THE existence of gnosis, that is, a higher or extra-
ordinary kind of knowledge, belonging to the sphere
of religious activity, has presented Christianity from
the beginning with a serious and difficult problem. Already
in St Paul we find a repudiation of 'the wisdom. . . of
this world's rulers', ¹ and pre-eminence given to charity
as the only genuine mark of a true ministry of the word:
while he also tells how he was 'carried up into Paradise, and
heard mysteries which man is not allowed to utter'. ² Such
contrasts still occur in the world about us today. On every
hand, bogus mystics, materialists and spiritualists alike,
claim to possess the ultimate truth of reality. Even within
Christianity, the evaluation of supranormal knowledge is a
controversial matter; the Church recognizes this phenome-
non as a bright jewel in her crown and as a distinguishing
mark of her intrinsic holiness; but at the same time she
constantly insists that any anxious or inquisitive pursuit of
these extraordinary ways is a dangerous illusion; and con-
stantly reiterates that charity is better. We shall do well,
therefore, to begin by briefly indicating the nature of
Christian gnosis, as contrasted with false gnosticisms, and
with spurious derivatives of the true original.

Prophets and prophetism have become fashionable topics
again in our own day; and no wonder, since prophecy is
essentially an intuitive interpretation of the historical pro-
cess. A revival of the prophetic spirit follows immediately
upon a rediscovery of the historical conception of reality.

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