroticism
8 Coming-to-Head, Retuming-to-Womb:
(E)Soteric Gnosis and Overcoming Gender Dimorphism
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Names and Book Titles
Index of Subjects and Terms

782 pages, 54.1 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/MxwbfsuA/Elliot_R_Wolfson_-_Language_Er.html




Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz - Pebbles of Wisdom

slika

Internationally acclaimed Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is considered to be one of the most brilliant and influential rabbis of our time. He has been lauded by Time magazine as a "once-in-a-millennium scholar" and by Ted Koppel of Nightline as "one of the very few wise men that I've ever met."

Arthur Kurzweil—himself a Jewish scholar, author, teacher, publisher, and a longtime disciple of Rabbi Steinsaltz—has gathered in one place a collection of "pebbles" of wisdom from Rabbi Steinsaltz. This wonderful book is filled with wisdom from more than thirty years of Rabbi Steinsaltz's lectures, writings, interviews, conversations, and reflections.

Pebbles of Wisdom includes Rabbi Steinsaltz's thoughts on the big topics of life including the meaning of happiness, the search for the purpose of one's life, the point of suffering, discovering oneself, dangers along the spiritual path, the process of transforming oneself, and the challenges of faith.

385 pages, 1.76 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/-yMwVH5u/Rabbi_Adin_Steinsaltz_-_Pebble.html




Michael Fishbane - Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking

slika

This is a comprehensive study of myth in the Hebrew Bible and myth and mythmaking in classical rabbinic literature (Midrash and Talmud) and in the classical work of medieval Jewish mysticism (the book of Zohar). Michael Fishbane provides a close study of the texts and theologies involved and the central role of exegesis in the development and transformation of the subject. Taken up are issues of myth and monotheism, myth and tradition, and myth and language. The presence and vitality of myth in successive cultural phases is treated, emphasizing certain paradigmatic acts of God and features of the divine personality.

474 pages, 29 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/dNYxB05_/Michael_Fishbane_-_Biblical_My.html




Isaac the Blind - Commentary on Sefer Yezira

Rabbi Yitzhak Saggi Nehor, also known as Isaac the Blind, (c. 1160-1235, Provence, France) has the Aramaic epithet "Saggi Nehor" meaning "of Much Light" in the sense of having excellent eyesight, an ironic euphemism for being blind. He was a famous writer on Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Some historians suspect him to be the author of the Book of the Bahir, an important early text of Kabbalah. Others (especially Gershom Scholem, see his Origins of the Kabbalah, p. 253) characterize this view as an "erroneous and totally unfounded hypothesis".

Despite his disability, though some have said because of his disability, Isaac the Blind was able to develop penetrative insight into the esoteric mysteries of Judaism and profound understanding of the nature of God.

He is generally recognised as the personality who formalised the names of the Sefirot, which constitute the “image of God”. Given the similarity between Kabbalistic ideas and those of Neo-Platonism, especially with regard to the four universes of the Kabbalah, Isaac is thought to have been influenced by this school of philosophy.

Isaac is considered the founder of the Kabbalah; or, rather, he transmuted the mysticism of the Geonim into the present form of the Kabbalah. He is therefore called by Baḥya b. Asher "Father of the Kabbalah" (Commentary on the Pentateuch, section Wayishlaḥ). Joseph Gikatilla (Commentary to the Pesaḥ Haggadah), speaking of the "Ma- 'aseh Merkabah," says that kabbalistic science was handed down from Mount Sinai from person to person until it reached Isaac the Blind. Other kabbalists, like Shem-Ṭob ibn Gaon, Isaac of Acre, and Recanati, expressed themselves similarly. Among Isaac's pupils was Azriel (Ezra) ben Menahem of Gerona. It was Isaac who gave names to the ten Sefirot, and who first adopted the idea of metempsychosis. Recanati (Commentary on the Pentateuch, section Wayesheb) declares that Isaac the Blind could tell whether a man's soul was new or old. He is generally supposed to have been the author of a commentary on the "Sefer Yeẓirah" (Neubauer, "Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS." No. 2456, 12). Later scholars attribute to him the authorship of the Bahir.

185 pages, 7.41 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/QbvN0Sng/Isaac_the_Blind_-_Commentary_o.html




Michael Fishbane - Sacred Attunement, A Jewish Theology

slika

Contemporary theology, and Jewish theology in particular, Michael Fishbane asserts, now lies fallow, beset by strong critiques from within and without. For Jewish reality, a coherent and wide-ranging response in thoroughly modern terms is needed. Sacred Attunement is Fishbane’s attempt to renew Jewish theology for our time, in the larger context of modern and postmodern challenges to theology and theological thought in the broadest sense.

The first part of the book regrounds theology in this setting and opens up new pathways through nature, art, and the theological dimension as a whole. In the second section, Fishbane introduces his hermeneutical theology—one grounded in the interpretation of scripture as a distinctly Jewish practice. The third section focuses on modes of self-cultivation for awakening and sustaining a covenant theology. The final section takes up questions of scripture, authority, belief, despair, and obligation as theological topics in their own right.

The first full-scale Jewish theology in America since Abraham J. Heschel’s God in Search of Man and the first comprehensive Jewish philosophical theology since Franz Rosenzweig’s Star of Redemption, Sacred Attunement is a work of uncommon personal integrity and originality from one of the most distinguished scholars of Judaica in our time.

Contents

Preface

1. Toward Theology

Rethinking Theology: Some Preliminary Considerations
Three Domains of Human Being
From General to Jewish Theology

2. A Jewish Hermeneutical Theology

Sinai and Torah
Torah and Hermeneutical Theology
PaRDeS

3. Religious Practice and Forms of Attention

Preliminary Thoughts about Living Theologically
The Practice of Halakha
The Life of Prayer
The Process of Study
Radical Kindness

4. Forms of Thought and Living Theology

Scripture as the Ground of Life and Thought
Emunah and Theological Integrity
Futility and the Sense of Hevel
Be-khol Atar ve-Atar: Central Places
Toward a Theology of Hiyyuv
“In the cranny of the rock, in the hiddenness”
Sof ve-Ein Sof: Finitude and Infinity
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

253 pages, 2.2 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/HlNysaQ9/Michael_Fishbane_-_Sacred_Attu.html



More from KABBALAH-QABALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: sri feb 02, 2011 3:20 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Rabbi Nathan of Nemirov - Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom

slika

This fascinating book about Rabbi Nachman of Breslev is a truly amazing account, much of it first-hand and personally witnessed by the author Rabbi Natan.

