Esoteric Christianity

by Annie Besant, Richard Smoley (Introduction)

Early Christianity held secrets equal to those of other great religions, says Annie Besant. Its first followers guarded them as priceless treasures. After an increasingly rigid hierarchy began to bury these truths in the early centuries A.D., they were known only to a few initiates, who communicated them privately, often in obscure language. In Esoteric Christianity , Besant's aim is to restore the secret truths underlying Christian doctrine. As public interest grows in the Gnostic Gospels and the mystical side of Christianity, Besant's remarkable book, first published in 1901, is attracting new attention.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, Esoterica, Theosophy, Occult

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

Noted British reformer Annie Wood Besant vigorously supported socialism, birth control, trade unionism, and rights of women; the cause of independence interested her through her involvement with the theosophical society, and she moved and founded the home rule league in 1916 and served as president of the Indian national congress in 1917.

This prominent activist and orator wrote of Irish.

She, aged 20 years in 1867, married Frank Besant but separated over religious differences.

Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question her long-held religious beliefs and the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the way of the churches in lives of people. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.

She quickly wrote a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the national secular society, to earn a small weekly wage. The society stood for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act of its public speakers. Very popular public lectures entertained in Queen Victorian times. People quickly greatly demanded Besant, a brilliant speaker. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, spoke on all of the most important issues of the day, and always demanded improvement and freedom.

For many years, Besant befriended Charles Bradlaugh, leader of the national secular society. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, long separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues. He, an atheist and a republican, also tried to get elected as member of Parliament for Northampton.

She then prominently spoke for the national secular society, wrote, and closely befriended Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877, people prosecuted her and Bradlaugh for publishing a book of campaigner Charles Knowlton.

Besant and Bradlaugh, household names in 1877, then published a book of the American campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that never happy working-class families ably decided not want of children. It suggested ways to limit the size of their families.

The scandal made them famous, and people elected Bradlaugh as member of Parliament for Northampton in 1880.

Actions included the bloody Sunday demonstration and the match girls strike of London of 1888. She led speakers for the Fabian society and the social democratic federation of Marxists. She topped the poll and won election to the school board of London for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even despite few qualified female voters at that time.

In 1890, Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years, secular matters waned. She joined as a member and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her related work, she traveled. In 1898, she helped to establish the central Hindu college.

In 1902, she established le Droit Humain, the first overseas lodge of the international order of co-freemasonry. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the empire. In 1907, she led at international headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai).

She also joined politics. When World War I broke in 1914, she helped to launch to campaign for democracy and dominion status within the empire. This led to her election in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign.

In 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) national collegiate board in Mumbai.

She fought, starting with freedom of thought, Fabians, and workers as a leading member of the national secular society alongside Charles Bradlaugh.

She continued to campaign until her death.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering that she wrote a book on atheism nearly 30 years earlier, after which she became a theosophist, it's a little surprising to find a book so enthusiastic about Christianity from Annie Besant published in the early twentieth century. However, with its reference to karma and reincarnation, this is not a traditional Christian book. She indulges in quite a bit of comparative religion, making a good case that Christianity is simply a more modern version of ancient belief systems, many of which share the idea of a holy trinity, the virgin birth of a spiritual teacher, his sacrificial death and later resurrection. She also covers the Atonement, prayer, forgiveness, sacraments, and the Revelation, and its deeper meaning. One of her more confrontational statements suggests that only less intelligent believers will take the Bible literally, and that spiritually developed people will naturally question the "mistakes" in the text to attain a better understanding. Apparently, only those with very deep esoteric training can see the full meaning, and there are few humans at that level of enlightenment.

