Ancient Religion

Gnosticism is one of the great mysteries in the history of Western religion. At its core is an ancient Greek word, gnosis, a word prominent in the writings of Plato which refers to a deep personal knowledge or understanding that often transcends the physical world. The Gnostics painted a picture of a fallen, broken world in which physicality was a product of a lesser deity. This deity was created in defiance of the One and in order to trap humans and blind them to the truths of their predicament and divine origins.

An Orthodox priest with a doctorate in counseling, Fr. Meletios Webber helps us to understand addiction and explores ways to overcome it. He clearly and skillfully explains the 12 steps of the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous. In correlating the 12 steps with basic Orthodox theology, Fr. Mel identifies the implication of the 12 steps for Orthodox, and for all Christians. Using examples from the life of the Orthodox Church, he shows how the steps can be a valuable resource for our own spiritual journey.

In order to become a healing presence for others, we must first be healed ourselves through an active relationship with the great healer, Christ. Drawing on the teachings of the fathers and saints of the church, Dr. Rossi gently points the way toward deepening our love for God and for each other so that others may experience Christ through us.

Although all the titles of the Nag Hammadi library are not known, many people have heard about its most famous components: The Gospel of Thomas - at one time it was discussed whether it should be included in the New Testament - and The Gospel of Philip, which tried to revive the debate around the identity of Mary Magdalene: "Why do you love her more than all of us?" asks a disconcerted Peter to Jesus. Finally, the Nag Hammadi texts have led many scholars to reconsider the rigid canons imposed by the early Church, and the readers to find a more intimate religion that turned upside down many postulates of Christian orthodoxy.

In this follow-up to Erich von Däniken's worldwide best seller Chariots of the Gods, the author reveals startling new evidence that could prove his theory that ancient Earth had contact with aliens. Von Däniken claims that an alien race helped to create the pyramids of Egypt, a claim he based upon the ruins themselves.

The war is on. The Devil plots to defeat you. Meet some battle-tested warriors who fight at your side. Satan is real. He's a formidable foe who wants to snatch us away from God, and the thought of doing battle with him can seem daunting. Even so, the saints who have gone before us have engaged the Devil, armed with the power of Christ and emerged victorious! These fellow warriors in heaven now fight on our behalf.

In the Druid Way, Philip Carr-Gomm takes us on a journey through the scared landscape of Southern Britain, and as he does so, we learn about Druidry as a living tradition of the land and its people, a tradition that is as relevant today as it was for our ancestors.

Popular author and speaker Fr. Stephen Freeman explores the roots and meaning of both toxic and healthy shame, revealing the crucial importance of this understanding for our relationship with God.

Speaking to non-believers and believers alike, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick attempts to create a sacred space in which we can encounter God. In this compact volume, he distills the essence of the traditional Christian faith, addressing the fundamental mysteries of where God is, who God is, why we go to church, and why Christian morality matters. If you’ve only heard about the Protestant or Roman Catholic version of Christianity, what he has to say may surprise you—and make you long to encounter God in Jesus Christ.

Rumi's Spiritual Verses is the greatest mystical poem in Islamic culture - and of all time. Rumi examines our human separation from reality, love, and truth. He shows how love - neither erotic nor sentimental but divine, by which the universe is held together - enlightens ignorance and dissolves suffering. The first book of the Masnavi is the key to the whole work: It takes off from simple, amusing tales into realms unimaginable, but wholly familiar to the human heart.

A detailed look into ancient advanced technology, science, and medicine - some of which has yet to be reproduced today.

This book presents the doctrine of the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. Many prophecies are explored with biblical passages and terms explained from the scripture itself. Evidence is presented that proves the first century church believed the end times would begin with the return of Israel to her ancient homeland. More than 50 prophecies have been fulfilled since Israel became a state; several more are yet to be fulfilled.

Smooth Stones Taken from Ancient Brooks is a collection of sentences and quaint sayings from this renowned Puritan. Gathered by Spurgeon from the six-volume set of Brooks' Works, it remains an excellent introduction to both the man and his writing.

What if you could approach every part of your life - from the smallest decisions to life's biggest setbacks - with total confidence, clarity, and control? According to Sakyong Mipham, we all have that power. The secret is simple: If you just stop thinking about yourself all the time, happiness and confidence will come naturally. It sounds absurd and, what's more, impossible. But in Ruling Your World, Sakyong Mipham shares ancient secrets on how to take control of our lives and be successful while cultivating compassion for others and confidence in our own intelligence and goodness.

The Holy Psalter contains the Psalms and other scriptural Odes that are used throughout the Orthodox Church's liturgical life. It uses the Greek Septuagint ("LXX") Old Testament, the scripture used by the Apostles and the early Christians, and by the Orthodox Church today.

Make no mistake, the sacred gods are active. The African continent is home to ancestors, sacred deities, and diverse cultures. Among them is the Yoruba tradition, one of Africa’s most powerful societies. Standing the test of time and thriving against extinction, the Yoruba culture is one of the few African cultures that have crossed the vast oceans and continue to thrive today. Devotees spend their lives under the sacred guiding influence of the gods and are open to sharing the secrets of Orisha with those who seek knowledge.

People need stories to make sense of the world - to hold their lives together, and to fasten on to those values that last. The greatest stories are found in the Bible, enduring through the centuries. In Genesis, acclaimed television journalist Bill Moyers brings together some of the world's liveliest minds for spirited round-table discussions of the ageless stories from the Bible's first, towering book.

What causes faith to transform from an intellectual knowing about God to a passionate love story with God? Scott MacLellan asked this question as his daughter battled cancer and he looked for purpose in his family’s suffering. He couldn’t believe that God was uninterested, but he also rejected trite reassurances. He finally found a satisfying answer in the three-step passage—based on the writings of Solomon—that Christian mystics identified as a path through pain to true spiritual devotion. In The Ancient Ladder, Scott helps us apply the wisdom of past centuries to our challenges today.

This 2000-year-old scroll reveals the chronology from Creation through Cyrus' decree that freed the Jews in 536 BC. The Ancient Seder Olam uses Biblical prophecy to prove its calculations of the timeline. We have used this technique to continue the timeline all the way to the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in AD 1948.

George Smith (1840-1876) was an English archaeologist and Assyriologist who first discovered and translated the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the most ancient works of literature. The Babylonian account was similar to the biblical account of the Flood in Genesis. Smith discovered many more tablet fragments of the flood story, and published his work in "The Chaldean Account of Genesis".