Up to the Present & what we have discovered

Establishing the Ecumenical Ideal.

Retreating from the difficulties mentioned, the focus was turned toward the Church established by Mgr. Herard and Mgr. Cokinis for those principally of American descent. Ecumenical communications continued with other Churches of a Gnostic character with valid Apostolic Succession in North America, and the relationship was strengthened when Bishops Hoeller of the Ecclesia Gnostica and Cokinis of the EGCA exchanged Episcopal lineages. Another important event took place in October of 1998 when Bishops Hoeller and Cokinis co-consecrated John Cole as the Bishop of Evansville, Indiana and an auxiliary bishop of the Midwest. This fused both the English and French lines for the first time.

Mgr. Cole had been a very active member of the clergy and had continued this attitude of communication and solidarity by bringing to the table a relationship with the Church of the Glorious Christ based in Barbados. The Church, descended from bishops descended from the "Nouvelle Alliance," was also the center of activity for the Martinist Order of the West Indies, and included the International College of Esoteric Studies, as well as a chivalric tradition having a lineage dating to 13^th century French nobility. Mgr. Cole accepted, for a time, the responsibility as Grand Master of the Order of the Grail, as it was called, later passing that position to its current Grand Commander, Dame Donna Owen of California.

Another important event took place when a young man approached Mgr. Cole with interest in this French tradition of the Gnostic Church and its affiliated rites and orders. In 1998, he received initiation into Martinism and the Order of the Grail, as well as minor orders within the EGCA. In October of that same year, he had the opportunity to meet Mgr. Cokinis as well as Mgr. Hoeller at the consecration of Mgr. Cole. That same evening they learned that this young man held a degree in French so they made use of that ability by having him read the Bulle of Election, traditionally composed in French, the language of the Church.

This man was given increasing responsibilities related to the Church and the tradition in general. On 11 July 1999, Mgr. Cole ordained him to the Priesthood of the Gnostic Church, then in November of 2000, he was appointed as Apostolic Prefect and International Legate for the Church with the express direction to re-establish contact with France and develop communication with other branches of the church, as well as pursue the affiliated rites and orders traditionally attached to the Church. As part of that same ceremony, an Electoral College was formed, being a college of bishops to provide direction and support. The members of this college, present and participating in the appointment that November afternoon, were +Robert M. Cokinis, +Stephan A. Hoeller, +Ronald V. Cappello, +Carl Emanuel and Tau Ignatius of Alexandria VII. +John Cole, unfortunately, was unable to attend but was also listed as a member of the college.

The Patriarch of the Old Templar Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, +Ronald V. Cappello, holding successions from the Nouvelle Alliance, Old Catholic and Mariavite lines, as well as the French Gnostic Church of Ambelain, had been an associate of +Robert Ambelain and one of the few allowed to visit Ambelain during his last days. Mgr. Cappello brought not only another branch of the Church, but also the authority for North America for the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm as part of the International Sovereign Sanctuary led by members who had received that authority from Robert Ambelain. +Carl Emanuel of Toronto, Canada represented the Church in Barbados, and Tau Ignatius of Alexandria VII represented the Brazilian and Italian contingency of Churches and Orders. Tau Ignatius of Alexandria VII had received successions from +Lewis Keizer, himself having succession from H.E. Count +George Boyer, as well as several Churches in Brazil, Italy and Spain.

Through these, and other contacts, Mgr. +Garver would expand the relations of the church, traveling repeatedly abroad, resulting in a reaffirmed contact with the Church in Brazil of the late EGA Patriarch +Pedro Freire via his widow Martha, herself a Grand Master of Memphis-Misraïm and a bishop of the Church. Then, in 2002, Mgr. +Cokinis presented a Bulle of Election to raise Mgr. +Garver to the dignity of Bishop within the church, with the name of Tau Vincent II. He was consecrated within the EGCA of North America on 10 November 2002 by +Robert Cokinis, with +Stephan Hoeller of the Ecclesia Gnostica as co-consecrator..

Reuniting the Streams of Gnosis

This consecration by Mgr. +Cokinis and Mgr. +Hoeller as well as other consecrations and exchanges with bishops such as +Emanuele Coltro of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica Apostolica Latina, +Massimo Mantovani of the Église Gnostique Apostolique d'Antioche (from André Mauer), Tau Ignatius of Alexandria VII, +Ronald Cappello of the Old Templar Church, +Osmel R. Valéra d'Abela of the Old Catholic Church, +Michael Buckley of the Apostolic Church Of The Golden And Rosy Cross, +John Plummer of the Mission Episcopate of Theophany, +Philippe Laurent De Coster of the Eglise Vieille Catholique Romaine Latine de Flandres, and others have brought Mgr. +Garver into contact with many manifestations of the gnostic stream both domestically and internationally. Through these subsequent consecrations and exchanges with bishops in Italy, France, Belgium, England, and other locations, all lines of the Gnostic and Apostolic traditions, as well as those of several other esoteric traditions, now flow through the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique, and the Tradition is being rejuvenated once again by a small number of dedicated and serious individuals..