The book contains countless stories, quotes, lessons, anecdotes and words that are filled with the insights of Rabbi Nachman, many of them directly heard from the Rebbe's own lips by the author and disciple Rabbi Natan. These pages also provide invaluable recollections and stories that were told by those that personally knew him.

"His teachings are not the abstract thoughts of a past generation, but living words of inspiration and wisdom for life today."

Rabbi Nachman is known to some as the famous story teller of profoundly deep spiritual tales, to some he is known as the "Great Kabbalist" who provided unique insight into complex Jewish mysticism and to others he is known as the teacher who consistently stressed "Hitbodedut", secluded prayer to G-d, spoken as if one is talking to a close friend.

This book provides readers with a true insider's view of the daily life of Rabbi Nachman and offers a fresh glimpse into the teachings of a man that later became "one of the best known and most often quoted of the Chassidic masters".

CONTENTS:

Translator's Preface

PART ONE:

Compiler's Introduction
The Praise of Rabbi Nachman (Shevacliay HaRan)
The Account of Rabbi Nachman's Pilgrimage to the Land of Israel

PART TWO:

The Wisdom of Rabbi Nachman (Sithos HaRan)
Conversations Previously Existing Only in Manuscript
Conversations Relating to the Rebbe's Lessons
The Tales
Other Teachings
The Rebbe's Devotion
His Attainment
His Opposition
On Avoiding Speculation
Meditation ...
Conversations

APPENDIXES:

A. The Life of Rabbi Nachman
B. A History of This Work
C. On Breslov
INDEX

MAPS, CHARTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS:

The Ukraine: Where Rabbi Nachman Lived
A Map of Rabbi Nachman's Pilgrimage
Rabbi Nachman's Family Tree
Rabbi Nachman's Chair
His Burial Place

464 pages, 14.7 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/9KBh3XLw/Rabbi_Nathan_of_Nemirov_-_Rabb.html




Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn - Oneness in Creation

slika

Oneness in Creation examines the most fundamental of prayers-the twice-daily recited Shema. In the Shema, we proclaim Havaya Echad -- G-d is One." G-d's Oneness, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak explains in the discourse, is not a transcendent Singularity, separate and distinct from creation, but an immanent Harmony with all of existence. G-d is One with creation, with nature, with every living being, because G-dliness is the true life-force of everything. All of existence, at its core, is but a unique manifestation of Divinity.

Knowing this, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak says, one will recognize that ultimately it is G-d Who charts the course of man's life and Who provides man's sustenance. One will then view his pursuit of a livelihood in an entirely new light, conducting his business affairs in consonance with Torah's high standards.

This, continues Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, is the purpose of the soul's descent into the physical world: to reveal G-d's quintessential Oneness in all of creation, by learning Torah, fulfilling the mitzvot, and conducting one's material pursuits in the proper manner. This is a task incumbent upon every person, no matter where he may be. Hence, the word Echad is comprised of three letters: the aleph (the numerical value of one), symbolizing G-d; the chet (eight), signifying the soul's descent from on High down through the metaphysical seven heavens and into this world; and the dalet (four), indicating the soul's task to reveal G-d's Oneness throughout the four corners of the world.

As is the trademark of the Chasidic Heritage Series, Oneness in Creation is entirely reader-friendly, featuring a new, lucid translation of the text, as well as numerous explanatory notes and commentary. The original Hebrew text also appears on facing pages, newly typeset and vocalized.

52 pages, 1.41 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/nhSP7vUx/Rabbi_Yosef_Yitzchak_Schneerso.html




Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn - On the Study of Chasidus

slika

Contents:

Portrait of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn
Foreword to the New Trilogy Edition

Book One - SOME ASPECTS OF CHABAD CHASIDISM

Translator's Foreword to the First Edition
Publisher's Preface to the Second Edition
Some Aspects of Chabad Chasidism

Book Two - ON THE TEACHINGS OF CHASIDUS

Translator's Foreword to the First Edition
On the Teachings of Chasidus

Book Three - ON LEARNING CHASIDUS

Translator's Foreword to the First Edition
On Learning Chasidus

Appendices

Letter by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn
Explanatory Notes
Rabbi Yosef Y . Schneersohn / Biographical Sketch
Founders of Chasidism and Leaders of Chabad

198 pages, 4.22 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/Zxt0JdHX/Rabbi_Yosef_Yitzchak_Schneerso.html




Nissan Midel - The Divine Commandments

slika

Contents

Introduction
Self-Restraint and Divine Discipline
Connecting with G-d
The Purpose of Creation
The Source of Life
Physical and Spiritual
The Reward
Sincerity-The Keynote of Divine Worship

45 pages, 1.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/kaE_cYtz/Nissan_Midel_-_The_Divine_Comm.html



Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn - The Four Worlds

slika

We hereby present The Four Worlds, a letter written in 1937 by the sixth Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of blessed memory. The letter appears in his Igrot Kodesh, vol. 4 pp.156-166.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak was asked to expound upon the meaning of the spiritual worlds discussed in Kabbalah and Chasidus. His meditative response systematically defines and quantifies the four primary worlds of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, tracing the progress of these worlds from their lofty, sublime origins to their ultimate devolution into corporeality.

In his notes on the letter, which have been printed here as a supplement, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's son-in-law and successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, entitles this letter "a lengthy exposition on the four worlds of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah. [On the difference between] philosophy and Chasidus ([according to] an aphorism of Rabbi Shalom Dov-Ber Schneersohn, his soul is in Eden.)" These notes were printed as footnotes to the original text.

Other supplements include an overview of the four worlds by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet, from Mystical Concepts in Chasidism (Kehot 1988), and a brief biography of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak by Rabbi Nissan Mindel, from On the Study of Cbasidus (Kehot 1 997).

105 pages, 2.88 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/YSxHvqm-/Rabbi_Yosef_Yitzchak_Schneerso.html




Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson - The Unbreakable Soul

slika

We are pleased to present an English rendition of the chasidic discourse entitled Mayim Rabbim 5738 discourse was delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, on Motza 'ei Sbabbat Parshat Noach, 5738 [1977].

The maamar, presented here for the first time in English, speaks to one who feels comfortable with materiality while struggling to access spirituality. Based on a verse from Song of Songs, the discourse begins with an unequivocal declaration: No matter how much one may be flooded with physicality, the flame of the soul forever burns. Thus, there is no reason to despair or lose hope, G-d forbid, for nothing can extinguish the soul's fiery love of G-d.

