The Lost Art of Resurrection

by Freddy Silva

“Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error,” states the once banned Gospel of Philip. For centuries, every esoteric and Gnostic sect was aware that the literal interpretation of the resurrection of Christ promoted by the Church was a fraud. And with good thousands of years before Jesus, initiates from Egypt and China to Celtic Britain and North America practiced a mystical ritual, and its adepts — from Zoroaster to Plato —regarded the experience as the pinnacle of spiritual a life-altering awakening that disclosed insights into the nature of reality and the self. But more importantly, as outlined on the walls of a secret chamber beneath one Egyptian pyramid, the experience of resurrection was not meant for the dead, but for the living. Its initiates were referred to as‘ risen from the dead’. Blending ancient traditions, science and first-hand accounts, this book offers a unique insight into living resurrection; the purpose of initiation; the cultures and societies who practiced it; the revelation of Jesus as a reenactment of the resurrection of Osiris; why initiates protected its secrets with their lives; and why the Church preferred you didn’t know about this.

Genres: History, Spirituality, Occult, Mythology, Religion, Nonfiction, Ancient History

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2014

Reviews

[Mike Luoma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! The concept introduced here is revolutionary - what if we in the modern world are totally misunderstanding what the ancients actually MEANT by Resurrection? What if it was a secret initiation ritual esoteric groups from Gnostics, to the mystery cults of Greece and Rome, to the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt - and many more - practiced while ALIVE? Might this explain the pyramids with empty sarcophagi whose pharaohs are buried elsewhere? The complex, intricate instructions for life after death in Egyptian pyramids and temples? Is this the Holy Sacrament - lost to us now - practiced by Gnostic Christians called the Bridal Chamber? For that matter, is that why the Gnostic Gospel of Phillip says, "Those who say that the Lord died first and (then) rose up are in error, for he rose up first and (then) died. If one does not first attain the resurrection he will not die. As God lives, he would..."?

It's not as far-fetched as you might first think. In recent years, I've learned about the Indian Masters of Sant Mat Meditation, including reading some fascinating works by Kirpal Singh, a recent Master. Kirpal insisted that a Master's initiation included the same kind of out-of-body experience Silva describes here as being the result of the "resurrection" initiation ritual! They regard the Masters in their lineages as God-men - incarnations of God on Earth - and according to Kirpal, the proof was in their ability, after the initiate's preparation, to give them their first taste of this divine experience. This is a path and a practice happening NOW that goes back thousands of years. It's not a stretch to suggest it's also a practice once valued but now lost in the West.

The concept is revolutionary and mind-blowing, and I applaud Silva for sharing it with us. This book, however, suffers from a sort of jagged style of writing as he relates the concept, provides possible examples, groups that may have practiced it, places where they may have performed the initiation. It's good, solid information, but it suffers a bit in the presentation. His clear antagonism for the Church also taints the work unnecessarily with an anti-religious bias that's not really evident in the hypothesis.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

Interesting. Provides food for thought.

[J.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book.

[JHM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silva takes a worthy topic and degrades it through pseudo-scholarship.

I am sure there is a lot of good information in this book. If nothing else, the photographs of ancient chambers and passages oriented to solar and stellar tides strongly suggest similar intentions by peoples of different cultures in different locations. The problem is that the surviving lore is fragmentary and suggestive rather than explicit, but Silva's conclusions use words like "obviously" and "clearly" when "it would be easy to believe" or "strongly suggests" would be more appropriate to the lack of evidence.

I am not an expert on ancient Greek or Roman mystery traditions, nor Celtic or Meso-American lore, but I am very well versed in the Bible, and because several of his assertions about biblical texts are simply not true, it makes me doubt all his other footnotes.

For example: he claims that Mary Magdalene was the daughter "Jayrus" and that Jesus raised Jayrus from the dead. He provides a footnote citing Matthew 9:18-26 as a reference. The problem is that the text clearly states that Jesus raised Jairus's daughter, not him. And I know of no tradition in which Magdalene had anything to do with Jairus. Silva also claims that "according to the Bible" Jesus was conceived on the Spring Equinox and born on the Winter Solstice, while John the Baptist was conceived on the Fall Equinox and born on the Summer Solstice, but this time he doesn't footnote. Associating them with those Solstices is a tradition, and has no textual basis in the bible. These are very easy claims to look up and validate or dismiss.

I'm honestly curious about what I would find if I took the time to locate all his references and check what they actually say against his claims, but I don't have that kind of time.

Is there a widespread human spiritual tradition of mysteries in which candidates were ritually taken through an experience of death, the afterlife, and resurrection? Almost certainly. But that *almost* is key -- and Silva would have done better by his readers and those traditions by being more honest and humble in his treatment of the authentically striking texts and monuments he writes about.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnecessarily harsh, even hostile, to Christianity making this one more document in the Cultural Marxist enterprise.

If you loathe Christianity this is the book for you. If you are Christian or indifferent to Christianity this book may be grating in its hostility to the faith and those that follow it.

[Kat Starwolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Probable Truth Behind the Resurrection of Jesus

In my opinion, Freddy Silva is an excellent researcher. Much of the information to be found in THE LOST ART OF RESURRECTION and several of his other books has informed my own research in various areas. But no more than in the area of whether or not Jesus truly died and was actually resurrected from the dead.

If what Silva has uncovered is true (and I suspect that it is, based on my own research and the research of others), Jesus himself – who has also been determined to have studied with the Essenes (at the least) – followed their teachings and belief system which included Egyptian teachings. And because Jesus has been determined to have traveled to Egypt with his parents when he was a young boy, it’s very likely that while he was in Egypt, he had been taught The Art of Resurrection and likely took part in the Egyptian Mystery Schools which would have included this teaching.

Great addition to your library.

[Nathaniel Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a really fresh perspective on the phenomenon of "resurrection" as a concept. Filled with both historical fact and personal anecdotes from the author, along with a bit of speculation to fill in gaps, this is a fantastic read about the ritualistic practices of former civilizations.

Those feeling the concept of resurrection is all about death and rebirth in the literal sense will find a lot to learn in this book. Not something I'd recommend to highly religious folks that see the bible as a literal truth rather than an historical allegory.

[Analuabc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freddy Silva nem sempre é fácil de acompanhar no sentido que mistura às vezes parte histórica com parte subjectiva pessoal. Mas tal como no outro seu livro sobre os Templários em Portugal, mostra outros pontos díspares da linha comum que podem abrir mais horizontes e explicar muitas coisas.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. I just disagree with his final premise: resurrection is for the living, not the dead.
His research may be correct- people may have practiced all he notes, but that does not prove or disprove the Jesus story.

[Kimberly Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing!

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent ideas on the "Ancient Stream" Lots of reference to the path through the Egyptian mythos, Greek, Roman, Pagan, and Gnostic paths.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, very interesting facts and very well written!

[Adriano · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many connections drawn that expanded my way of thinking and how I see things around me. I love the dense with information this book is. Being able to eloquently write about secretive spiritual practices seems hard enough, Freddy Silva does it like a pro. Highly recommend the read.

[Shawn Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really amazing title, have been looking for this info regarding the Mysteries since the early 2000's. His theory is the Skeleton Key that makes sense of a lot of the strange facts and unexplained oddities surrounding Megaliths, Ancient Religions, Temples, and Texts. Wish it had a little more info on Praxis but still a phenomenal read and great jumping off point to go deeper!