Table of Contents

A selection of entries:
Alchemy; Amulets; Aristotelianism; Astrology; Bacon, Francis; Blake, William; Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna; Boehme, Jacob; Bogomilism; Catharism; Christian Theosophy; Comenius, Jan Amos; Clement of Alexandria; Cusa, Nicholas of; Dante Alighieri; Cryptography; Dionysius Areopagita, -Pseudo; Eriugena, Johannes Scottus; Ficino, Marsilio; Freemasonry; Gnosticism; Grail traditions; Hermes Trismegistus; Hermetic Literature; Illuminism; Intermediary Beings; Jewish Influences
Jung, Carl Gustav; Kabbalah; Magic; Manichaeism; Music; Mysticism; Neopaganism; Neoplatonism; New Age Movement; Newton, Isaac; Occult / Occultism; Paracelsus; Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni; Reincarnation; Rosicrucianism; Satanism; Scientology; Secrecy; Spiritualism; Steiner, Rudolf; Swedenborg, Emanuel; Tarot; Templars; Valentinus and Valentinians; Witchcraft (15th – 17th Centuries); Zoroaster

About the Author

Antoine Faivre is Professor Emeritus of History of Esoteric and Mystical Currents in Modern and Contemporary Europe at the 5th section of the Acole Pratique des Hautes Atudes (Sorbonne), Paris, France.Roelof van den Broek is Professor Emeritus of History of Christianity at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. Jean-Pierre Brach is Professor of History of Esoteric Currents in Modern and Contemporary Europe at the 5th section of the Acole Pratique des Hautes Atudes (Sorbonne), Paris, France.

Reviews

'The entries present balanced, neutral accounts of the topics and the major persons involved with them without simplification, distortion, or reductionism. ...scholars will be delighted to have such a treasure take its place next to the popular treatments of the field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections.'M.R. Pukkila, Choice, 2005.'The Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism is a brilliantly conceived and skillfully executed reference tool unlike anything the scholarly world has ever seen. In two massive volumes it covers every aspect of pagan, Jewish, and Christian religious discourses and phenomena traditionally labeled gnosticism, hermeticism, astrology, magic, the "occult sciences," esoteric religion, and much more. The detailed and insightful articles, on nearly every related topic imaginable, are produced by an impressive array of renowned scholars, and usefully include up-to date bibliographies. Six years in the making, this is a work that every student of religion, ancient and modern, will certainly want to own.'Bart D. Ehrman, James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill'The Dictionary places gnosis and esotericism in its historical perspective - not only the breadth of the described phenomenon is surprising, but also the fact that the subjects are covered in such an objective fashion.'NRC Handelsblad, 2005'Brill has produced a work on esotericism that will become the standard reference work on the subject. Never before has such a complete overview of this obscure peripheral area of religion appeared.'Leidsch Dagblad (Associated Press Services), 2005.