The success of books such as Elaine Pagels’s Gnostic Gospels and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code proves beyond a doubt that there is a tremendous thirst today for finding the hidden truths of Christianity--truths that may have been lost, buried, or even forbidden by institutional religion over the last two millennia. Among the most compelling of these lost traditions is Gnosticism--a school of spiritual seekers that flourished in the late Roman Empire between the first and fourth centuries A.D. Gnosticism has survived, in many (sometimes secret) forms and under many names, through individuals and groups such as Egyptian desert mystics, Jewish Kabbalists, the Knights Templar, Freemasons, New Age spirituality, in the novels of Philip K. Dick and Dan Brown, and in films such as The Matrix and National Treasure.

“[A] clear, concise primer . . . Smoley reinforces that Gnosticism is, and always has been, here to stay. He paves a wide, clear path to understanding it, accessible even by the weekend seeker.”--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“. . . impressive mastery of the subject matter. . . . A compelling and accessible argument. A thoroughly enjoyable read; highly recommended for all libraries.”--Library Journal