The Wandering Scholars: The Life and Art of the Lyric Poets of the Latin Middle Ages.

[Mark Thibodeau]

You know that feeling when you read an email from someone, and then you get
all excited because it reminds you of something that you've recently seen
and that you'd like to share with that someone (Mark Kohut) and the group
with which they are affiliated (P-List), and so you rush and write your
reply... and then you realize you'd forgotten the main thing that you
wanted to bring up?

It was actually Churton's extensive coverage of the Troubadours, in his
Gnostic Philosophy book, that compelled me to comment. So if you're at all
interested in the philosophical underpinnings of that poorly misunderstood
medieval movement, Churton's book is one to watch out for!

And Robert, I have heard of, but haven't read, Pagels' book. It was a bit
of a hot topic a few years back, right?

Although I'm widely read in Western esoterica, I have yet to delve deeply
into the Gnostics. I have a feeling that, once I'm done with Churton's
book, I'll be doing more reading on the subject. It's definitely super rich
material, and I'm finding it very inspiring. This is the kind of stuff that
can break writer's block log-jams. So thanks for the recommendation!

yopj

On Fri, Jul 7, 2017 at 6:36 PM, Robert Mahnke <rpmahnke at gmail.com> wrote:

> Better than Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels? It's been a few years, but
> I recall really like it.
>
> On Fri, Jul 7, 2017 at 2:32 PM, Mark Thibodeau <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I'm reading Tobias Churton's GNOSTIC PHILOSOPHY right now (was it
>> recommended here? I think it was!) and WOW is it every illuminating.
>>
>> It's a historical survey of gnosticism/Gnosticism/Ghostics/gnosis from
>> pre-Persian to modern day pop music and it's blowing my goddamn mind.
>>
>> I'm about half way through, so even tho there's a "lit" section near the
>> end, I don't know if our man Pynchon is mentioned (altho I'm suspecting he
>> will be). I'll let you guys know, either way.
>>
>> In the meantime, if any of you ever thought of taking a deeper dive into
>> learning about the historical movement and/or phenomenon of gnosis... I can
>> thing of no better guide for such a journey. This is the equivalent of a
>> top level undergraduate course in 400 information-and-insight-packed pages.
>>
>> https://books.google.ca/books/about/Gnostic_Philosophy.html?
>> id=iFHCQgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
>>
>> Cheers!
>> Jerky
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 7, 2017 at 10:40 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> a book TRP has mentioned favorably as somehow influential.
>>>
>>> Well, I picked up a copy of the 1961 Anchor edition, the sixth edition it
>>> is always saying, the one TRP would most likely have bought since
>>> Doubleday did
>>> fine distribution in those days for Anchor---
>>> "less imperfect than its predecessors"..."[but] just the scaffolding
>>> of its subject." has a titled introduction which title therefore subject
>>> surprised me.
>>>
>>> THE PAGAN LEARNING.
>>>
>>> "....and take to the roads and the taverns, tasting and celebrating the
>>> pleasures of the senses."
>>> [while Christianity reigned]...Back cover copy.
>>>
>>> @ 300 pages, 30+ in Latin and another 30 of endnotes and bibliography.
>>>
>>>
>>
>
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