In addition to the translation of the discourse and the Rebbe's footnotes, additional footnotes were added to further clarify the text. The Hebrew text of the discourse has been retypeset with Hebrew vowel marks to further enhance this volume's usability.

43 pages, 1.08 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/igK0whrU/Rabbi_Menachem_M_Schneerson_-_.html




Rabbi Nissan Dovid Dubov - To Live and Live Again

slika

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publisher's Foreword
Author's Preface
Chapter 1. The Belief
Chapter 2. The Purpose of Creation
Chapter 3. The World to Come: Why a Bodily Resurrection?
Chapter 4. Reincarnation
Chapter 5. Who Will Rise?
Chapter 6. When Will the Resurrection Take Place?
Chapter 7. Where Will the Resurrection Take Place?
Chapter 8. Who Will Rise First?
Chapter 9. In What Manner Will the Resurrection Take Place?
Chapter 10. Life After the Resurrection
Chapter 11. Mitzvos After the Resurrection
Chapter 12. Halachic Considerations
Chapter 13. Prayers and Customs
Chapter 14. The Concept of Resurrection in Avodas HaShem

Appendix 1: "To Understand the Concept of Techiyas HaMeisim, The Resurrection of the Dead": A Chassidic Discourse
Appendix 2: "All Israel Have a Share in the World to Come": A Chassidic Discourse

175 pages, 6.15 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/aTsi4c2M/Rabbi_Nissan_Dovid_Dubov_-_To_.html




More from KABBALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: ned feb 13, 2011 8:45 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi - Transforming the Inner Self

We are pleased to present Transforming the Inner Self, a discourse said by the founder of Chabad-Chasidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in 5572 (1812). The discourse,which opens with the Hebrew words Ahm Ki Yakriv Mikem, presents a modern-day perspective on the Biblical command to offer animal sacrifices.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman teaches that each of us possesses certain character traits that can be seen as "animalistic," or materialistic, in nature. Though not inherently evil, these traits can lead a person toward material indulgence, setting the stage for spiritual insensitivity and indifference. The solution, then, is to "sacrifice" and transform the animal within. Through meditating upon the greatness of G-d as expressed in the Shema, one's mind becomes a chamber for spiritual thought, which ultimately alters the very composition of one's materialistic traits. In time, the same traits that were once focused completely on materialism can gain an appreciation of the spiritual, and develop a love for G-d.

To this end, G-d provides moments of spiritual inspiration, moments that rouse one from his or her spiritual slumber and make the tireless pursuit of materialism seem insignificant.

These supernal awakenings are not meant to provide fleeting inspiration, but to stir a person to begin effecting personal growth and transformation-to transform the inner self. And when one does so, says Rabbi Schneur Zalman, one receives even greater inspiration from Above.

68 pages, 2.02 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/EbPFesHz/Rabbi_Schneur_Zalman_of_Liadi_.html




To Touch The Divine - A Jewish Mysticism Primer

Table of Contents

A Letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Foreword - On Jewish Mysticism - Rabbi Zalman I . Posner
Jewish Mysticism: Just Another Cult? - Rabbi Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet
Chabad Psychology and the Benoni of Tanya - Dr . Yitzchak Block
The Mystical Meaning of Shabbat - Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
Practical Implications of Infinity - Rabbi Dr . Jonathan Sacks
Jewish Value Systems - Dr . Yitzchak Block
The Dynamics of Teshuvah - Rabbi Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet
Anthropomorphism and metaphors - Rabbi Dr . J . Immanuel Schochet
Notes
Glossary
Contributors

144 pages, 3.99 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/cOr-__y4/To_Touch_The_Divine_-_A_Jewish.html




Rabbi Shloma Majeski - The Chassidic Approach To Joy

Table of Contents

Publisher's Foreword
Chapter One - Understanding, the Core of Joy
Chapter Two - Being Happy at All Times
Chapter Three - Seeing the Silver Lining
Chapter Four - Expanding Our Horizons
Chapter Five - Probing Beneath the Surface
Chapter Six - Confronting Challenges
Chapter Seven - Mind-Control
Chapter Eight - Growing From Pain
Chapter Nine - Getting Beyond the "I"
Chapter Ten - Letting Go
Chapter Eleven - Simchah: A Dynamic of Empowerment
Chapter Twelve - A Lightning Rod to the Spiritual Realms
Selections from the Sichos of Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei, 5748 - Bringing Mashiach with Happiness
Glossary

125 pages, 4.62 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/WE8fM2kI/Rabbi_Shloma_Majeski_-_The_Cha.html




Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber Schneerson - Kuntres Uma'ayon

This fascinating work by the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe weaves together Chasidic doctrine, Kabbalah, and Biblical and Talmudic texts with powerful insights into human nature. Written in the early years of the twentieth century, when Russian Jewry faced the challenges of secularism and non-Jewish ideologies, it remains a highly relevant text for study and contemplation, explaining familiar concepts and experiences in terms of spiritual truths lying beneath the surface.

157 pages, 6.16 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/C8RBxsqE/Rabbi_Sholom_Dov_Ber_Schneerso.html




Tzava'at HaRivash - the Testament of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov

Contents:

Foreword
Introduction

I The Literary Origin of Tzava'at Harivash
II Basic Concepts in Tzava'at Harivash Deveikut

- Prayer
- Torah-Study
- Mitzvot
- Joy
- Religious Ethics in Daily Life
- Sublimation of Alien Thoughts and Yeridah Tzorech Aliyah

III Target of Opposition to Chassidism

Tzava'at Harivash
Glossary
Bibliography
Index of Quotations
Index of Subjects
Appendix

217 pages, 6.28 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/X_CrHU9G/Tzavaat_HaRivash_-_the_Testame.html




Rabbi Menachem Azarya of Panu - Reincarnation of Souls

Wondrous revelations concerning souls who were reincarnated in the Talmudic sages, which explain awesome tales, transmitted by the Gaon our master and teacher R. Menahem Azarya of Fano (1548-1620), the author of Asara Maamarot, a student of our master and teacher R. Yisrael Sarouk of blessed memory.

This book is being published as a response to issues that have to be addressed as a result of the time we live in. The concept of reincarnation was not made popular to the general public in earlier times. The wise Kabbalists and masters of understanding would speak about it only amongst themselves. This is clearly the case with the Ramban's commentary on Job, where he makes a concerted effort to conceal the matter of reincarnations.

