Essays On The Nag Hammadi Texts In Honour Of Alexander B Hlig

Important essays on Gnosis and Gnosticism. Contributors include Rudolph, Pagels, Grant, and Barrett.

In The Ethics of The Tripartite Tractate (NHC I, 5), Paul Linjamaa explores the theoretical foundations and practical implications of the ethics in the longest Valentinian text extant today. As such, it is one of the first serious explorations of early Christian determinism.

Preliminary Material /Michael Allen Williams --Preface /Michael Allen Williams --Abbreviations /Michael Allen Williams --Introduction /Michael Allen Williams --The Term Asaleutos and its Significance /Michael Allen Williams --Immovability in The Three Steles of Seth /Michael Allen Williams --Immovability in Zostrianos /Michael Allen Williams --Immovability in The Apocryphon of John /Michael Allen Williams --Immovability in The Gospel of the Egyptians /Michael Allen Williams --Immovability in The Sophia of Jesus Christ /Michael Allen Williams --The Inclusiveness of the Immovable Race /Michael Allen Williams --The Immovable Race and the Question of Sectarian Sitz im Leben /Michael Allen Williams --Bibliography /Michael Allen Williams --Indices /Michael Allen Williams.

Does the idea of Biblical Prophecy seem ... well, laughingly absurd, galactically improbable? Good! It's supposed to seem that way. In fact, for Biblical prophecy to work properly, its readers have to be highly skeptical. Biblical prophecy requires, even promotes uber-skepticism at times to evoke the intended response in its readers. The credibility of its message, that its words were authored by God, gains increased potency as the highly improbable happens again and again. When the absurdly improbable actually occurs, over and over, in documented, historically verifiable situations, our fundamental assumptions are challenged. We are confronted with the possibility that, on a truly foundational level, everything we thought we knew may really be wrong or radically incomplete. That's what Biblical prophecy is about on a macro level. That's its big idea. Biblical prophecies also seek to warn about particularly important slices of future history. Not because that future can be changed, but so it can be met with integrity and intact faith. This book is obviously focused on those Biblical prophecies involving the Antichrist's rise to power. By using careful time honored traditional methods of Biblical investigation, we'll have a serious and sober look at what the Scriptures really say about this future world ruler. There are also some new discoveries that many would find surprising, even shocking. Now, that's a lot to swallow all at once. That the future is knowable on some level, and that it's going to be so horrible. Why would anyone want to believe this could happen? Deep down, I don't want to believe it. It's so much easier to reject it, than to allow it to threaten your whole frame of reference. That tug of war, that vague unease, that's supposed to happen too. It's Biblical prophecy doing its thing. It takes a lot of guts to consider ideas that have the power to explode your comfortable world view. If you decide to read this book, remember, it's ok to be skeptical. It's absolutely required for a healthy mind. But resist the awful temptation to reject out-of-hand. Aside from being an addictive and lazy habit, it just may deprive you someday of knowing that wonderful excruciating panic of having your mind blown open.