Perhaps the most important and influential occurrence is the relationship garnered by Tau Vincent II with the last of the direct successors to Chambellant as the legitimate Patriarchal filiation from Bricaud. There have been far too many influences from people who have attempted to corrupt the orientation of the church trying to make it something it is not now, nor ever was, by incorporating foreign elements and calling it "innovation," or by setting aside her own rich traditions in favor of an eclectic smorgasbord of spiritual and/or occult ideas. Many personal an political agendas have taken precedence over the true work of the Church and of the Tradition. Not wanting to see the further "mixing" or loss of such a rich heritage of its own accord, the Elders of the Eglise Gnostique in Europe have agreed that this is the case, and in order to guarantee the survival of the French Gnostic Tradition and its Christian Gnostic orientation as preserved in the line from Doinel to Bricaud to Chevillon to Chambellant, a formal declaration of alliance between the churches, represtented by T. Gilbertus in France and T. Vincent II in North America, has been signed to this end.

As an additional note to the history of the Gnostic Church of Bricaud, Chevillon and Chambellant, after the dissolution of Ambelain's EGA, Chambellant, still the Patriarch of the church of Bricaud and Chevillon, effectively became the constitutional Patriarch of Ambelain's church since he (Tau Renatus) still held the title of "Primate of the Gauls," the traditionally held title of the Patriarch, which he had retained. This left him in possession of the sole authority as head of the Gnostic Church. Chambellant consecrated only 4 bishops (which action alone made him a Patriarch), one of whom currently serves as the main "President" of the Church in the spirit of the Christian Gnosis of Chevillon & Chambellant. One of these four was removed from any further authority within the church for allowing his Masonic and Martinist qualifications lapse. We have learned, however, that this individual has recently started claiming authority from Chambellant, whereas in our archives remains the notice, dated November 1987, of his removal from having any authority for the Church or the Tradition, thereby leaving no legitimate claim by him possible. [Ed. Note: some accounts proclaim that Edmund Fieschi, Tau Siabul, was the 'Primate of the Gauls' for Ambelain's church... however, with his abdication and subsequent departure, this would still leave Chambellant as the only legitimate Primate of the Gauls, hence, the Patriarch by the Constitution of Synesius, even being two distinct Churches.]

A further note of interest is that Chambellant saw himself as the only one able and authorized to continue the work of the Gnostic Church. On 15 April 1982, he and a core group of individuals submitted official documentation to the government of France for the Church, using the already familiar name of Eglise Gnostique Apostolique, instead of Universelle. We provide for you here what Chambellant wrote in the opening lines of this document:

“We, René Chambellant, bishop of the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique, holding our succession from Saint Mark and the only remaining trustee of the spiritual and apostolic lineage of Monseigneur Bricaud, former Patriarch of our church, Ourselves being a former Patriarch of the Church and Primate of Africa for the Church;
“Considering that the temporary cessation of activities of the Church, resulting from the death of Monseigneur Constant Chevillon, last active (in exercise) Patriarch, no longer has a reason to continue its inactivity;
“Considering that we are the only Gnostic Bishop of orthodox faith to possess the lineage of Monseigneur Bricaud, the next-to-last active Patriarch;
“Considering that we were elected by the entire assembly of clergy and faithful as Patriarch of the Church…”

It is interesting to see that he openly proclaims himself to be "the only remaning trustee of the spiritual and apostolic lineage of Monseigneur Bricaud." Why would he say such a thing? After much reflection, we can conclude the following: While Robert Amadou did have both the spiritual and apostolic successions of Bricaud, which we of the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique are proud to maintain, Amadou had refrained from further activity as a Gnostic Bishop, and had become active clergy in the Syriac Orthodox Church. Consequently, Amadou had never consecrated anyone, and to our knowledge has only exchanged consecrations with one individual, through which the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique can trace this particular line. Also, as of 1967, Robert Ambelain, who was still alive at the time, had, and here I will quote the noted scholar Serge Caillet: "renie alors la foi et la gnose judéo-chrétiennes, et s'éloigne de plusieurs écoles initiatiques qu'il dirige, après avoir pour beaucoup contribué à leur réveil..." in English: "[he] disavowed Judeo-Christian faith and gnosis, and distanced himself from several initiatory schools which he directed, after having contributed a great deal to their revival..."; in addition, as previously mentioned, Chambellant fully believed that Ambelain had never received a consecration from Menard, but from a man named de la Rue. And so, with this in mind, Chambellant saw it as his duty to continue the work of the Gnostic Church, being the only active bishop with legitimate successions, and having been the duly elected Patriarch to succeed Chevillon. On 24 May 1993, Chambellant dissolved the association of l'Eglise Gnostique Apostolique he had established in 1982, but on that same day reestablished a new association, also called l'Eglise Gnostique Apostolique, with largely a different set of officers for the association. The official notice of its establishment appeared as entry number 104 on page 2325 of the July 7th edition of the "Journal Officiel de la République Française."