In our time, however, this subject has been made common knowledge by the media in both Israel and abroad. This very popularization has created a lot of confusion and fundamental misunderstandings about the Jewish viewpoint on this issue. When ignorance prevails, there are often people unworthy of the task who misrepresent Jewish thinking about reincarnation.

188 pages, 7.94 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/-iHaDJ5V/Rabbi_Menachem_Azarya_of_Panu_.html



More from KABBALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: pon feb 21, 2011 4:16 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch - Kuntres HaHitpaalut, On Divine Inspiration

This book, authored by the Holy Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch, is popularly known as "The Tract on Ecstasy." In Chassidic circles it is famed as the prelude to Shaar HaYichud - The Gate of Unity. It explains the stages of Divine spiritual consciousness that result from Hitbonenut meditation, and also diagnoses many different levels of spiritual illnesses and how to avoid and overcome them. It is a unique and incredible guide to self knowledge and experiential levels of Divine meditation.

121 pages, 829 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/UKID8_O3/Rabbi_Dov_Ber_of_Lubavitch_-_K.html



Gerald G. May - The Awakened Heart

slika

"Integrating the wisdom of ancient mystics and the insights of contemporary thinkers, May examines the spiritual longings that are often hidden and controlled by society's pressures and expectations."

Contents

Epigraph
Preface

1. Bearing the Beams of Love
2. The Life of the Heart
3. Freedom and Intention
4. The Consecration of Hope
5. Entering the Emptiness
6. Practice
7. The Little Interior Glance
8. The Prayer of the Heart
9. Loving the Source of Love
10. Contemplative Presence
11. Loving in the World
12. Loving for the World

Notes
Index of Exercises and Reflection Questions
General Index
About the Author
Other Books by Gerald G. May
Cover
About the Publisher

282 pages, 698 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/mRt6qiG8/Gerald_G_May_-_The_Awakened_He.html



F.C. Burkitt - Church and Gnosis; A Study of Christian Thought and Speculation in the Second Century

slika

slika

164 pages, 4.35 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/6ssloBeS/FC_Burkitt_-_Church_and_Gnosis.html




Saint Bernard of Clairvaux - The Two-Fold Knowledge; Readings on the Knowledge of Self & the Knowledge of God

slika

Table of Contents

Dedication
Foreword by John R. Sommerfeldt
Editor’s Preface
Introduction
1. Know yourself
2. Know yourself as Christ’s beast of burden
3. Know your tribulations
4. Know the Word of God
5. Knowledge that comes from the school of God
6. Know the true godliness
7. O Lord it is hard, but smart, to be humble
8. Know God in Christ
9. This is my philosophy: to know Jesus and him Crucified
10. Accusation of self; Justification by God
11. Know that it is enough for merit to know that merits are not enough
12. Know how to shepherd
13. Know your direction and your spiritual progress
Epilogue
List of Illustrations

153 pages, 2.48 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/PE2VlJDR/Saint_Bernard_of_Clairvaux_-_T.html



Thomas Moore - The Soul's Religion, Cultivating a Profoundly Spiritual Way of Life

slika

Moore's long-awaited companion volume to his popular 1992 book, Care of the Soul, delves into religion as a way of enhancing the life of the soul. A former monk and therapist, Moore reimagines religion not as a set of beliefs or a strict moral code, but as a romantic adventure. He draws heavily on his background in world religions, calling upon sources as diverse as poet Emily Dickinson, Lutheran martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Zen master Shunryu Suzuki. The result is not a frothy mixture of spiritual comfort and pat answers, but a thoughtful guidebook for seekers willing to go beyond instant messaging in their religious journeys and do their own work. Moore expresses some impatience with the "new spirituality" that has cropped up on the talk-show circuit with its "glowing, bloated terminology." But he clearly offers another way one in which ignorance can be holy, unbelief is as important as belief and "God is as much in the mess as in the beauty." In this collection of short essays, Moore is provocative, yet respectful of traditional religion. His thoughts are not always wrapped tightly or arranged in an easy flow, but he never creates the expectation that they will be, depicting himself more as a fellow explorer than an all-knowing guru. Readers involved in traditional religious structures may not agree with all of Moore's ideas, but they cannot fail to be challenged by them, as will independent spiritual travelers who have forged their own paths.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Epigraph
Introduction

I: Emptiness

1. A Hole in the Sky
2. The Empty Self
3. Holy Ignorance

II: Mystery

4. To Believe Is to Love
5. Unbelief Is as Important as Belief
6. Keeping the Mysteries
7. Faith Begins in Ordinary Trust
8. Flying Lessons
9. The Fortunate Fall
10. Down and Within
11. The Spirit of the Bottoms

III: Alchemy

IV: Ordeal

12. The Way of Disintegration
13. Sweet Suffering
14. Spiritual Anger
15. Unearthing the Gold
16. The Beauty of Imperfection
17. Spirituality by Ordeal
18. All Human Problems Are Spiritual

V: God

19. The Unnameable
20. Jesus the Imagination
21. Taking Angels Seriously
22. The Hidden God Is a Personal God

VI: Romance

23. The Romance of Religion
24. Eternal Maiden
25. Venerating Images
26. Nature Spirituality
27. Dream Practice
28. The Sacred Irrational

VII: A Holy Life

29. In Every Sacrifice, God Is Born
30. Ethics: A Way to Spirit
31. The Inner Life of Rice
32. Sensing the Holy
33. Religious Eroticism

VIII: Practice

34. Crafting a Soul
35. An Instinct for Prayer
36. Finding a Teacher Who Knows Not to Teach
37. Deepening the Meaning of Church
38. Transparent Tradition
39. Secular Holiness
40. Eternal Life

306 pages, 3.34 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/NYSoYmff/Thomas_Moore_-_The_Souls_Relig.html




St. Louis De Montfort - The Love of Eternal Wisdom

In this little book, Love of Eternal Wisdom, St. Louis-Marie de Montfort gives us a valuable abridgment of his spirituality which can be summed up in the words of St. Paul: "Christ living in us." Christ lives in all Christians who are in the state of grace. In the great majority, however, the Christian life is only, as it were, in its embryo. Montfort's aim is to develope that embryo until Christ has come to the fullness of His age in us. That is, until we have become perfect Christians. According to Montfort this perfect Christian life is acquired by an ardent desire, continual prayer, universal mortification and a tender and true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. from the "Forward"

