Henny Fiskå Hägg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199288083
- eISBN:
- 9780191604164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199288089.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter considers certain aspects of Clement’s writing methods and his views on the written versus the spoken word. It also discusses the question of whether or not Clement teaches an esoteric ...
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This chapter considers certain aspects of Clement’s writing methods and his views on the written versus the spoken word. It also discusses the question of whether or not Clement teaches an esoteric doctrine.Less
This chapter considers certain aspects of Clement’s writing methods and his views on the written versus the spoken word. It also discusses the question of whether or not Clement teaches an esoteric doctrine.
Yaacob Dweck
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145082
- eISBN:
- 9781400840007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145082.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter posits Leon Modena's writing practices within the context of early modern Venice, capital of Hebrew printing and center of manuscript production. The circumstances of Modena's life as ...
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This chapter posits Leon Modena's writing practices within the context of early modern Venice, capital of Hebrew printing and center of manuscript production. The circumstances of Modena's life as well as the cultural world of early modern Venice offer some context for why Ari Nohem (The Roaring Lion, 1840) did not appear in print in the seventeenth century. As a work of criticism, Ari Nohem reflected upon the transmission of Jewish tradition, particularly the transmission of esoteric information and the principles of Jewish law. Modena argued that the printing of legal and kabbalistic books had effected a radical change in the transmission of Jewish tradition, a change that he decried in no uncertain terms at several points. Ari Nohem polemicized against one medium, print, in the form of another, manuscript.Less
This chapter posits Leon Modena's writing practices within the context of early modern Venice, capital of Hebrew printing and center of manuscript production. The circumstances of Modena's life as well as the cultural world of early modern Venice offer some context for why Ari Nohem (The Roaring Lion, 1840) did not appear in print in the seventeenth century. As a work of criticism, Ari Nohem reflected upon the transmission of Jewish tradition, particularly the transmission of esoteric information and the principles of Jewish law. Modena argued that the printing of legal and kabbalistic books had effected a radical change in the transmission of Jewish tradition, a change that he decried in no uncertain terms at several points. Ari Nohem polemicized against one medium, print, in the form of another, manuscript.
Yaacob Dweck
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145082
- eISBN:
- 9781400840007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145082.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines Modena's attempt to reclaim Maimonides from his kabbalistic critics and admirers. It argues that Modena's reading of Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed informed most of his ...
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This chapter examines Modena's attempt to reclaim Maimonides from his kabbalistic critics and admirers. It argues that Modena's reading of Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed informed most of his important positions in Ari Nohem—his understanding of tradition, his rejection of kabbalistic theology, and his attack on kabbalistic hermeneutics. Indeed, Modena quoted, paraphrased, defended, or alluded to Maimonides on nearly every page of Ari Nohem. He mentioned Maimonides explicitly on more than forty occasions in a treatise that consisted of thirty chapters; in addition, he often cited Maimonides without mentioning his name and engaged Maimonides' critics at great length. The chapter then connects Modena's discussion of two crucial issues in his criticism of Kabbalah to his reading of Maimonides: the history of esoteric secrets and the distinction between Kabbalah and philosophic knowledge.Less
This chapter examines Modena's attempt to reclaim Maimonides from his kabbalistic critics and admirers. It argues that Modena's reading of Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed informed most of his important positions in Ari Nohem—his understanding of tradition, his rejection of kabbalistic theology, and his attack on kabbalistic hermeneutics. Indeed, Modena quoted, paraphrased, defended, or alluded to Maimonides on nearly every page of Ari Nohem. He mentioned Maimonides explicitly on more than forty occasions in a treatise that consisted of thirty chapters; in addition, he often cited Maimonides without mentioning his name and engaged Maimonides' critics at great length. The chapter then connects Modena's discussion of two crucial issues in his criticism of Kabbalah to his reading of Maimonides: the history of esoteric secrets and the distinction between Kabbalah and philosophic knowledge.
