The Lost Knowledge of Christ: Contemporary Spiritualities, Christian Cosmology, and the Arts

The Lost Knowledge of Christ: Contemporary Spiritualities, Christian Cosmology, and the Arts

Did Christianity once teach secret knowledge? Dominic White argues that the early Church in fact taught a wonderful wisdom about the cosmos. Christian cosmology offers resources for us to speak to many of the problems, questions, and issues we face both in the church and in society. It does not provide instant answers; rather, it is in some ways more like the parables of Jesus, stories that challenge our view of the world and invite us to reflection and contemplation. This “lost knowledge” sheds new light on many biblical teachings and areas of controversy within Christianity: the meaning of repentance; the mystery of the cross; Jesus’ ascent through the heavens; angels and stars; the body and the feminine; justice and ecology; and liturgy, art, music, and dance. The Lost Knowledge of Chris t shares the cosmic, psychological, and artistic focus of today’s nonreligious spiritualities and offers some surprising responses. Images, music, and videos that correspond with the chapters can be found at lostknowledgeofchrist.wordpress.com. "So much of Christianity has been deprived of its context. Fr. Dominic White reconstructs this "Lost Knowledge"—the original cosmology—by leading us from lesser-known writings of the early Christians to the art, customs, and liturgy of later times. These are more familiar but now not fully understood because they too have lost their context. In this book we meet a brilliant mind, a warm heart, and a gentle humor that open up the somehow familiar world of our ancient cosmology and shed new (or old?) light on current disputes and concerns in the church." Dr. Margaret Barker, Author of Temple Themes in Christian Worship "A beautiful and timely book. In terms of scholarship, research and spiritual insight, this is a genuinely impressive book."Ian Coleman,  The Way Fr. Dominic White is a Catholic priest of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). He is a campus minister at Newcastle University and Northumbria University and arts outreach officer for St. Dominic’s Church. Fr. Dominic is the composer and founder of the Cosmos dance project, patron of Eliot Smith Dance Company, and a senior member of Hatfield College, University of Durham.