Gnostics have always sought to know rather than to accept dogma and doctrine often to their peril. This inquiry into Gnosticism examines the character history and beliefs of a brave and vigorous spiritual quest that originated in the ancient Near East and continues into the present day. Lawrence Durrell writes This is a strange and original essay more a work of literature than of scholarship though its documentation is impeccable. It is as convincing a reconstruction of the way the Gnostics lived and thought as D.H. Lawrence s intuitive recreation of the vanished Etruscans. A remarkable book for both knowledge and the understanding of Gnostic texts so abstruse at first sight and for the poetical interpretation of the Gnostic movement across history. Lacarriere is particularly well informed about the various currents and undercurrents of Gnosticism and their perennial importance for the religious and the mystic mind. -- Marguerite Yourcenar Jacques Lacrarriere (1925-2005) was a French writer who studied philosophy and classic literature and was known for his work as a critic journalist and essayist. In 1991 he received le Grand Prix de l Academie francaise (The Great Prize of the French Academy).