eBooks de Historia de las religiones, página 3 de 199

The Phlegrean fields, Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi and Paestum.Greek-Roman and Judeo-Christian is our culture.A special light shines over southern Italy: thoughts, remarks and the considerations of a free thinker.

Questa piccola raccolta di preghiere vuole essere un semplice ausilio per la preghiera personale e familiare in questo tempo di angoscia.Il cristiano sa che Dio non e il burattinaio che tira le fila della storia e la preghiera cristiana non vuole spingerlo a fare la nostra volonta, fosse anche questa spinta dal bene, ma piuttosto a mettere noi in sintonia con la sua.Non e quindi la preghiera a spingere Dio a fare cio che vogliamo, ma a metterci in comunione con quello che lui vuole per noi.Possano quindi queste preghiere aiutarci a pregare anche con parole nostre, quelle che lo Spirito detta ai nostri cuori, per essere sempre piu in comunione tra di noi e con il Padre celeste

George Robert Stowe Mead was an author, editor, translator, and an influential member of the Theosophical Society as well as the founder of the Quest Society. The main materials contained in "Gnostic John the Baptizer" (1924) will certainly be new for the vast majority of readers. Moreover the Mandan narratives, legends and discourses are not only interesting because of their own distinctive matter and manner, but they are also arresting; for they raise a number of problems, some of which are far-reaching and one is fraught with implications of immense importance. The definite solutions of these problems, however, lie in the future, and the most important of them will perhaps never be reached; for, in the absence of straightforward historical information, general agreement on any subject that concerns Christian origins immediately or even indirectly is now well-nigh a psychological impossibility.The writers intention in publishing these selections is not to speculate about the problems, for we are not yet in a position to state them with sufficient accuracy, but the very modest undertaking of making accessible for English readers some specimens of narrative and doctrine from one collection only of the traditional gnostic material which the Mandan scribes have preserved to our own day through centuries of copying, and which hands on an early literature purporting at least in part to go back to times contemporaneous with Christian origins.

Throughout his theological writings, Emanuel Swedenborg devotes more pages to discussing the inner, spiritual meaning of the Bible than to any other topic. In his short work "White Horse", first published in 1758, he provides the spiritual theory behind the verse-by-verse analysis found in his multivolume works "Secrets of Heaven" and "Revelation Unveiled"."White Horse" begins with a short summary of the spiritual meaning of the white horse described in Revelation 19:11. In form, what then follows is a series of statements about the inner meaning of the Bible with references to explanatory passages in "Secrets of Heaven". However, when read in sequence, those statements are also a concise summary of Swedenborgs theology of biblical interpretation.

"Secret Power", written by Dwight Lyman Moody in 1881, is a rallying cry for action to all Christians, encouraging believers to bring out the true potential of their church, with an intensity and scale scarcely seen for centuries.This work is a solid Christian reading with a focus on the power of the Holy Spirit and His availability to work in our lives when we submit. Moody presents a few relevant points:1. We cannot work for God without love.2. God, through the Holy Spirit, will give encouragement.3. The Gospel is every bit as powerful today as it was thousands of years ago.4. The Holy Spirit will fill us with His presence and power when we empty ourselves of pride, vanity, and other worldly attitudes (submit)5. When Gods Spirit is on us, the world looks very empty and we begin to let go of it as we begin to focus on the eternal.6. When we have Gods Spirit on us, we will speak with authority and power.7. True service to God is marked by waiting to receive His power in His time and way.Standing at the forefront of the Christian Revival movement of the 19th century, Moody was one of the principle figures responsible for a great resurgence in belief throughout North America. His charismatic pleas to the public of the United States to comprehend and act upon the power of God were successful, and he was able to encourage established and frontier communities alike toward spiritual practice.In Moodys view, the church had lost its luster over the centuries. Much of the old doctrine and ceremony was losing its resonance with believers, who found it hard to comprehend. Decrying this spiritual impotency, the author advocates for a new and open form of Christianity, which accounts for the facts of the believers everyday life and trials - such inclusive mindfulness would restore and expand the churchs sublime relevance.

First published in 1887, "Phallic Worship", by Robert Allen Campbell, is an outline of the worship of the generative organs, as being, or as representing, the Divine Creator, with suggestions as to the influence of the phallic idea on religious creeds, ceremonies, customs and symbolism, past and present.