Yaacob Dweck
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145082
- eISBN:
- 9781400840007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145082.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter traces the circulation of Ari Nohem in manuscript, from its composition through its first appearance in print. The different stages in the reception of Ari Nohem in manuscript offer an ...
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This chapter traces the circulation of Ari Nohem in manuscript, from its composition through its first appearance in print. The different stages in the reception of Ari Nohem in manuscript offer an alternative history of Kabbalah in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, one that has largely been told through the histories of Sabbatianism and Hasidism. The manuscript transmission of Ari Nohem was typical rather than aberrant for texts written by early modern Jewish intellectuals on a variety of subjects: polemical writings on Christianity, esoteric kabbalistic treatises, and epistolary campaigns against the mystical messiah Sabbatai Zevi and his followers. The evidence of these manuscripts, combined with repeated citation of and allusion to Ari Nohem in letters, diaries, treatises, responsa, and compendia composed between 1639 and 1840, indicate that Jews and Christians continued to read Modena's text in nearly every generation between the death of the author and the printing of his book.Less
This chapter traces the circulation of Ari Nohem in manuscript, from its composition through its first appearance in print. The different stages in the reception of Ari Nohem in manuscript offer an alternative history of Kabbalah in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, one that has largely been told through the histories of Sabbatianism and Hasidism. The manuscript transmission of Ari Nohem was typical rather than aberrant for texts written by early modern Jewish intellectuals on a variety of subjects: polemical writings on Christianity, esoteric kabbalistic treatises, and epistolary campaigns against the mystical messiah Sabbatai Zevi and his followers. The evidence of these manuscripts, combined with repeated citation of and allusion to Ari Nohem in letters, diaries, treatises, responsa, and compendia composed between 1639 and 1840, indicate that Jews and Christians continued to read Modena's text in nearly every generation between the death of the author and the printing of his book.
D. Dennis Hudson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195369229
- eISBN:
- 9780199871162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369229.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
The first panel evokes a set of stories about Daksha and his relations with Rudra Shiva, and the self‐immolation of Sati. The next panel continues the story of Daksha's daughter Aditi's son Vamana, ...
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The first panel evokes a set of stories about Daksha and his relations with Rudra Shiva, and the self‐immolation of Sati. The next panel continues the story of Daksha's daughter Aditi's son Vamana, called Upendra, and involves the insight that everything belongs to Vasudeva, and that “being true” involves the opposite in the Kali Yuga. The third panel concerns the cursing of Jaya and Vijaya by the four Kumaras. In the fourth panel, Bhadrashravas worships Hayagriva in the region of Bhadrashva; it implies the story of Matsya the Fish. The story of Hayagriva is connected to Esoteric Buddhism. The last two panels on the porch represent the stories of Rishabha and his son Bharata, and shed light on the development of the Bhagavata religion.Less
The first panel evokes a set of stories about Daksha and his relations with Rudra Shiva, and the self‐immolation of Sati. The next panel continues the story of Daksha's daughter Aditi's son Vamana, called Upendra, and involves the insight that everything belongs to Vasudeva, and that “being true” involves the opposite in the Kali Yuga. The third panel concerns the cursing of Jaya and Vijaya by the four Kumaras. In the fourth panel, Bhadrashravas worships Hayagriva in the region of Bhadrashva; it implies the story of Matsya the Fish. The story of Hayagriva is connected to Esoteric Buddhism. The last two panels on the porch represent the stories of Rishabha and his son Bharata, and shed light on the development of the Bhagavata religion.
Antoine Faivre
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195394337
- eISBN:
- 9780199777358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394337.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines the place in Eliade’s historical and fictional works of a variety of currents: Christian Kabbalah, Neo-Alexandrian hermetism, Renaissance “magic,” “spiritual” alchemy, ...