CONTENTS:

Introduction

ONE: TO LOVE AND SEEK DIVINE WISDOM WE NEED TO KNOW HIM

1. Our need to acquire knowledge of divine Wisdom
2. Definition and division of the subject

TWO: ORIGIN AND EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

1. Wisdom in reference to the Father
2. The activity of eternal Wisdom in souls

THREE: THE MARVELLOUS POWER OF DIVINE WISDOM SHOWN IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN

1. In the creation of the world
2. In the creation of man

FOUR: MARVELS OF WISDOM'S GOODNESS AND MERCY BEFORE HIS INCARNATION

1. The Incarnation is decreed
2. The time before the Incarnation
Conclusion

FIVE: MARVELLOUS EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

SIX: EARNEST DESIRE OF DIVINE WISDOM TO GIVE HIMSELF TO MEN

1. Eternal Wisdom's letter of love
2. Incarnation, Death and the Eucharist
3. The ingratitude of those who refuse
4. Conclusion

SEVEN: CHOICE OF TRUE WISDOM

1. Wisdom of the world
2. Natural wisdom
3. Conclusion

EIGHT: MARVELLOUS EFFECTS OF WISDOM IN THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO POSSESS HIM

NINE: THE INCARNATION AND LIFE OF ETERNAL WISDOM

1. The Incarnation
2. Life of Wisdom Incarnate

TEN: THE CAPTIVATING BEAUTY AND THE INEXPRESSIBLE GENTLENESS OF INCARNATE WISDOM

1. Wisdom is gentle in his origin
2. He is declared gentle by the Prophets
3. He is gentle in his name
4. He is gentle in his looks
5. He is gentle in his words

ELEVEN: THE GENTLENESS OF THE INCARNATE WISDOM IN HIS ACTIONS

6. He is gentle in his actions
7. He continues to be gentle in heaven

TWELVE: THE PRINCIPAL UTTERANCES OF WISDOM INCARNATE WHICH WE MUST BELIEVE AND PRACTISE IF WE ARE TO BE SAVED

THIRTEEN: SUMMARY OF THE UNBELIEVABLE SORROWS THE INCARNATE WISDOM CHOSE TO ENDURE OUT OF LOVE FOR US

1. The most convincing reason for loving Wisdom
2. The circumstances of his Passion
3. The great love with which he suffered
4. Conclusion

FOURTEEN: THE TRIUMPH OF ETERNAL WISDOM IN AND BY THE CROSS

1. Wisdom and the Cross
2. The Cross and ourselves
3. Practical conclusion

FIFTEEN: MEANS TO ACQUIRE DIVINE WISDOM

The First Means: An Ardent Desire
The Second Means: Continuous Prayer

SIXTEEN: THE THIRD MEANS: UNIVERSAL MORTIFICATION

1. Necessity of Mortification
2. Qualities required for mortification

SEVENTEEN: FOURTH MEANS: A LOVING AND GENUINE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

1. Necessity of genuine devotion to Mary
2. What genuine devotion to Mary consists in

CONSECRATION OF ONESELF TO JESUS CHRIST, WISDOM INCARNATE, THROUGH THE HANDS OF MARY

36 pages, 277 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/ZSFiqPJm/St_Louis_De_Montfort_-_The_Lov.html




Louis Cassels - The Reality of God

slika

CONTENTS

WHY THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN

THE REASONS FOR OUR UNBELIEF

The Scientific Fallacy • The Freudian Misconception •The Secular Concern with Things • The Credibility Gap • No Capacity for Wonder

THE INADEQUATE CONCEPTS OF GOD

God of the Gaps • The Omnipotent God •The Supreme Being • The Personal God •The Unchanging God

WHY DO WE EXIST?

The Source of Being • The Mind Behind Evolution •The Sense of Moral Obligation • The Russell-Copleston Debate • The Sense of Beauty • Man's Search for Meaning • God Within Ourselves

JESUS AS YOUR GUIDE

The Visible Image of an Invisible God • How to Read the New Testament

THE HARD TEST

The Truly Radical Teachings • Communion with God • The Two Greatest Commandments • The Two Perfect Short Stories

ENCOUNTERING GOD

The Power of the Spirit • Scientists Speak • At Peace with Ourselves • A Chastening Presence • Spirit and Mind • The Spirit as Witness • The Unorthodox Search • The Pentecostalists

THE PUZZLE OF PRAYER

Petition • The Important Dialogue • Learning to Listen • The Five Kinds of Prayer •How Do You Pray?

REFLECTIVE READING OR MEDITATION

The Bible • Other Books • The Three R's

GOD IN COMMUNITY

The Early Communes • Communes of Today • Revelation through Events • The Ever-present Comfort

APPENDIX A

THREE PARABLES OF JESUS

The Parable of the Good Samaritan • The Parable of the Last Judgment • The Parable of the Prodigal Son

APPENDIX B
PRAYER BOOKS
APPENDIX C
OTHER BOOKS RECOMMENDED FOR ADDITIONAL READING

118 pages, 2.37 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/lTeAogiC/Louis_Cassels_-_The_Reality_of.html




Bernadette Roberts - The Experience of No-Self, A Contemplative Journey

This work on nondual realization is a detailed report on growth beyond what may be called the final duality, or what Roberts calls the first of two distinct and separate movements in Christian contemplative tradition.

The first contemplative movement is described as union of the self with God, where God is the "still-point and axis" of being. In the first movement, self is not yet lost, but functions as a higher self in its union with God. The sense of personal selfhood remains. Abiding in God remains. Being centered in God remains. The divine life remains. God and self remain.

But in the second contemplative movement, self and God fall away, and "that" remains. Union with God gives way to God beyond union. The mind becomes fixed in the permanent now. The self's union with God transcends itself.

"Here now," Roberts says, "begins the journey beyond union, beyond self and God, a journey into the silent an still regions of the unknown."