Written in 1930 by Charles Fillmore, "The Twelve Powers of Man" is a metaphysical look at twelve expressions of the divine power inherent in each of us. Expressions such as love, faith, strength, zeal, and imagination are discussed.Jesus prophesied the advent of a race of men who would sit with Him on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. This book explains the meaning of this mystical reference, what and where the twelve thrones are, and what attainments are necessary by man before he can follow Jesus in this phase of his regeneration. Regeneration follows generation in the development of man. Generation sustains and perpetuates the human; regeneration unfolds and glorifies the divine. It is not expected that beginners in the study of metaphysical Christianity will understand this book. It deals with forces that function below and above the field of the conscious mind. The average religious thinker knows nothing about the subconscious mind and very little about the superconscious; this book presupposes a working knowledge of both.

Edward Planta Nesbit was a schoolmaster, author and land agent in Angaston, South Australia, during the 19th century. Aside from a thin book of poetry, "Jesus An Essene" was the only book of his which ever saw print.In "Jesus An Essene" Nesbit makes a very radical proposal which hinges on Jesus being a member of the Essene sect, today known as the custodians of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. This may not have been the first appearance of this theme, which remains popular today, but it is the earliest one. In any case, this is one of those short books which can have a big impact on the reader, a book that can change the way you think about Christianity.

First published in 1913, "Jewish Mysticism: An Introduction to the Kabbalah" is a succinct exploration that serves as an introduction to the general study of Jewish mysticism. This is a book that is accessible to the general reader, and offers a good background to anyone interested in the Kabbalah or Mysticism at any level.Dr. Joshua Abelsons book is a concise classic on the salient features of Jewish mysticism and its impact on Jewish thought and worship. Based on researches of Jewish scholars, and reinforced by authors acquaintance with Talmudic and rabbinical literature, the book covers Essenism, Merkabah mysticism, the book Yetsirah, Zohar mysticism, the ten Sefirot, the Soul, and more. Abelson puts the Kabbalah into context as the outgrowth of a long-term evolution of Jewish mystical thought, starting with the Essenes and the Merkabah (Chariot) mysticism of the Talmundic era. Abelson explains how neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, Christianity and other currents influenced and were in turn impacted by Jewish mysticism.

Charles Webster Leadbeater was a former Anglican minister and a clairvoyant who joined the Theosophical Society. He became Presiding Catholic Bishop of the Society. He was a prolific writer of many occult and paranormal books and pamphlets, and one of the most famous is "Man, Visible and Invisible".Originally published in 1903, "Man, Visible and Invisible" is an esoteric classic that examines the invisible bodies of humans, showing how the colours of the aura change with different emotional states.

"The Paradoxes of the Highest Science" was the first of Lévis books to be translated into English. The original French version was published in 1856. This translation (by an unknown hand) was first published in 1883 by the Theosophical Society, and re-issued in 1922, with additional extensive footnotes by an Eminent Occultist (herein, E.O.). The identity of E.O. is unknown, but it is believed from the style and views expressed that it was none other than Helena P. Blavatsky.By the time of his death in 1875, Eliphas Levi was recognised in both Europe and America as the greatest occultist of the 19th century."The Paradoxes of the Highest Science" first appeared in Calcutta as a pamphlet in the Theosophical Miscellanies series. In it, Levi makes an appeal for a balance between science and religion by addressing seven paradoxical statements including "Religion is magic sanctioned by authority,""liberty is obedience to the Law," and "reason is God."

"Book of Mormon" is a work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the Bible, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon churches. It was first published in 1830 in Palmyra, New York, and was thereafter widely reprinted and translated. Its followers hold that it is a divinely inspired work revealed to and translated by the founder of their religion, Joseph Smith."Book of Mormon" resembles the Bible in its length and complexity and in its division into books named for individual prophets. It relates the history of a group of Hebrews who migrated from Jerusalem to America about 600 BCE, led by a prophet, Lehi. They multiplied and eventually split into two groups. One group, the Lamanites, forgot their beliefs, became heathens, and were the ancestors of the American Indians. The other group, the Nephites, developed culturally and built great cities but were eventually destroyed by the Lamanites about 400 CE. Before that occurred, however, Jesus had appeared and taught the Nephites (after his Ascension).(Source: britannica.com)

When James I became King of England in 1603, having a Bible version dedicated to him was the farthest thing from his mind. But being a good administrator, when the Puritans presented him with a list of grievances they had against the Church of England, James decided to convene a conference to try to work out the differences. No real decisions of lasting worth were made at that conference except one: To create a new version of the English Bible.In 1611 the first copies of the new "Authorized Version" were released. Like every new Bible version before, it had to deal with people hesitant to give up their older versions. But it quickly overcame these trials, and within 25 years it had replaced the Geneva Translation as the version most used in Churches and for private study. And because of its excellence, the King James Version would become the only English Bible for almost three centuries.

