Ancient Spirituality

Dante Alighieri is indisputably one of the world's greatest poets. His epic masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, has been frequently referred to as the supreme work of Italian literature and a staple in the Western Christian tradition. Now, you can explore Dante's life and masterwork with a truly gifted Catholic professor as your guide. In this 12-lecture series, Dante's Divine Comedy, Sr. Mary Clemente Davlin will take you through this timeless narrative that has so profoundly influenced Western history, literature, and the Christian faith.

In the autumn of 1834, New York City was awash with rumors of a strange religious cult operating nearby, centered around a mysterious, self-styled prophet named Matthias. It was said that Matthias the Prophet was stealing money from one of his followers; then came reports of lascivious sexual relations, based on odd teachings of matched spirits, apostolic priesthoods, and the inferiority of women. At its climax, the rumors transformed into legal charges, as the Prophet was arrested for the murder of a once highly regarded Christian gentleman who had fallen under his sway.

What precisely is the origin of the world's best known secret society? Did they emerge from a simple stone masons guild? Or was the genesis much older and maybe has roots in ancient Egypt? Many people have made a great many assumptions, but how many have seriously investigated the actual real evidence? David Harrison is an academic and author ( The Genesis of Freemasonry) who has spent years doing just that.

Using the writings of Cosmas and a wealth of other historical and archaeological evidence from the period, eminent historian G. W. Bowersock carefully reconstructs this fascinating but overlooked chapter in pre-Islamic Arabian history. The flashpoint of the war, Bowersock tells us, occurred when Yusuf, the Jewish king of Himyar, massacred hundreds of Christians living in Najran. The Christian ruler of Ethiopia, Kaleb, urged on by the Byzantine emperor Justin, led a force of 120,000 men across the Red Sea to defeat Yusuf.

In this historical essay, freelance writer Gerald Everett Jones correlates the few details known about the death of the last Greek-speaking philosopher with the religious and political revolution that overtook her. Jones explains how, centuries earlier, Egyptian priest Manetho and Greek mystic Timotheus created the cult of Sarapis at the behest of Pharaoh Ptolemy Soter.

Jim Clary presents a compelling and riveting digest of beliefs, customs, and mystery in Superstitions of the Sea. Clary focuses on the vast array of strange, mythical, and often comical beliefs of mariners from ancient times to the present. Collecting the various topics for years, Clary found that maritime superstition was weaved throughout every fabric of his study. The folklore was so interesting that it often lured him far away from his subject search and held him spellbound for hours at a time.

Ancient Mesopotamian religion continues to captivate people for many of the same reasons today's best known religions and their histories fascinate people. The religion practiced by the Ancient Mesopotamians provides a certain mix between the mundane and the surreal, and at the same time aspects of it are both familiar and bizarre to people today. Some find themselves drawn to it based on its preeminent position in religious history as the oldest documented religion in the world.

Belief and Cult argues that belief isn't uniquely Christian but was central to ancient Roman religion. Drawing on cognitive theory, Jacob Mackey shows that despite having nothing to do with salvation or faith, belief underlay every aspect of Roman religious practices—emotions, individual and collective cult action, ritual norms, social reality, and social power. In doing so, he also offers a thorough argument for the importance of belief to other non-Christian religions.

In 1892, a young man left his home in the coastal foothills of Lebanon in search of a better life. Coming to America with his newlywed wife, he found work as a traveling peddler, before settling on a small farm in central Nebraska. Years later, personal tragedy and an unexpected midnight visit from a saint changed the course of his life. Seeing the desperate need of his fellow orthodox Christians and heeding God’s call, he would spend the rest of his life traversing the Great Plains as a circuit-riding priest, known to his thousands of parishioners as Father Nicola Yanney.

Based on his popular blog and Ancient Faith Radio podcast, Orthodixie, Father Joseph Huneycutt presents a humorous look at the pluses, minuses, joys, pitfalls, and struggles of perpetual conversion within an Orthodox Christian worldview. Within this audiobook, you'll find all those familiar characters you've encountered in exploring American Orthodoxy - but with a hilarious twist: the Orthodox Christian anarchist, the Orthodox white boy, and that incomparable superhero, Ortho-Man.

There is not just a desire but a profound human need for enhancement - the irrepressible yearning to become better than ourselves. Today, enhancement is often conceived of in terms of biotechnical intervention: genetic modification, prostheses, implants, drug therapy - even mind uploading. The theme of this book is an ancient form of enhancement: a physical upgrade that involves ethical practices of self-realization. It has been called 'angelification' - a transformation by which people become angels.

Overflowing with inspiration for both the heart and the soul. The joyful reflections this beautiful book contains transcend religion and draw from the teachings of renowned mystics from antiquity to the present. Whether you seek knowledge of the great mysteries or answers to the everyday questions of life, delve into Mystic Wisdom. Contemplate the wisdom it offers. Then look within your own being. The answers you seek will be there.

Krishna - the name itself is somehow transcendental and evokes a certain distant familiarity and evocative longing. In fact, it is said the name of Krishna is not different from himself. The ancient Vedic scriptures also confirm that Krishna, as the supreme personality of Godhead, is, therefore, present in the sound vibration of his holy name.

Today's man is in an identity crisis. With a never-ending barrage of confusing, condescending, and condemning voices telling him who he is and who he isn't, it can feel impossible to discover who he was made to be. Men were made to be kings, to protect the light, fight the darkness, and rule well the domain God has given them. Drawing on the ancient tradition of an older and wiser ruler passing on his wisdom, like Solomon in the book of Proverbs, Nathan Clarkson offers young men forty short and to-the-point letters for the journey.

This publication is the first translation into English of a Latin work, entitled Libellus de Corona Virginis, or The Little Book on the Crown of the Virgin. Traditionally, it has been ascribed to St. Ildephonsus of Toledo, a great monk, abbot, and bishop of the 7th century. St. Ildephonsus contributed powerfully to the dissemination of the doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of Our Lady in Western Europe, and to the popularization of fervent Marian devotion in Spain.

In our modern, money-driven world, it’s easy to miss the most important things in life. While we’re on the rush towards money, power, and status, we often take for granted the world around us. Instead of appreciating the sun, we appreciate clothing brands. This audiobook covers everything you need to know about Wicca, how to become a Wiccan, how to craft spells, and much, much more. If you’re tired of the exhausting race of modern life, if you feel that something is missing, if you simply want to change the way you perceive the world, this book was written exactly for you!

Il libro rivela le radici del cristianesimo nell’Antico Egitto sia dal punto di vista storico che spirituale. Dimostra che i racconti sul “Gesù storico” si basano interamente sulla vita e la morte del faraone egizio Tutankhamon; e che il “Cristo della fede” e i principi cristiani sono tutti di origine egizia, quali l’essenza degli insegnamenti/messaggi e le feste religiose.

Unlock the secrets of the neteru and harness the transformative magic of Heka with this comprehensive guide to Kemeticism for the modern practitioner.

How many worlds exist within the earth we see every day? Though there are many mysteries we cannot even imagine, the scientific discoveries and inventions of recent decades - along with myth, folklore, and various unexplainable events that have been recorded down through time - suggest to French scientist Jacques Bergier that the surface of the earth may be more complex, and its history more incredible, than is generally supposed.

Until his death in 4 BCE, Herod the Great's monarchy included territories that once made up the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Although he ruled over a rich, strategically crucial land, his royal title did not derive from heredity. His family came from the people of Idumea, ancient antagonists of the Israelites.