The Golden Age Project has reprinted Christian O'Brien's book, The Path Of Light, translations of two neglected manuscripts, the Askew Codex and the Bruce Codex. Both codices are written in the Upper Egypt Coptic dialect and have been in the possession of the British Museum since 1795 and 1842, respectively. They reveal a Jesus who conducts his disciples through initiation mysteries and rituals at the Mount of Olives after the crucifixion.
The Path of Light is a core source for one of humanity's many age-old stories that circulates underground and bubbles up to the surface from time to time. It offers invaluable insights to tune one's understanding of secret teachings, hidden meanings and symbolism - terms often bandied about in theological discussions, particularly those that focus on secret society rituals. One's esoteric vocabulary is sharpened and ceremonial traditions take form in these writings that detail the disciples' initiation process.
Jesus' disciples, sometimes called apostles, are generally identified as a group rather than individually in the texts. In prayer and commentary, Jesus referred to them as “my disciples”. The infrequency of individual name usage seemed more pronounced perhaps because Mary Magdalene was Jesus' star pupil in the recordings. Mary's leaping, prostrating and weeping sometimes distracts from the discourse, leading this reader to wonder why the scribes portrayed Mary as the teacher's pet. The scribes - Matthew, Philip and Thomas - were identified and appointed by Jesus as the recorders of the writings in the codices. The rest of the disciples, mentioned occasionally, are:
"After Jesus had recovered from his Crucifixion, he spent eleven sessions in discoursing with his disciples.” This simple statement opens Chapter One and will surely unnerve adherents to Christianity who have never heard otherwise. The impact and import of Jesus' surviving his ordeal is not easily retrofitted into biblical constructs, yet that is precisely what must be done when historical evidence reveals even the remotest possibility. Civilizations prefer to memorialize events by official decree; therefore valuable stockpiles of information have been (and are) buried in order to avoid institutional indigestion, a condition caused by anything that hints at the possibility of questioning authorities. Historically, the events and circumstances of Jesus' life were separated into orthodox and esoteric teachings so as to require minimal rearrangement of the 'facts'. So-called “secret teachings” have been divulged to the privileged over the past two millennium, however with the advent of the internet many of these secrets are spilling out – albeit out of context in many cases. The Path of Light offers context to a ritual of initiation whose roots are ancient and whose branches are numerous.
Many of the names and terms used by teachers and students of ancient mysteries take form and breathe by O'Brien's hand. The divine hierarchy and the spiritual regions are described by Jesus for his disciples. He begins by telling them:
Man's quest to unlock the mysteries of universal consciousness and to harmonize one's own mind, body and spirit responses, are facilitated in Jesus' teachings. It became clear during the course of reading this book that initiation rituals are meant to be an experience of the body and spirit as much as they are purposed for the transmission of knowledge.
Christian O'Brien's The Path Of Light shows us how it was done – by a Master.
The Path of Light is a core source for one of humanity's many age-old stories that circulates underground and bubbles up to the surface from time to time. It offers invaluable insights to tune one's understanding of secret teachings, hidden meanings and symbolism - terms often bandied about in theological discussions, particularly those that focus on secret society rituals. One's esoteric vocabulary is sharpened and ceremonial traditions take form in these writings that detail the disciples' initiation process.
Jesus' disciples, sometimes called apostles, are generally identified as a group rather than individually in the texts. In prayer and commentary, Jesus referred to them as “my disciples”. The infrequency of individual name usage seemed more pronounced perhaps because Mary Magdalene was Jesus' star pupil in the recordings. Mary's leaping, prostrating and weeping sometimes distracts from the discourse, leading this reader to wonder why the scribes portrayed Mary as the teacher's pet. The scribes - Matthew, Philip and Thomas - were identified and appointed by Jesus as the recorders of the writings in the codices. The rest of the disciples, mentioned occasionally, are:
Martha, Salome, Andrew, Bartholomew, James, John, Peter, and Simon the Caananite. Together with Mary Magdalene, Matthew, Philip and Thomas, they are twelve (though not specifically listed as the twelve).O'Brien's arrangement of the texts begins and ends with the Askew Codex, with the first two sections of the Bruce Codex placed in between to create continuity in the sequence. The Askew Codex was in relatively good order when discovered however it lacked a record of the advanced question and answer opportunities promised by Jesus in the text. O'Brien located these missing inquiries in the Bruce Codex, which text was initially found in a disheveled state and rebound by Carl Schmidt in 1893. Schmidt was the first to edit and translate both codices, followed by Violet MacDermot in 1978, and finally O'Brien, who credits Schmidt's and MacDermot's expertise vis-a-vis “the more subtle intricacies of the Coptic language”. O'Brien succeeds in weaving the discourses into a seamless depiction of the disciples' initiation.
"After Jesus had recovered from his Crucifixion, he spent eleven sessions in discoursing with his disciples.” This simple statement opens Chapter One and will surely unnerve adherents to Christianity who have never heard otherwise. The impact and import of Jesus' surviving his ordeal is not easily retrofitted into biblical constructs, yet that is precisely what must be done when historical evidence reveals even the remotest possibility. Civilizations prefer to memorialize events by official decree; therefore valuable stockpiles of information have been (and are) buried in order to avoid institutional indigestion, a condition caused by anything that hints at the possibility of questioning authorities. Historically, the events and circumstances of Jesus' life were separated into orthodox and esoteric teachings so as to require minimal rearrangement of the 'facts'. So-called “secret teachings” have been divulged to the privileged over the past two millennium, however with the advent of the internet many of these secrets are spilling out – albeit out of context in many cases. The Path of Light offers context to a ritual of initiation whose roots are ancient and whose branches are numerous.
Many of the names and terms used by teachers and students of ancient mysteries take form and breathe by O'Brien's hand. The divine hierarchy and the spiritual regions are described by Jesus for his disciples. He begins by telling them:
“From this moment, I shall not conceal anything from you concerning the Heavenly Regions and the Places of Forgetfulness (Oblivion). For, by the Grace of the Royal, Ineffable One, I have been given authority to speak to you of the earliest Mystery of Mysteries -– from the very Beginning until the establishment of the Pleroma, from the Lowest to the Highest, and from the Highest to the Lowest.”From here the journey proceeds, covering the 24 spiritual regions and their planes, subdivisions, and specific places of interest. Tracked are the activities of the Archons, Aeons, Archangels, Watchers, and notable characters such as the Pistas Sophia. The harassments and repentances of the Sophia, and her relationship to Jesus, cover three chapters and are well worth examining given Sophia's emergence in pop culture.
Man's quest to unlock the mysteries of universal consciousness and to harmonize one's own mind, body and spirit responses, are facilitated in Jesus' teachings. It became clear during the course of reading this book that initiation rituals are meant to be an experience of the body and spirit as much as they are purposed for the transmission of knowledge.
Christian O'Brien's The Path Of Light shows us how it was done – by a Master.
