Bibliography
The Dying God
Janet Abu-Lughod's Before European Hegemony: The World System AD 125--1350, argues that the modern world economy did not have its roots in the sixteenth century, but in the thirteenth century economy; a system far different from the European world. A fascinating account of the international trade between Asia, Europe and the Middle East that was sparked as a result of the Mongol Empire. That was the period that gave birth to the modern age.
In Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894-1928
, Clyde Barrow demonstrates how the tax-exempt foundations of Carnegie and Rockefeller seized hold of the entire American university system, in order to restructure it in accordanc with their own objectives. Barrow also details how the curriculum was rewritten, and how the myth of America's role in history as the defender of democracy was invented. Excellent.
Holy Blood Holy Grail . This is the book which is the basis of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Even the authors now renounce many of their original claims. The authors conclusions are generally outlandish. Nevertheless, it offers a good glimpse into the history of the occult, and at least hints at the real significance of the Holy Grail.
Although Bernal falters by over-emphasizing a cultural connection with Africa, Black Athena: Volume I: The Fabrication of Ancient Greece 1785 - 1985 is a great introduction to the distortion of history, and the suppression of evidence in favour of the Aryan model.
Begg. The Cult of the Black Virgin in Europe. The goddess, originally Lilith, is often worshipped in her darker aspects, and was thus diguised in for European occultists as a "Black Virgin".
Burkert. The Orientalizing Revolution. Leading scholar of the twentieth century explores the pervasive Near Eastern, or Phoenician, influence on Greek culture in the Early Archaic Age.
Cahill.How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe. During the Dark Ages, Ireland, was a bastion of learning and study. This book does not provide the details of Irelands connection with the Middle East at the time, or the particular influence of Gnostic traditions, yet it's still a good introduction to this history.
Frank Moore Cross Jr. Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic. A classic. Some have sought to make the case that Judaism was derived from Canaanite cult worship. However, it was after the Babylonian Exile, the Bible was altered to conform with these pagan ideas that featured in the new esoteric interpretation of the Kabbalah. It this is understood, then this book is a useful examination of parallels between the Bible and Canaanite religion.
Franz Cumont, the Belgian Archeologist, was the great expert of Mithraism and one of the most prominent scholars of the 20th century. Though written nearly a hundred years ago, his studies remain some of the most thorough. In Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans, he explores the date and origin of astrology in Babylon, and its subsequent penetration into ancient Greece and Rome.
Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism . Another important work by Cumont, that explores the Near Eastern mysteries, including the Mysteries of Mithras, and their prevalence in the Roman world.
Deutsch, Nathaniel. The Gnostic Imagination: Gnosticism, Mandaeism and Merkabah Mysticism (Brill's Series in Jewish Studies, Vol. 13)
. The origins of Gnosticism have confused scholars for some time, who contested between theories of Greek and "Iranian", or Magian, origins. More recently, it has come to be accepted that Gnosticism is derived from Merkabah msyticism, which represents the earliest developments of the Kabbalah. The reason this is important is that it is becoming increasingly popular, fo the likes of Brown's Da Vinci Code, to regard Gnosticism as a "truer" form of Christianty. The theory is an impossibility, specifically for the point proven in this book. It is then merely necessary to recognize that the Kabbalah is a heresy rooted in the sixth century BC.
Dodds. Greeks and the Irrational. A typical example of how scholars are forced to contend with the presence of the "irrational". Evidently, however, agic and other such occult subjects were central to the thought of the Greeks.
The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics. By Jean Doresse, one of the great scholars of Gnosticism. This type of study is out of date. It does provide decent exploration of "Iranian", that is, Magian influence on Gnosticism, though an incomplete one.
Drews, Robert. The Coming of the Greeks: Indo-European Conquest in the Aegean and the Near East. This book tries to identify the "Dorian Invasions" with those of the so-called "Indo-Europeans". Generally unconvincing, as ancient authors clearly categorized the Dorians as "Assyrians" or "Phoenicians". A good glimpse at the continuing obsession in scholarly circles with proving the existence and invasions of the Aryan race.
While much of the book attempts to reinterpret the origin of Indian civilization, I found In Search of the Cradle of Civilization: New Light on Ancient India, by Feuerstein, Frawley and Kak, important for its demonstration of the fallacy of the Aryan invasion theory.
Sir James Frazer. The Golden Bough. A classic. The first great study of comparitive mythology, and the original thesis of the "Dying God".
Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible?, is a great introduction to the theories that have lead scholars to their conclusions about the history of the compilation of the Bible.
Goodenough, Edwin. Jewish Symbols in the Greco-Roman Period. A classic. Explores various fascinating issues, including the use of astrological motifs and circles of the zodiac in ancient Jewish synaguogues.
Goodrick-Clark, Nicholas. The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology the Aryosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890-1935.
John Henry. The Scientific Revolution and the Origins of Modern Science. Treats, in part, the role of occult in contributing to pursuit of science and shaping of the Scientific Revolution.
Philip K. Hitti's The Arabs : A Short History, a good introduction to the rise and fall of Arab civilization, and its tremendous contribution to the West.
