Jules-Benoît Stanislas Doinel du Val-Michel (8 December 1842 in

Moulins, Allier Moulins (; oc, Molins) is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. It is located on the river Allier. Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, the Anne de Beaujeu Museum and The National Center of C ...

– 16 or 17 March 1903), also known simply as Jules Doinel or Tau Valentin II was an

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...

and the founder of the first

Gnostic church Gnostic church may refer to a variety of religious organizations which identify themselves with Gnosticism. Various Gnostic religious organizations include: * Ecclesia Gnostica *Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica *Ecclesia Pistis Sophia * Gnostic Church of ...

in modern times who claims that he was consecrated into a new episcopal lineage in a dream by the "Eon Jesus".

Gnostic Church revival

After spiritual experiences in 1888–89, he proclaimed 1890 the beginning of "the era of Gnosis restored", Doinel assumed the office of Patriarch of the '' Église Gnostique'' ( French: ''Gnostic Church''), taking the ecclesiastical name of Tau Valentin II, after

Valentinius Valentinus (also spelled Valentinius; – ) was the best known and, for a time, most successful early Christian Gnostic theologian. He founded his school in Rome. According to Tertullian, Valentinus was a candidate for bishop but started hi ...

, the 2nd century Christian Gnostic teacher. The doctrinal orientation of the church was based on extant

Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

documents, with the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

, and a strong influence of Simonian and Valentinian

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

. The church was officially established in autumn 1890 in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. Liturgical services were based on Cathar rituals. Clergy were both male and female, having male bishops and female "''sophias''". Doinel was "spiritually consecrated" in a spiritual experience in 1888 and not into a line of apostolic succession. Doinel subsequently consecrated a number of bishops for the ''Église Gnostique'', notably

Gérard Encausse Gérard Anaclet Vincent Encausse (July 13, 1865 – 25 October 1916), whose esotericism, esoteric pseudonyms were Papus and Tau Vincent, was a French people, French physician, hypnotist, and popularizer of occultism, who founded the modern mar ...

, founder of the closely allied Martinist Order.

Anti-masonic period (1895–1897)

In 1895, Doinel resigned from the ''Église Gnostique'', leaving the leadership of the church to a council of bishops. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and began a collaboration with Léo Taxil, being one of many taken in by Taxil's anti-masonic hoax. Under the name Jean Kostka, Doinel wrote a book attacking freemasonry, entitled ''Lucifer Unmasked'', in which he associated many of his prior activities with the diabolic.

A. E. Waite Arthur Edward Waite (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942) was a British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider–Waite tarot deck (also called the Rider–Waite–Smith o ...

described ''Lucifer Unmasked'' and revealed the real identity of its author in ''Devil Worship in France'', his exposé of the anti-masonic that movement Taxil inspired. Waite (1896) p. 184 Taxil unveiled his hoax in 1897.

Reconciliation

Doinel was readmitted as a bishop in the ''Église Gnostique'' in 1900.

Notes

References

* * * * 1842 births 1903 deaths People from Moulins, Allier École Nationale des Chartes alumni French archivists Anti-Masonry Christian anti-Gnosticism Gnosticism French Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism Place of birth missing Place of death missing {{france-reli-bio-stub

Gnostic Church revival

Anti-masonic period (1895–1897)

Reconciliation

See also

Notes

References