Christian Gnosis: From Saint Paul to Meister Eckhart

Basing himself principally upon the teachings of Saint Paul and the Clementine Stromata, Wolfgang Smith distinguishes the idea of gnosis in nascent Christianity from its Gnostic counterfeit. After his initial considerations of the implications of authentic gnosis for cosmology-intimately connected to his work in the philosophy of physics-he finds the same considerations have bearing upon the theological notion of creatio ex nihilo as well. This crucial recognition leads the author to consider alternative formulations within the Judeo-Christian tradition, from Christian Kabbalah to Jacob Boehme and Meister Eckhart. What emerges are the outlines of a "Trinitarian nondualism" definitive of Christian gnosis.