A further note of clarification: We make absolutely no judgment and hold absolutely no ill will for Robert Ambelain. In fact, if it were not for his efforts, it is very likely that there may not be anything left of any component of the French Gnostic Tradition; and for that we owe him our deepest gratitude and respect. What we would further like to clarify is that Chambellant and the faithful of the Eglise Gnostique Universelle, as was mentioned above, VOLUNTARILY PUT ACTIVITES TO SLEEP. And so, when Robert Ambelain's EGA became so active and representatives were spread throughout the western hemisphere, there was no need to recommence activities... until such a time as the Holy Synod of Ambelain's EGA approved the dissolution of the patriarchate. It was only after this event that Chambellant decided it was necessary to maintain the presence of a Gnostic Church, and because he had all the qualifications and authority, this was a further reason for his declaration of 15 April 1982. It seems fairly simple now, although it has come to our attention that a great misinterpretation of intent and history have taken place. Tracing the through-line from Doinel to the present has been difficult, however, we believe that in spite of the often confusing and overlapping events, one thing is clear... that the revival of gnosticism has continued, in one manner or another, in one group or another, and despite apparent conflicts, will always find a way to carry on.

The lines of communication opened and pursued internationally have come with mixed blessings, and have at times been the cause of misinterpretation, and ultimately led to a renewal of the Gnostic Church in order to preserve and maintain her original ideals, rituals and traditions, and in order to separate fact from the fancy that has arisen in so many circles about the Gnostic Church. This renewal is the mission of the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique. Some of the more interesting points that have been uncovered are:

• The fact that the Doinel church ended and was superceded by the church of Synésius who called himself the first patriarch of the new Eglise Chrétienne Moderne (néo-gnostique)
• The fact that Bricaud also considered himself the first patriarch of a newly formed church
• The fact that Ambelain founded his own church but then became the predominant body
• The fact that an existing filiation does exist tracing directly back to Bricaud and not going through Ambelain. René Chambellant was consecrated by Edouard Gesta, and both Edouard Gesta and Robert Amadou were consecrated on 28 January 1945 by Victor Blanchard who passed to them the spiritual and apostolic successions of Bricaud. Both of these lines of succession exist today outside all other so-called gnostic churches, and this filiation directly back to Bricaud is maintained by the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique.
• The fact that the Gnostic Church has always had close ties to the Orthodox Church, just a few examples of which are:

  • Robert Amadou worked within the Syriac Orthodox Church
  • The apostolic succession of the Gnostic Church originally came from the oriental Orthodox Church.
  • The Cathars, who have so heavily influenced the Gnostic Church and form part of her egregore were, essentially, proto-orthodox. (See J. Duvernoy, A. Brenon, and B. delaFarge)
  • Jean Bricaud, Constant Chevillon and the whole Gallican Church maintained a very close relationship with the Armenian Orthodox Church, particularly through the Archimandrite Kibarian d'Artchongetz, who was consecrated as a Bishop in 1924 for France and Belgium.
• The fact that there was an incredibly close relationship between the Gnostic Church and the Gallican Church at the time of Bricaud and Chevillon.

