The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and the First Freemasons
Jan 2005 · Weiser Books
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About this ebook
A leading scholar of esoteric spirituality uncovers the history of Gnostic alchemy from Hellenistic Alexandria to the Renaissance.
In The Golden Builders, Tobias Churton eschews myth and pseudohistory to trace 1,600 years of Hermetic spiritual and philosophical development. In a breathtaking span of detailed research, he sheds light on the origins of Gnostic alchemy, pre-Grand Lodge Freemasonry, and the mysterious Fraternity of the Rosy Cross (the Rosicrucians). He introduces readers to great men of magic and spiritual wisdom such as Paracelsus, Caspar Schwenckfeld, Johann Valentin Andrae, and others.
This sweeping work is divided into three parts: Part 1 presents a broad survey of the Hermetic current and its transmissions from Hellenistic Alexandria to the time of Paracelsus. Part 2 focuses on the Rosicrucian movement as a vehicle of the Hermetic current, drawing on the research of scholars such as Carlos Gilly. Part 3 concentrates on Elias Ashmole, the English polymath, alchemist, astrologer, and early Freemason who carried the Hermetic current forward during the Renaissance.
Debunking myths while revealing genuine mysteries, The Golden Builders combines authoritative scholarship with deep spiritual wisdom.
In The Golden Builders, Tobias Churton eschews myth and pseudohistory to trace 1,600 years of Hermetic spiritual and philosophical development. In a breathtaking span of detailed research, he sheds light on the origins of Gnostic alchemy, pre-Grand Lodge Freemasonry, and the mysterious Fraternity of the Rosy Cross (the Rosicrucians). He introduces readers to great men of magic and spiritual wisdom such as Paracelsus, Caspar Schwenckfeld, Johann Valentin Andrae, and others.
This sweeping work is divided into three parts: Part 1 presents a broad survey of the Hermetic current and its transmissions from Hellenistic Alexandria to the time of Paracelsus. Part 2 focuses on the Rosicrucian movement as a vehicle of the Hermetic current, drawing on the research of scholars such as Carlos Gilly. Part 3 concentrates on Elias Ashmole, the English polymath, alchemist, astrologer, and early Freemason who carried the Hermetic current forward during the Renaissance.
Debunking myths while revealing genuine mysteries, The Golden Builders combines authoritative scholarship with deep spiritual wisdom.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Lee Van Horn
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December 27, 2022
Well written and excellently researched. It also offers some intriguing ideas. A must-read for those interested in the history of science, England, or Freemasonry.
About the author
Tobias Churton is a writer and filmmaker, best known for his work on English television's award-winning Gnostics series and the best-selling book that accompanied it. Churton was also founder-editor of the controversial Freemasonry Today?I magazine. He recently completed a dramatic film on Elias Ashmole and the origins of Freemasonry, A Mighty Good Man.
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