"The Religion of the Samurai" is a classic religious text by Kaiten Nukariya published in 1913.Zen was uniquely suited to the Samurai of Japan. The high moral principles of Buddhism, when adopted and adapted by the Japanese warriors who became the Samurai, created an austere philosophy of singular beauty and depth. Its characteristic requirements of strict control over body and mind was exemplified by ancient warrior monks whose serene countenance, even in the face of certain death, made them much admired even by their foes.Zen may be the most misunderstood of the worlds moral philosophies. While it is often classified as a Religion, it is frequently considered by its adherents to be a utilitarian philosophy, a collection of rational moral precepts or, even more simply, as a state of being. The aim of the practice of Zen is to become Enlightened and achieve the beatitude of Nirvana.

"The Temptation of Saint Anthony", novel by Gustave Flaubert published in 1874 as "La Tentation de Saint Antoine" was Flauberts lifelong work. The book deeply influenced the young Freud and was the inspiration for many artists.Based on the story of the 4th-century Christian anchorite Saint Anthony who lived on an isolated mountaintop in the Egyptian desert, it reflects on his life, his decision to become a hermit, and the temptations of sexuality and sensuality he undergoes. Enfeebled from fasting and beset with sinful feelings and remorse, he experiences hallucinations in which he is drawn to gustatory and sensual excesses and in which he is tormented by philosophical doubt. But he emerges from his agony after he awakens and sees on the Sun the image of Christs face.

"The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage" was written some time around 1350, not long after Flemish mystic Jan van Ruysbroeck moved to a small hermitage out in the country, where he wandered the woods and wrote as the Holy Ghost inspired him."The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage" contains three of Jan van Ruysbroecks best works: The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage, The Sparkling Stone, and The Book of Truth. These works are remarkable for their combination of lofty spiritual philosophy and robust common sense. As we read them, we feel that we are in touch with a man who, in his ecstatic ascents to God, never loses hold of the actualities of human life. In the Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage, he traces the gradual development of the soul through the active life of Christian virtue, the interior life of contemplation, and the super essential life of union with God. The Sparkling Stone further elaborates on some of the more difficult passages in The Adornment, and The Book of Truth was written as a refutation of the accusation that van Ruysbroecks work supported a pantheistic and heretical view of the union of the soul with God.

"The Way to Nirvana," volume appeared in 1917, contains the substance of the 1916 Hibbert Lectures, delivered by Louis de La Vallee Poussin (1869-1938), a Belgian scholar who specialised in studies of Buddhism and the Indian subcontinent. The lectures cover areas related to the central topic of Ancient Buddhism as a discipline of salvation.

A part of these stories are true. A common situation for some people, either by nature or by habit, is to criticize or judge others and, often, we dont realize that we make that person or their family feel bad. Sometimes we can even hurt them physically or mentally. Among the stories written here, one is true. One talks about a little girl who was criticized from birth, but who had the intelligence to turn criticism into positive energy; She didnt stop to listen to mediocre nonsense.Another stories talks about the perpetuation of prejudice or religious faith, without criticizing any religion or offending those who profess them.

First published in 1922, "Siddhartha" is a novel by Hermann Hesse based on the early life of Buddha and it was inspired by the authors visit to India before World War I."Siddhartha" follows a man as he seeks the meaning of life and reaches enlightenment. As his journey progresses, we find certain themes such as unity with nature, avoidance of routine, and truth.

"The Apocrypha" is the name given to a group of writings found in some versions of the Old Testament but not in others. These texts are usually included in Catholic bibles but not in Protestant ones. They were, however, included in Protestant versions until the second quarter of the nineteenth century.When, in the year 382 A.D., Jerome was commissioned by the pope to make a new translation of the Scriptures, he went to Palestine rather than to Alexandria, Egypt, to obtain original copies. By doing so, he discovered fourteen books included in the Alexandrian, or Greek, version of the Old Testament that were missing in the Palestinian version. The question then arose concerning the status of these newly discovered books. The name Apocrypha, which means "hidden things," was given to these books because of the belief that the men who wrote them were not addressing their contemporaries but were writing for the benefit of future generations; the meaning of these books would be hidden until their interpretation would be disclosed at some future date by persons qualified to do so.