The Mark

A posthumously published work by Maurice Nicoll, assembled from manuscripts left unfinished at his death in 1953. The book continues his lifelong project of reading the Gospels and Old Testament as psychological documents, exploring themes of transformation, metanoia, the parable of the sower, and the distinction between physical and spiritual man. Central to the work is the idea that man possesses a physical body given to him by nature, but must consciously develop a psychological body through inner work. Nicoll uses close readings of scriptural imagery — shoes, garments, the naked man, the head and feet — to illuminate the difference between sensual and psychological understanding, arguing that most people approach sacred truth with their lowest level of mind and so cannot receive it. Written with great clarity and occasional passages of striking beauty, The Mark is considered one of Nicoll's most essential works and a key to understanding the esoteric meaning of Christ's teaching.