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This chapter examines the place in Eliade’s historical and fictional works of a variety of currents: Christian Kabbalah, Neo-Alexandrian hermetism, Renaissance “magic,” “spiritual” alchemy, Paracelsian and Neo-Paracelsian forms of philosophy of nature, Theosophy (Jacob Böhme and his followers), Rosicrucian literature and associations, and the so-called Occultist current. Eliade’s reasons for underplaying certain among these are linked, in part, to the fact that a “philosophy of nature” clearly present in most of these currents did not really tally with his idea of what the essentials of “religion” are or should be. Such traditions—as speculative discourses permeated by a sense of historicity—were not really congenial to Eliade’s program of transhistorical religious anthropology.Less
This chapter examines the place in Eliade’s historical and fictional works of a variety of currents: Christian Kabbalah, Neo-Alexandrian hermetism, Renaissance “magic,” “spiritual” alchemy, Paracelsian and Neo-Paracelsian forms of philosophy of nature, Theosophy (Jacob Böhme and his followers), Rosicrucian literature and associations, and the so-called Occultist current. Eliade’s reasons for underplaying certain among these are linked, in part, to the fact that a “philosophy of nature” clearly present in most of these currents did not really tally with his idea of what the essentials of “religion” are or should be. Such traditions—as speculative discourses permeated by a sense of historicity—were not really congenial to Eliade’s program of transhistorical religious anthropology.
Elaine Fisher
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195394337
- eISBN:
- 9780199777358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394337.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
In recent decades, a fair amount of controversy has been generated surrounding both Mircea Eliade’s youthful political association and his academic methodology. One particular trend in recent ...
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In recent decades, a fair amount of controversy has been generated surrounding both Mircea Eliade’s youthful political association and his academic methodology. One particular trend in recent critical literature draws a causal connection between Eliade’s scholarship on religion and his association with the Romanian Iron Guard. According to this critique, Eliade’s approach to the study of religion is symptomatic of his Fascist political leanings and continues to encode and circulate a Fascist mentality in the academy today. This chapter argues that, by means of rhetorical fallacy and semiotic inversion, Eliade’s scholarship has been systematically mapped onto Fascist thought through a number of keyword associations. As a result, the sui generis approach to the study of religion, as well as interest in mythology and the esoteric aspects of religion, becomes problematically construed, in and of themselves, as Fascist enterprises.Less
In recent decades, a fair amount of controversy has been generated surrounding both Mircea Eliade’s youthful political association and his academic methodology. One particular trend in recent critical literature draws a causal connection between Eliade’s scholarship on religion and his association with the Romanian Iron Guard. According to this critique, Eliade’s approach to the study of religion is symptomatic of his Fascist political leanings and continues to encode and circulate a Fascist mentality in the academy today. This chapter argues that, by means of rhetorical fallacy and semiotic inversion, Eliade’s scholarship has been systematically mapped onto Fascist thought through a number of keyword associations. As a result, the sui generis approach to the study of religion, as well as interest in mythology and the esoteric aspects of religion, becomes problematically construed, in and of themselves, as Fascist enterprises.
Toshimasa Yasukata
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195144949
- eISBN:
- 9780199834891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195144945.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Presents an argument for Lessing's significance for German intellectual history as well as his significance for modern Protestant theology. The assertion made here is that Lessing, as a pioneer among ...
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Presents an argument for Lessing's significance for German intellectual history as well as his significance for modern Protestant theology. The assertion made here is that Lessing, as a pioneer among the nontheologians who fostered the development of modern theology, belongs to the arena of the history of theology, even though he was not a theologian by profession. The task of articulating Lessing's theology or philosophy of religion is a difficult task that demands meticulous treatment. In order to escape the famous dilemma posed by Friedrich Loofs when he claimed that Lessing's “esoteric view” is concealed behind impenetrable “exoteric” walls, we consider the question of methodology for Lessing studies and reexamine old interpretive methods. The new method introduced here involves a heuristic and contextual interpretation of each of Lessing's cardinal texts, or an “intellectual assay” into the hidden and presumably rich vein of his thought with an eye to systematic reconstruction in future.Less
Presents an argument for Lessing's significance for German intellectual history as well as his significance for modern Protestant theology. The assertion made here is that Lessing, as a pioneer among the nontheologians who fostered the development of modern theology, belongs to the arena of the history of theology, even though he was not a theologian by profession. The task of articulating Lessing's theology or philosophy of religion is a difficult task that demands meticulous treatment. In order to escape the famous dilemma posed by Friedrich Loofs when he claimed that Lessing's “esoteric view” is concealed behind impenetrable “exoteric” walls, we consider the question of methodology for Lessing studies and reexamine old interpretive methods. The new method introduced here involves a heuristic and contextual interpretation of each of Lessing's cardinal texts, or an “intellectual assay” into the hidden and presumably rich vein of his thought with an eye to systematic reconstruction in future.
Paul Russell
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195110333
- eISBN:
- 9780199872084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195110333.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Both the epigrams that Hume uses on the title‐pages of the Treatise of Human Nature are very significant and reveal his freethinking and irreligious aims and intentions.. More specifically, the ...
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Both the epigrams that Hume uses on the title‐pages of the Treatise of Human Nature are very significant and reveal his freethinking and irreligious aims and intentions.. More specifically, the epigram from Tacitus that appears in Books I and II was used not only by Spinoza, but also by his followers in the Collins‐Toland circle to proclaim their bold defense of freethinking. At the same time, the Lucan epigram that appears in Book III also appears prominently in Collins's Freethinking and carries the message of Cato, a model of stoic virtue and the oracle of pantheism, freedom of thought, and anti‐superstition. Beyond this, these two epigrams are also intimately connected with Hume's Hobbist title and plan for his Treatise. In this way, Hume's use of epigrams on the title page of the Treatise is a notable and illuminating example of “esoteric” communication.Less
Both the epigrams that Hume uses on the title‐pages of the Treatise of Human Nature are very significant and reveal his freethinking and irreligious aims and intentions.. More specifically, the epigram from Tacitus that appears in Books I and II was used not only by Spinoza, but also by his followers in the Collins‐Toland circle to proclaim their bold defense of freethinking. At the same time, the Lucan epigram that appears in Book III also appears prominently in Collins's Freethinking and carries the message of Cato, a model of stoic virtue and the oracle of pantheism, freedom of thought, and anti‐superstition. Beyond this, these two epigrams are also intimately connected with Hume's Hobbist title and plan for his Treatise. In this way, Hume's use of epigrams on the title page of the Treatise is a notable and illuminating example of “esoteric” communication.
James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195156829
- eISBN:
- 9780199784806
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019515682X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This book features a collection of essays that discuss in detail the new religious groups that emerged during the 20th century. The essays provide an overview of each religion, their historical ...
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This book features a collection of essays that discuss in detail the new religious groups that emerged during the 20th century. The essays provide an overview of each religion, their historical development, leaders, doctrines, and activities. The groups covered are: the Family Unification Church, People’s Temple, Branch Davidians, ISKCON (Hare Krishnas), Osho Rajneesh, Soka Gakkai, Aum Shunrikyo, Falun Gong, Aumism, Scientology, Theosophy, Order of the Solar Temple Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Heaven’s Gate, Raëlians, White racist religions, and Satanism. The book is divided into four parts. Part I discusses groups in the Christian tradition. Part II focuses on Asian and Asian-inspired groups. Part III examines esoteric and New Age groups. Part IV looks at other group movements.Less
This book features a collection of essays that discuss in detail the new religious groups that emerged during the 20th century. The essays provide an overview of each religion, their historical development, leaders, doctrines, and activities. The groups covered are: the Family Unification Church, People’s Temple, Branch Davidians, ISKCON (Hare Krishnas), Osho Rajneesh, Soka Gakkai, Aum Shunrikyo, Falun Gong, Aumism, Scientology, Theosophy, Order of the Solar Temple Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Heaven’s Gate, Raëlians, White racist religions, and Satanism. The book is divided into four parts. Part I discusses groups in the Christian tradition. Part II focuses on Asian and Asian-inspired groups. Part III examines esoteric and New Age groups. Part IV looks at other group movements.
