About the Apostolic Johannite Church

The Apostolic Johannite Church is an esoteric Gnostic Christian communion with valid Apostolic Succession. The word "Johannite" relates to the Gospel of John, embraced by early Gnostics, to the Apostle John, and to the Tradition of Initiation practiced by John the Baptist. Gnosticism is a religious tradition that stresses mysticism, personal responsibility, revelation, and practical philosophy. We are saved from Ignorance and Deception through Knowledge (gnosis) of our own Divine origin and nature.

We are part of the "catholic" (universal) Tradition as it was understood by the Early Christian Churches, and we use Christian form and Sacraments in our worship. While many of our members do consider themselves Christian, we welcome members from a wide variety of faith traditions including Wiccans, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, and Hermeticists.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament form sources of our inspiration, as do other works including the Corpus Hermeticum and the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Scriptures. We understand these texts from a Gnostic view, rather than a superficial or literalist one. We also honour the seven Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Penance, Holy Orders, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction as part of our Apostolic Tradition.

Find out more about the AJC at the church's main website.