  • The March 1934 issue of «Le Gallican» journal contained an obituary notice for His Excellency Mgr. Bricaud:
    • "We have learned of the death following a painful illness of His Excellency Mgr. Bricaud, bishop of the Eglise Gnostique of Lyon, a very sincere and very dear friend to our Church and to her Patriarch. He was a man of a distinguished spirit, an upstanding soul, a generous heart, very sweet and very accommodating, he knew how to be congenial in every place his good nature called him to frequent. Very cultivated and well informed about everything concerning the needs of the modern soul he left writings that were very popular and which form a sort of spiritual testament. All our prayers rise up to God for the repose of this beautiful soul and all our sympathies go out to the community he directed with so much modesty and for whom his death is an unfortunate loss; they also go out to his family for whom we maintain the most affectionate Christian sentiments."
  • The April 1934 issue of «Le Gallican» journal contained this notice:
    • "A fortieth anniversay service was celebrated on April 8th in memory of Mgr. Bricaud, bishop of the Gnostics and recently deceased. Mgr. Bricaud was not only a personal friend of our Patriarch, but he was also his spiritual son, for our venerable pastor had been, himself, his consecrator."
  • The August 1936 issue of «Le Gallican» journal contains an article with the title "Le Bien" (Goodness), written by Constant Chevillon, which we will translate shortly.
  • The April 1937 issue of «Le Gallican» journal contains the following notice:
    • "Réflexions sur le Temple social"...Under this title, Mgr. Chevillon, our distinguished colleague from the Eglise Gnostique, has just published a very wise study on the major problems which preoccupy every thinking spirit. Rather than risk distorting the spirit of the piece with an obviously incomplete analysis that is frequently peripheral to the idea of the author, with such a delicate subject matter, we would rather set the strongest page before the eyes of our readers (the entire text of the publication will soon be made available in and English translation by the Eglise Gnostique via Miloyati Press.) Profound words, and well worth remembering and meditating upon; elsewhere, this magnificent study should be cited in its entirety.
  • The October 1937 issue of «Le Gallican» journal contains another short article by Constant Chevillon entitled "God is Love," which is part of a series of "Meditations" by Chevillon that will soon be made available in English translation by the Eglise Gnostique via Miloyati Press.

Much information has been exchanged, and the facets of this jewel are once again beginning to shine. Recognition within the long history of our French Gnostic Tradition is reserved for those churches and organizations which are deemed legitimate, non-subversive and in accord with our founders and leaders throughout history. This should certainly not be taken to indicate that ours is "the only way" ... but the Eglise Gnostique operates within a very specific tradition, and as such, upholds certain standards and adheres to certain rituals and protocols. It is A way, full of tradition and beauty. There are many variations, and each individual should explore the options to find the best fit. Some will be drawn to our tradition, many will not - just as scripture tells us "... many are called, few are chosen..."

This document is edited and compiled from several sources:

*The website article on the history of the EGA as compiled by Mgr. Robert M. Cokinis:
History Part I and History Part II and the history of the development of the EGA in Haiti and North America by Roger Herard as printed in the journal "Apostolic Gnosis."

*Primary and Secondary source material including, but not limited to:

• Certificates of ordination, consecration and initiation from 1850 to the present
• Occultisme en France aux XIXème et XXème siècles: L'Eglise Gnostique edited by Antoine Faivre
• Qu'est-ce que l'Eglise Gnostique by Robert Amadou
• Catechisms, histories, journals, liturgies, and rituals of initiation and ordination from:
  • l'Eglise du Christ (Fabré-Palaprat) (also called l'Eglise Chrétienne (Catholique Primitive)) but mistakenly called l'Eglise Johannite des Chrétiens Primitifs
  • le Sanctuaire Intérieur du Carmel d'Elie (Vintras)
  • l'Eglise Gnostique (Doinel)
  • l'Eglise Chrétienne Moderne (Synésius/Sophronius)
  • l'Eglise Gnostique Universelle (Bricaud)
  • l'Eglise Gnostique Apostolique (Ambelain)
  • l'Eglise Gnostique Apostolique (Chambellant)
  • l'Eglise Gnostique Catholique Apostolique (Herard - Cokinis)
  • l'Eglise Gallicane
• articles from l'Initiation provided by editor-in-chief Yves-Fred Boisset
• Les Petites Églises de Paris (Parmi les sects et les rites) by Pierre Geyraud
• Letters between +Joseph René Vilatte and +Jean Bricaud
• Gnosticisme by Tau Basilides
• Les Hiérophantes by Léonce-Eugène Fabre des Essarts, Tau Synésius
• Les Petites Églises by Michaelis de Rienzi
• the collected works of +Constant Chevillon
• Déodat Roché et l'Eglise Gnostique in "Cahiers d'Etudes Cathares" by +J-P Bonnerot
• founding documents submitted to the government of France
• the works of Abbé Julio
• various texts from the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, the Bibliothèque National de France, the Bricaud and Willermoz archives in Lyon
• Personal correspondence and archival materials of Chevillon and Chambellant housed in France

*Brother Milko Bogaard's 3-part history of the development of the church:
Part I, Part II and Part III given here with his permission.

*Personal conversations and correspondence with +Bertil Persson; +Robert Amadou; Serge Caillet; +Charles Rafael Payeur; Tau Gilbertus, EGA; Tau Johannès, EGA; Mgr. Robert M. Cokinis, EGCA; Baron +Stephan von Hoeller-Bertram, Ecclesia Gnostica; Tau Irenaeus II, EGA; Mgr. Emanuele Coltro, EGCAL; Mgr. Ronald V. Cappello, OTC; Mme. Martha Freire, EGAC; Mgr. Edmund Fieschi, EGAA; +Philippe Laurent De Coster.

Ancient :: Medieval :: Modern :: Current