Lane-Poole. The Moors in Spain. A little dated, but a classic nonetheless.
Though there is no evidence that Hegel was a member of the Illuminati, in Hegel and the Hermetic Tradition
, Glenn Alexander Magee, points that Hegel was well aquaintained with several of its prominent members. In addition, Magee demonstrates that Hegel's conception of history as the evolution of an idea was derived from the Kabbalah. An excellent scholarly work.
Meyer. The Ancient Mysteries : A Sourcebook: Sacred Texts of the Mystery Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean World. Excellent. Some introduction to the ancient mysteries, but mainly an anthology of most of the known related texts.
Momigliano. Alien Wisdom: The Limits of Hellenization. Scholarly. Exploration of the Greeks and their contact with the nations of the Celts, Persians and Jews, and their perception of them.
Olmstead. The History of the Persian Empire.
Elaine Pagels. The Gnostic Paul : Gnostic Exegesis of... Western Christianity deviated from its original teachings largely through the influence of Paul. Pagels is often biased in her assessment of the Gnostics, but here is an interesting exploration of the many Gnostic ideas that penetrated the letters of Paul, who was claimed by the Valentinians, a prominent Gnostic sect, as an originator of their doctrines.
THE book on the Templars is Partner's The Knights Templar and Their Myth
. Lots of apologetics to defend the Templars as wrongly accused by a venal Catholic Church, but nevertheless a good introduction to their ideas, their trial, and how their legend developed.
In The Children of Noah, Raphael Patai explores the little recognized role of Jewish seafaring in Ancient Times. Important in understanding their possible connection to the Phoenicians and their colonization of much of the Mediterranean.
Seligman. The History of Magic and the Occult. Great introduction to history of magic. Comprehensive, well organized and enjoyable to read.
Seznec. The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and its Place in Renaissance Humanism and Art . The expert on paganism in the Renaissance, reveals the influence of the Picatrix and other astrological themes in shaping the direction of art in the period.
Kabbalah, is an introduction to the subject by its leading scholar, Gershom Scholem.
While not entirely reliable, Idries Shah's The Sufis, is interesting and a great source of Sufi traditions and their "influence." For a more scholarly work I recommend Mystical Dimensions in Islam Mystical Dimensions of Islam, by the expert on the subject, Annemarie Schimmel.
I just finished reading Larry Shiner's The Invention of Art: A Cultural History
, and I think it is one of the best books I have ever read. It's so enjoyable because it is so relevant to understanding contemporary society. This is art history taught the way it should be: as the evolution of an idea. There is no such thing as art, because art, in the Western sense, was invented in the eighteenth century, particularly by occultist Emmanuel Kant, and Illuminati member, Johann G. Fichte.
In Aryans and British India, Thomas Trautman explores the relationship between the British colonialism of India and the formulation of the Aryan myth.
Did Nicolas Copernicus steal his notion that the earth orbited the sun from an Islamic astronomer who lived three centuries earlier? In Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science - From the Babylonians to the Maya, Dick Teresi sets out to prove that many of our science discoveries, previously attributed to Hellenic and other European civilizations, were actually preceded by non-Westerners, such as the Chinese, Sumerians, Babylonians, Mesoamericans, Indians, Arabs, etc.
The authors of Homer's Secret Iliad : The Epic of the Night Skies Decoded , convincingly demonstrate that Homer's Iliad was written as a guide book of astrological lore. This demonstrates that Homer too was influenced by Babylonian doctrines, or at least that his work was later altered according to them, and perhaps that there was an estoric interpretation of his works.
M.L. West. The East Face of Helicon : West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth. Extensive. According to M. L. West, though a number of foreign elements were derived from other parts of the Near East, it was from the Semitic West specifically, composed mainly of the nations of Lebanon and Palestine, which exercised the greatest degree of influence on Greek culture.
Early Greek Philosophy and the Orient, also by M.L. West. A better work is Cumont and Bidez' les Mages Hellenisees, which has yet to be translated into English. West's work I think looks too closely at the trees and fails to see the forest. The fact of Magian influence on Greek philosophy is more obvious than what he explores. Still, it's the one work in English that carefully explores the subject.
Jessie L. Weston. From Ritual to Romance. Explores the Gnostic origins of the myths of the Holy Grail, and its possible connection to the ancient worship of Attis and Mithras. From the era of James Frazer, and therefore somewhat out of date, but nevertheless, interesting connections and certainly valuable.
The Text of the Old Testament : An Introduction to Biblia Hebraica. According to Professor Wurtherwein, "the Hebrew text which we have today has been altered from its original form by many circumstances and undoubtedly contains many corruptions." He explains in detail how that can be determined from the evidence.
Frances Yates is one of the few reputable scholars that have ventured to examine the influence of the occult in modern European history. In Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition she looks at the influence of Hermeticism and Kabbalah in the Renaissance. Yates refers to the period following the, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, when occult traditions, with the addition of alchemy, were continued by the Order of the Rosicrucians, who were involved in a pivotal moment in European history.