You couldn't read this without a good grounding in Christianity as you need to know the basics of what she's talking about to understand her thesis. You would also need to have an open mind, since she pulls in many aspects of eastern religions, and challenges some of the standard Christian assumptions. Her somewhat academic style would be off-putting to some more casual readers, but perhaps only deeper thinkers would be drawn to this kind of text anyway. I was a little irritated by the way Ms Besant stated her spiritual case as "fact" rather than ideas to be ruminated over; in these religious discussions, nothing can be proven, so there are no facts - it's all abstract philosophy, and claiming something is real without evidence is presumptive. Although it was an interesting read, there was nothing I hadn't heard in some way before, and it hasn't changed the way I think or feel about Christianity.

[Nalora · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those studying the more esoteric and mystical traditions of Christianity this is a good place to start. Easy to read, thought provoking and leads one off into many other directions worthy of traveling on any spiritual path.

[Andrea Zanotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Testo imprescindibile per tutti gli appassionati di Teosofia. Annie Besant ci conduce con mano esperta alla scoperta e all'approfondimento degli aspetti più profondi della dottrina cristiana. L'esposizione è chiara e lineare, capace di affascinare e coinvolgere nella visione dei mondo, o meglio dei mondi, tipica di questa scienza. E' un testo adatto a tutti coloro che vogliono avvicinarsi a tali tematiche, non presenta particolari ostacoli, ne si spinge in tecnicismi e sofismi di complessità eccessiva. I testi per approfondire le singole tematiche sono altri, questo ha il pregio di fornire una visione d'insieme ben fatta, mai banale e di rilettura in rilettura può portare alla scoperta di preziose perle nascoste. Testo fondamentale. Consigliatissimo!

[Scott Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book demolishes and rebukes key philosophical arguments upon the nature of the question "Why do people believe?" Her arguments probably, if they were read by key people, of diverse philosophical schools of thought, revoke the license of philosophy to answer such questions as the meaning of life, why we are here on earth, etc. I think I admire her arguments more than I admire most philosophers, and even more some theologians.

If you think you know everything there is to know about metaphysics and ontology, and still want to know why you are still searching and not finding anything, read this book, and it will make you aware of your foolishness in a very helpful and gentle read.

This book is the best I've ever read of any theosophical work, and is better at addressing key questions than any philosophy book I've ever read.

Her speculative nature is endowed with clear thinking, broad minded appeals to reason, and elucidated by key arguments, on very well thought through topics.

Please read this, if only for your own spiritual growth and evolution. This book is not a new age book, contrary to what the title might deceptively seem to declare. It is a philosophy tome, written by a scholar on the topic of comparative religion. The book is not counter-Christian, but does take Christianity to task for several reasons, including the question of origins and the dilutions of time and the nature of divine revelation. In my opinion, this is very much to the point of reading the book, to not be someone who believes only because there is some payoff in the eyes of the world or the church, but instead, seeking what may be found by asking good questions of God, what we take his mysteries to be while here on earth. This book is full of questions, and really noble and good questions indeed.

I can't recommend this highly enough. It could make your life complete, if you follow it with theology and philosophy readings that deal with the questions of other philosophers and theologians.

[Glenn Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay... except for the heavy quoting in parts

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Revelation and Explanation

This work presents the mystic Lesser Mysteries as shown through the life, ministry, and legacy of Jesus Christ. It reveals profound Truth as taught in the early Christian Church before materialism hid the esoteric teachings. I highly recommend it to any Christian seeking deeper meaning and a closer walk with Christ.

[Rex Libris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be better named "New Age Gnosticism," and after reading the title you would not need to read the book because that sums up everything in three words.

[Dolores of Course · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected and the writing was a bit difficult to follow at times as it is dense and flowery as other turn of the century books. I still thought it was an interesting read.

[James]

"Not to be saved by an external Christ, but to be glorified into an inner Christ, was the teaching of esoteric Christianity." pg. 171

[Kenneth C. Rueckert · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some very challenging sections in the book.
Especially interesting is the section on sacraments and
their symbolism. Worth reading for the enquiring minds.

[Dave Lindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Gnostic Theosophists explains the experience one may encounter in the Gnostic Baptism from the source.

[Karen]

Nice look below the superficial. Reminder of the deeper or esoteric view.