Early Christianity had a powerful esoteric current. This is reflected in the New Testament writings of Mark, Paul, and, above all, John. Gnostic Christians tried to preserve this tradition, using the archaic mysteries as a way to knowing (gnosis) of higher cosmic truths. But the Gnostic sects were finally suppressed by an orthodoxy that, Andrew Welburn concludes, had lost sight of the "dynamic of the self."

The full scope of the traditions on which the Gnostics drew is clearer following the modern archaeological finds at Qumran and Nag Hammadi. As a result of these discoveries, the...

The wisdom contained in this book is not derived via the usual methods of scholarly and historical research, and neither is it based on theory or speculation. Rudolf Steiner acquired his original contribution to human knowledge from metaphysical dimensions of reality which are hidden to most people – but visible to anybody who is prepared to develop spiritual means of perception. With his philosophical and scientific training, Steiner brought a new systematic discipline to the field of spiritual research, allowing for fully conscious methods and comprehensive results. A natural seer, he...

The Austrian-born philosopher Rudolf Steiner created a vast legacy of practical work in Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, the arts, the sciences, and Camphill communities for people with disabilities. Behind all these approaches is a highly developed system of thought that addresses some of the most problematic philosophical issues.

Welburn presents fascinating insights into the radical nature of Steiner's thinking by examining his inheritance of ideas from Goethe, his attempts to break away from Cartesian dualism and Kantian idealism, and his challenge to the conventional...