Christ the Original Mystery

CONTENTS

General Introduction: A Guénonian Interpretation of
Christianity—Is It Legitimate?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

I. NATURE OF THE ESOTERIC PERSPECTIVE

1 • Esoterism: History and Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

2 • Esoterism in Its Essence and in Its Existence. . . . . . . . . . 34

3 • Esoterism-Exoterism: A Living Dialectic. . . . . . . . . . . . 55

II. RENÉ GUÉNON AND CHRISTIANITY: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION
Introduction: Direct Refutation & Indirect Refutation. . . . . 89

4 • Christian Esoterism According to Guénon. . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

5 • Jewish Esoterism or New Covenant?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

6 • Sacraments and Sacramentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

7 • The Nature of the Sacraments is Immutable . . . . . . . . . . . 157

III. CHRISTIANITY IN ITS MYSTERY
Introduction : The Christian Mystery Speaks of Itself . . . . . . 185

8 • Mystery and Doctrine.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

9 • Sacramental Initiation & the Discipline of the Arcane.......... 296

10 • The Mystical Way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Scriptural Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
General Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .489