Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

Edmond Bordeaux Szekely (March 5, 1905 – 1979) was a Hungarian philologist/linguist, philosopher, psychologist, and natural living enthusiast. He is best known for authoring "The Essene Gospel of Peace," which he claimed to have translated from ancient texts discovered in the 1920s. However, scholars widely consider this text a forgery. Szekely's grandfather was Sándor Székely, a poet and Unitarian Bishop. His mother was French and Roman Catholic, while his father was Hungarian Unitarian. He claimed to have received degrees from the University of Paris, University of Vienna, and University of Leipzig, and held professorships in philosophy and experimental psychology. In 1928, he co-founded the International Biogenic Society with Romain Rolland. Szekely traveled extensively and met L. Purcell Weaver in Tahiti in 1934, who translated several of his works. In 1939, he married Deborah Shainman, and in 1940, they opened Rancho la Puerta in Baja California, Mexico, a camp that explored their ideas on health and living. They had two children. After divorcing Shainman in 1970, Szekely moved to Costa Rica, married Norma Nilsson, and continued writing and teaching until his death in 1979. He was a raw foodist and vegetarian, advocating "biogenic living" and a diet rich in raw fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.