So begins the outline of a detailed and revealing journey whose insights are fresh and capable of nudging a person toward a further understanding. It is also without reference to Eastern traditions and vocabulary, which makes it interesting and different. by Jerry Katz

208 pages, 929 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/LlhtTr2t/Bernadette_Roberts_-_The_Exper.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html


More from KABBALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
 Naslov: Re: The Temple of Knowledge
PostPostano: sri mar 02, 2011 6:11 pm 
Offline
Član foruma
Avatar

Pridružen/a: pet nov 09, 2007 3:29 pm
Postovi: 833
Lokacija: Zagreb, Vrbovec
Rabbi Michael ben Pesach Portnaar - The Teachings of Foolishness

slika

"Somewhere in the e-book “Kabalah for complete Life Management” I have written ‘the best thing is to read and learn from the most secret writings in the original language’. Now the time has come to speak about the letters of the Holy language! Holiness means to give. When you read and learn the lessons of this book, know that you have to take your time. Do it slowly, with the utmost concentration. Every lesson, every page, every sentence, every word, every letter you see put it in your heart because it belongs to the Holy Language. To have some knowledge of the Hebrew letters is a must. Don’t underestimate this. The specific ability of the Holy language, the Hebrew letters, is to transform the kelim in the aspect of giving. No other language can do this. Only in and behind the Hebrew letters you can find the Holiness that takes the aspect of giving. The light - the Creator is within the Hebrew letters, there is no other place –makom- in Hebrew: מקו than in these letters. Particularly the kabalistic sources as: The teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Zohar, Shlavej haSulam, Etz Chaim and TES (Talmud Eser Sefirot). This is enough.

The human being of our world is called ‘the lower human being’. The human being of the world Atzilut is called ‘the higher human being’ meaning it’s eternal, spiritual and giving. This higher being surrounds the Zeir Anpin z’a of the world Atzilut. All the letters of the Torah and their combinations forms the body -kelim- of the Higher giving human being of Atzilut. These letters descended into our world coming from the z’a of the world Atzilut. Now you will probably understand why it is so important to keep yourself busy with the secrets of the Torah, because only by doing this you can transform the kelim of receiving (belonging to the lower being), to the kelim of the giving belonging to the higher being. There is no other way to becoming a Higher being than slowly, step by step, building up the inner spiritual body that is in the Higher being."

221 pages, 3.26 MB, in 3 PDFs.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/file/mafJJTbr/Rabbi_Michael_ben_Pesach_Portn.html




Selected Religious Poems of Solomon ibn Gabirol

Solomon ibn Gabirol (b. 1021, d. ca. 1058) was a Jewish Neoplatonist philosopher and poet who lived in Spain during the Islamic period. His devotional poetry, featured here, is considered among the best post-canon, and portions of his poetic works have been incorporated into the Jewish liturgy. However, only two extensive works of his have survived, a collection of his poems, translated here, and a philosophical treatise, the Fountain of Life, which, ironically, was thought to be the work of a Christian until the mid-19th century.

Of some interest here is the extensive discussion of the structure of the cosmos in the extended poem 'The Royal Crown,' which includes a section which describes each of the celestial spheres in turn. He gives specific astronomical facts which were state of the art in the 11th century. He states that the outer planets, the sun and stars are much larger than the earth (although the specific numbers he gives are a bit too small!). The Royal Crown additionally provides a poetic abstract of the philosophical theories found in the Fountain of Life. Also apparent are references to Kabbalistic concepts, or perhaps Gabirol influenced later Kabbalists. But the focus of these poems is Gabirol's intense relationship with God, which pervades every aspect of his writing. Interwoven are themes of the anticipation of the Messiah, the sorrow of the diaspora, and the meaning of life. Indeed, at one point (# 37) he laments that his only prayer is for God to explain "life's interpretation."

Gabirol marks the period of transition from the intense mystical experience of the Merkava tradition to one that reconcile reason and revelation. A line that was carried on by numerous Kabbalists throughout history to the present time. Gabirol’s contribution to Kabalah was that God is an Absolute unity, in whom form and substance are identical. Therefore no attributions can be ascribed to God, and man can comprehend God only by means of the beings emanating from him. Gabirol mentioned the four worlds as Beriah, Yetzira and Asiya, while he considered Atzilut to be identical with the will.

Contents

Introduction
On Translating Gabirol

1. At the Dawn
2. My Soul Shall Declare
3. The Messiah
4. Invitation
5. Three Things Conspire
6. Before My King
7. Open the Gate
8. Pour Out Thy Heart
9. Six Years Were Decreed
10. ’Tis Joy to Me
11. My Refuge
12. Ecstasy
13. I Have Sought Thee Daily
14. Humble of Spirit
15. For a Marriage
19. The Sun
17. The Redemption
18. God and Israel
19. Reassurance: A Trialogue
20. Duologue
21. Establish Peace
22. Judgment
23. Prayer For the Hazzan
24. Two Things Have Met
25. For New Year’s Day
26. My Lord and King
27. Blow Ye the Trumpet
28. Let the Isles Rejoice
29. For The Day of Memorial
30. God Dwelleth High
31. For Atonement Eve
32. Lord of the World
33. Lord, What Is Man?
34. The Day of Judgment
35. Lamentation
36. The Dwellers In Clay
37. Almighty God
38. The Lord of Heaven
39. Ask of Me
40. Forget Thy Affliction
41. To My Soul
42. Look Up To Thy Maker
43. Invocation
44. Benediction
45. My Heart Clamours
46. Arise, O My Rapture
47. Passover Psalm
48. O God, My Sun
49. The Love of God

50. The Royal Crown

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII. Mercury
XIV. Venus
XV. Sun
XVI. Sun
XVII. Moon
XVIII. Mars
XIX. Jupiter
XX. Saturn
XXI. The Zodiac
XXII. The Zodiac
XXIII. The Ninth Sphere
XXIV. The Sphere of Intelligence
XXV. The Angels
XXVI. The Throne
XXVII. The World to Come
XXVIII. The Treasuries of Heaven
XXIX. The Soul
XXX. The Soul
XXXI. The Soul
XXXII.
XXXIII.
XXXIV.
XXXV.
XXXVI.
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
XXXIX.
XL.

