View source for Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica

==History==

The E.G.C. descended from a line of French Gnostic revival churches that developed in the 19th century. At that time, these Gnostic churches were essentially Christian in nature. In 1907, [[Gerard Encausse]], [[Jean Bricaud]], and [[Louis-Sophrone Fugairon]] founded their own, simply called the Gnostic Catholic Church. In 1908, they gave O.T.O. Grand Master [[Theodor Reuss]] episcopal consecration and primatial authority in their GCC. Later that year, Reuss incorporated the Gnostic Catholic Church into O.T.O. after the original founders renamed their own church to the [[Universal Gnostic Church]]. 

The name "Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica" was not applied to the church until Crowley wrote the Gnostic Mass in 1913, which Reuss proclaimed to be the church's official rite. This marked the first time an established church was to accept the Law of Thelema as its central doctrine. Reuss then announced a new title for himself: the "Sovereign Patriarch and Primate of the Gnostic Catholic Church." 

In 1979, Hymenaeus Alpha X° ([[Grady McMurtry]]) separated the E.G.C. from Ordo Templi Orientis, and made it into an independent organization, with himself at the head of both. However, in 1985, his successor, [[Hymenaeus Beta]], dissolved the separate Gnostic Catholic Church corporation and folded the church back into O.T.O. In 1991, he formally tied the initiatory and ecclesiastical together by making certain degrees a requirement for various duties within the church (Dionysos Thriambos, 2005).