The Eighth
International Conference organised by
Canonbury Masonic Research Centre
Saturday &
Sunday 4-5 November 2006
The Knowledge of
the Heart:
Gnostic Movements
& Secret Traditions
Call for Papers
Contributions are
invited from scholars of all disciplines, whether Freemasons or not. Papers
should contain hitherto unpublished research, and may be wide-ranging as to the
content, chronology, and treatment of Gnostic Movements and Secret
Traditions.
Gnosticism, which
was closely related to the Hermetic Tradition, arose within the Church in its
identifiable forms in the second century, as a group of heterodox schools of
thought that had originally developed within earlier pagan religious circles.
The diverse forms of Gnosticism are characterised by their dualist beliefs, and
by their reliance on revealed knowledge (gnosis) rather than on grace as the
means of salvation. However, in the course of the last century the term
Gnosticism has been applied to the philosophy and spirituality of a far wider
range of esoteric movements. It is anticipated that the range of papers
presented at the conference will reflect this broader view.
This conference
will therefore seek to consider, in a scholarly manner, not only approaches to
Gnosticism and related movements as an historical phenomenon, but also in its
broader sense, as a continuing philosophical and religious influence on present
day spiritual movements — including Freemasonry.
More info:
Canonbury Masonic Research Centre
http://www.canonbury.ac.uk/?conferences/2006