430 pages, 3.62 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/wSPSGluW/Selected_Religious_Poems_of_So.html




Grace O’Keeffe - A Study of the History of Jewish Meditation, Theory and Practice

Pop Jewish Mysticism can easily be seen in our twenty‐first century culture, perhaps even more so than more conservative forms of Judaism. From Michael Berg’s Kabbalah Center in New York City to Madonna, Demi Moore and Britney Spears’ claim to mystical interpretations, Jewish mysticism has become the new hot topic. And yet there is little if any mention of the practice of mediation in contemporary Judaism. The late scholar, Orthodox rabbi and author of over fifty books on the subject, Aryeh Kaplan explained this as a product of the Jewish Enlightenment during the late eighteenth century in his book Jewish Meditation. Kaplan argues that meditation was once an inherent part of Jewish life and that evidence for this claim may be found in the Bible, commentaries and Kabbalah texts. The first Jewish Mysticism scholar at Hebrew University, Gershom Scholem criticized historians of Judaism for imposing rationality on Judaism in the late nineteenth century, and ignoring the non‐rational force of myth and mysticism in the foundation of Judaism. Famed Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides described what Gershom Scholem deems as non‐rational force of Judaism, stating in the twelfth century, “The whole object of the Prophets and the Sages was to declare that a limit is set to human reason where it must halt.” The problem, however, lies in the fact that meditation is rarely directly discussed in Jewish sources, but rather examples and side notes about meditative experiences are given. That is to say, within Jewish texts there is little actual direction for meditation as there is commentary on meditative experiences. Moreover, to those who have never experienced meditation, discussion about meditation may feel like an average sighted person who has never learned Braille to feel Braille on paper. To him, it may feel like random bumps on a paper, but to the blind, however, not only are there tactile bumps on the paper, but there is an active experience of reading. Similarly, meditators and nonmeditators alike may go through the same occurrences or readings, but it is the nature of the experience that changes. To deepen and expand knowledge about Judaism, it is necessary to explore meditation within the Jewish religious tradition.

59 pages, 539 KB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/ixVyfjVj/Grace_OKeeffe_-_A_Study_of_the.html





Robert Sagerman - Ambivalence toward Christianity in the Kabbalah of Abraham Abulafia

This dissertation is devoted to an investigation of the conflicted attitude toward Christianity demonstrable in the writings of the kabbalist Abraham Abulafia (1240 – ca. 1291). Abulafia’s hostility toward Christianity is explicit and emphatic. He partakes of most of the polemical arguments raised against Christians by the fellow Jews of his day. On the other hand, Abulafia’s absorption of Christian doctrines is equally clear and central. In fact, Abulafia goes beyond this absorption of doctrine to accord a place of key importance in his own messianic self-conception to the figure of Jesus.

The latter Abulafia viewed as the transgressive element within his own inner psyche. Abulafia, in kind with many of the kabbalists of his day, viewed Jesus as the epitome of idolatry, and he discusses the extent to which this inner idolatrous element tempted him. For Abulafia, the threat of such temptations manifested itself in the form of demons. These, by his own testimony, dogged him as he sought to commune with the Active Intellect. We will explore the fashion in which these demons embodied Abulafia’s powerful attraction to Christianity. The latter Abulafia characterizes as the forbidden feminine element, while the demons poised against him threatened Abulafia with emasculation. The implications of Abulafia’s attitudes toward Christianity lend themselves to psychoanalytic investigation. Abulafia’s ambivalent feelings toward Christianity ran to the core of his psyche, providing the subtext for his mystical doctrine and sense of his own messianic mission and demonstrating the role of the forbidden other in the construction of self. Abulafia, in his mystical thought and practice, seeks to subsume Christian influences within a synthetic whole. By such means he intended to overcome the self-other dichotomy, with redemptive consequences.

Contents:

Abstract

Introduction: Abulafia and Alterity; the Other in the Self

Chapter One: Refutation and Absorption; Abulafia’s Response to the Christian Context

Chapter Two: Abulafia’s Demons; the Psychological Dimension of Abulafia’s Relationship to Christianity

Chapter Three: Abulafia and Jesus; metatron and Sandalfon

Chapter Four: Warp and Woof; Circumcision, Crucifixion and Divine Embodiment

Conclusion

Bibliography

525 pages, 3.49 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/TS8GBmb_/Robert_Sagerman_-_Ambivalence_.html




Hans Urs von Balthasar - Cosmic Liturgy, The Universe According to Maximus the Confessor

slika

CONTENTS

Translator's Foreword
Foreword to the Second Edition (1961)

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Free Mind
a. Opening Up the Tradition
b. Between Emperor and Pope
2 . East and West
a. Religion and Revelation
b. Scholasticism and Mysticism
3. The Synthesis
a. Contents and Levels
b. Christ and the Synthesis
4. Chronology of His Life and Work

II. GOD

1. The Dark Radiance
a. The Dialectic of Transcendence
b. The Dialectic of Analogy
2 . Divine Unknowing
3. A Thrice-Praised Unity
a. The Blighted Image
b. Hidden Fruitfulness
4. Transformations of the One
a. Elements of the Tradition
b. Number and What Is Beyond

III. IDEAS

1. Ideas in God: A Critique of Pseudo-Dionysius
a. The Ontological Approach
b. The Epistemological Approach
2. Ideas and the World: A Critique of Origenism
a. Correcting the Myth
b. The Truth of the Myth

IV. THE SYNTHESES OF THE COSMOS

1. Being and Movement
a. "The Age"
b. Extension
c. Realization and Grace
d. Between East and West
2. Generality and Particularity
a. Being in Motion
b. Essence in Motion
c. A Balance of Contrary Motions
3. Subject and Object
4. Intellect and Matter
a. The Macrocosm
b. The Microcosm

V. HUMANITY AND SIN

1. History and the Parousia
2. Paradise and Freedom
3. Passivity and Decay
4. Existence as Contradiction
5. The Dialectics of Passion
6. The Sexual Synthesis

VI. CHRIST THE SYNTHESIS

1. Setting the Question
2. The Terminology
3. The Synthetic Person
a. Parallels in Creation
b. From Leontius to Maximus
c. The Free Synthesis
d. Christology of Essence and Christology of Being
e. Beyond Antioch and Alexandria
4. Healing as Preservation
a. The Exchange of Properties
b. The Meaning of the Doctrine of Two Wills
c. The Drama of Redemption
5. The Syntheses of Redemption

VII. THE SPIRITUAL SYNTHESES

1. Christian Realization
2. The Synthesis of the Three Faculties
3. The Synthesis of the Three Laws
a. Nature and Scripture Grounded in Christ
b. Relation between Natural and Biblical Law
c. The Essential Points of Tension
d. The Contemplation of Nature
e. The Scriptural Law
f. The Synthesis of Christ
4. The Synthesis of Three Acts of Worship
a. Ecclesial and Sacramental Worship
b. The Worship of Mind and Spirit
c. The Worship of Love
5. The Synthesis of the Three Acts
a. Action and Contemplation
b. Love as Unity
6. Now and Eternity
a. The Centuries on Knowledge
b. Movement and Rest
c. Restoration

