The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas: Meditations on the Mystical Teachings »

Tau Malachi's (Malachi eben Ha-Elijah's) spiritual journey began when he met the acquaintance of a Tau of the Sophian Tradition of Gnostic Christianity, Tau Elijah ben Miriam. He received the oral tradition of Sophian Gnosticism from Tau Elijah, and has been a student and practitioner of Gnostic Christianity for over thirty-five years. In 1983 he founded Sophia Fellowship as an expression of the tradition, and has been teaching and initiating others into Christian Gnosticism, Rosicrucian Philosophy and Christian Kabbalah since that time. He is an initiate of Ordo Sanctus Gnosis and serves as an Elder and Tau within the Sophian lineage.

Tau Malachi is also a Chevalier (a dubbed Knight) in the International Order of Chivalric Companions, a Martinist, and is an ordained and consecrated Independent Bishop. He is co-founder of The Gnostic Apostolic Church of Sophia and is among the leading exponents of Christian Gnosticism and Kabbalah in our times.

Along with his exploration of the Western Mystery Tradition, he has studied extensively in several Eastern Traditions, such as Vajrayana Buddhism and Vedanta, and he also studied within a Middle Eastern Tradition of Sufism, as well as becoming involved in Native American Shamanism. Though Gnostic Christianity has always been his heart's path.

Of all the "lost" gospels of the early Christian Bible, the Gospel of St. Thomas is the most well known. According to Tau Malachi, each verse of this Holy Scripture is like an "endless well of Wisdom." Drawing upon the Holy Kabbalah, contemporary Christian thought, and wisdom of the gnostic tradition, Malachi guides the reader into a true gnostic experience-a first-hand and completely unique exploration of the sacred secrets and spiritual insights in this important gnostic text.

Both intuitive and interactive, the gnostic approach to faith is a sacred quest for greater knowledge, understanding, and wisdom-a deeper penetration of the Mystery. This path leads to a higher degree of the enlightenment experience or gnosis. The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas reveals how the reader can use each verse in this scripture as a source of daily contemplation and spiritual growth, while exploring the secrets of resurrection and ascension, the true role of St. Mary Magdalene in the early church, and other mystical and magical teachings.

Publishers Weekly

Best described as a devotional, this collection of letters offers 114 meditations corresponding to the verses of the Gospel of Thomas. Malachi, a California-based mystic who founded the Sophia Fellowship in 1983, writes from the perspective of the Christian Gnosticism of the Sophian Tradition, which he defines as "a weave of Gnosticism, Kabbalah and Rosicrucian philosophy." He sets out to provide a "source of contemplation" while simultaneously striving to transcribe an oral tradition not only for novices but also for those already practiced in Gnostic study. He accomplishes all of this admirably. Readers should heed the author's advice and, rather than read the book in a sitting, use one verse per day as a meditative source. This practice attunes the mind to the voice of the Holy Spirit and also promotes a better appreciation of the oral tradition, in which key elements and phrases often resurface. Read straight through, important messages may be lost rather than cherished if seen as repetitive. Malachi clearly (and respectfully) delineates the differences among Christian Gnosticism, Judaism and what he calls Orthodox Christianity. Throughout, he encourages readers to actualize their divine potential or, as he paraphrases the Master, "Get a life so that you have something to offer up to God." Malachi perfectly captures the oral tradition within the written word. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Acknowledgments - vi

Introduction - vii

Verses 1-114 - 1

Glossary - 355

Suggested Reading and References - 367