Appendix: The Problem of the Scholia to Pseudo-Dionysius
Bibliography
General Index
Index of Citations from Maximus' Works

415 pages, 38.5 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/K_0djVPQ/Hans_Urs_von_Balthasar_-_Cosmi.html




John C. Poirier - The Tongues of Angels, The Concept of Angelic Languages in Classical Jewish & Christian Texts

slika

The Apostle Paul's reference to the "tongues of angels" (1 Cor 13.1) has always aroused curiosity, but it has rarely been the object of a history-of-traditions investigation. Few readers of Paul's words are aware of the numerous references and allusions to angelic languages in Jewish and Christian texts. John C. Poirier presents the first full-length study of the concept of angelic languages, and the most exhaustive attempt to assemble the evidence for that concept in ancient Jewish and early Christian texts. He discusses possible references to angelic languages in the New Testament, pseudepigraphic writings (both Jewish and Christian), the Dead Sea scrolls, rabbinic texts, patristic references, magical writings, and epigraphy. The discussion is divided between those witnesses that understand angels to speak Hebrew, and those that understand angels to speak an esoteric heavenly language.

249 pages, 3.88 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/SpPaN6iI/John_C_Poirier_-_The_Tongues_o.html




John C. Reeves - Heralds of That Good Realm, Syro-Mesopotamian Gnosis and Jewish Tradition

slika

This volume examines the transmission of biblical pseudepigraphic literature and motifs from their largely Jewish cultural contexts in Palestine to developing gnostic milieux of Syria and Mesopotamia, particularly that one lying behind the birth and growth of Manichaeism. It surveys biblical pseudepigraphic literary activity in the late antique Near East, devoting special attention to revelatory works attributed to the five biblical forefathers who are cited in the "Cologne Mani Codex: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Shem, and Enoch.The author provides a philological, literary, and religio-historical analysis of each of the five pseudepigraphic citations contained in the "Codex, and offers hypotheses regarding the original provenance of each citation and the means by which these traditions have been adapted to their present context.This study is an important contribution to the scholarly reassessment of the roles played by Second Temple Judaism, Jewish Christian sectarianism, and classical gnosis in the formulation and development of Syro-Mesopotamian religious currents.

133 pages, 8.77 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/YdFKn0H7/John_C_Reeves_-_Heralds_of_Tha.html



Pseudo-Macarius - The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and the Great Letter

slika

The writings of Pseudo-Macarius, a Syrian monk of the 4th century, bring to Western Christianity a holistic "heart" spirituality that offers a necessary complementarity to the "head" spirituality of the West. The homilies reveal the typical traits of Eastern Christian asceticism and The Great Letter instructs the monastic community.

The Fifty Homilies, in the form of a practical, monastic pedagogy, reveal the typical traits of Eastern Christian asceticism, with particular emphasis on the spiritual combat, the action of the Holy Spirit, and the importance of interior prayer. The Great Letter discusses the purging of the passions to bring the Christian into a state of tranquility and integration, and addresses the monastic community with instructions regarding organization, humility, and prayer.

207 pages, 1.17 MB, PDF.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/RodkPqRc/Pseudo-Macarius_-_The_Fifty_Sp.html



John Tauler - The Sermons and Conferences, Being His Spiritual Doctrine

slika

John Tauler was born in the city of Strassburg about the year 1290. His family was in easy circumstances, his father, as it is surmised, having been a member of the city council. At eighteen years of age, or even earlier, John entered the Dominican novitiate in his native city, a young man full of religious fervor, and endowed with high intellectual gifts. His order gave him the best possible education, sending him to their greater house of studies at Cologne, and perhaps to their famous school at the University of Paris. Besides profiting by the usual scholastic training in the spirit and letter of St. Thomas Aquinas, Tauler, it is noted, became well versed in the Fathers of the Church, especially St. Augustine. He merited and obtained his order's highest diploma, that of Master of Sacred Theology.

He soon manifested a taste for the mystics, studying St. Dionysius, St Bernard, and Hugo and Richard of St. Victor with characteristic ardor. This mystical tendency was strengthened by personal association with men of like tastes, some of them of the highest degree of spirituality, mostly members of his own order. On his return to Strassburg at the end of his studies, Tauler entered into familiar friendship with Master Eckhart, a leading spirit of that day, and also with Blessed Henry Suso, one of the most beautiful religious characters of the era. Both were distinguished Dominicans. Their influence on their young friend and brother was powerful and
permanent.

What we have are Tauler's ascetical and mystical discourses, a priceless treasure for souls who are seeking by the more interior methods to make themselves wholly responsive to the divine guidance.

The centre of Tauler's mysticism is the doctrine of the visio essentiœ Dei, the blessed contemplation or knowledge of the Divine nature. He takes this doctrine from Thomas Aquinas, but goes further than the latter in believing that the Divine knowledge is attainable in this world also by a perfect man, and should be sought by every means. God dwells within each human being. In order, however, that the transcendent God may appear in man as a second subject, the human, sinful activities must cease. Aid is given in this effort by the light of grace which raises nature far above itself. The way to God is through love; God replies to its highest development by His presence. Tauler gives advice of the most varied character for attaining that height of religion in which the Divine enters into the human subject.

We heartily recommend these sermons to all who aspire to wholehearted service of God. whether they are led into mystical states of prayer or not. They will find Tauler a master of the entire course between repentance from grievious sin and ecstatic union with God. He is as serviceable a guide in the ordinary degrees of the ascetical life as in those of high contemplation, ever coupling the two states together into an integral Christian career.

800 pages, 46.3 MB, PDF. Scan.

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/wkv6nuN7/John_Tauler_-_The_Sermons_and_.html



More from GNOSTICISM AND CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/lHxDGElO/Gnosticism_and_Christian_Mysti.html


More from KABBALAH folder:

Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/FXqG0mmn/Kabbalah-Qabalah__Kabala_.html

_________________
Moja kolekcija knjiga:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/12497247/299 ... cija_.html


Vrh
 Profil  
 
Prikaži postove “stare”:  Redanje  
Započni novu temu Odgovori  [ 213 post(ov)a ]  Stranica Prethodna  1 ... 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11  Sljedeća

Vremenska zona: UTC + 01:00


Online

Trenutno korisnika/ca: / i 15 gostiju.


cron
Powered by phpBB © 2010 phpBB Group
BH (BIH) by Šehić Nijaz