Editing Thelema (section)

===François Rabelais and the Abbey of Thélème===
{{Main|François Rabelais}}
[[File:Francois Rabelais - Portrait.jpg|upright|thumb|[[François Rabelais]]]]
François Rabelais was a [[Franciscan]] and later a [[Benedictine]] monk of the 16th century. Eventually he left the monastery to study medicine, and moved to the French city of [[Lyon]] in 1532. There he wrote ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]],'' a connected series of books. They tell the story of two giants—a father (Gargantua) and his son (Pantagruel) and their adventures—written in an amusing, extravagant, and satirical vein.

Most critics today agree that Rabelais wrote from a [[Christian humanism|Christian humanist]] perspective.{{sfnp|Bowen|1998|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}} The Crowley biographer Lawrence Sutin notes this when contrasting the French author's beliefs with the Thelema of [[Aleister Crowley]].{{sfnp|Sutin|2002|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}} In the previously mentioned story of Thélème, which critics analyze as referring in part to the suffering of loyal Christian reformists or "evangelicals"{{sfnp|Chesney|2004|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}} within the French Church,<ref>Hayes, E. Bruce, "Enigmatic prophecy" entry in {{harvp|Chesney|2004|p=68}}.</ref> the reference to the Greek word θέλημα "declares that the will of God rules in this abbey".<ref>Rothstein, Marian, "Thélème, Abbey of" entry in {{harvp|Chesney|2004|p=243}}.</ref> Sutin writes that Rabelais was no precursor of Thelema, with his beliefs containing elements of [[Stoicism]] and Christian kindness.{{sfnp|Sutin|2002|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}}

In his first book (ch. 52–57), Rabelais writes of this Abbey of Thélème, built by the giant Gargantua. It is a classical [[utopia]] presented in order to critique and assess the state of the society of Rabelais's day, as opposed to a modern utopian text that seeks to create the scenario in practice.{{sfnp|Stillman|1999|p=60}} It is a utopia where people's desires are more fulfilled.{{sfnp|Stillman|1999|p=70}}  Satirical, it also epitomises the ideals considered in Rabelais's fiction.{{sfnp|Rothstein|2001|p=17, n. 23}} The inhabitants of the abbey were governed only by their own free will and pleasure, the only rule being "Do What Thou Wilt". Rabelais believed that men who are free, well born and bred have honour, which intrinsically leads to virtuous actions. When constrained, their noble natures turn instead to remove their servitude, because men desire what they are denied.{{sfnp|Rabelais|1994|p={{page needed|date=November 2021}}}}

Some modern Thelemites consider Crowley's work to build upon Rabelais's summary of the instinctively honourable nature of the Thelemite. Rabelais has been variously credited with the creation of the philosophy of Thelema, as one of the earliest people to refer to it.{{sfnp|Edwards|2001|p=478}} The current National Grand Master General of the U.S. [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] Grand Lodge has opined that:

{{blockquote|1=Saint Rabelais never intended his satirical, fictional device to serve as a practical blueprint for a real human society&nbsp;... Our Thelema is that of ''The Book of the Law'' and the writings of Aleister Crowley.{{sfnp|Sabazius X°|2007}} }}

[[File:Hogarth Dashwood.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Portrait of [[Francis Dashwood, 11th Baron le Despencer]], by [[William Hogarth]] from the late 1750s]]

Aleister Crowley wrote in ''The Antecedents of Thelema'' (1926), an incomplete work not published in his day, that Rabelais not only set forth the law of Thelema in a way similar to how Crowley understood it, but predicted and described in code Crowley's life and the holy text that he received, ''[[The Book of the Law]]''. Crowley said the work he had received was deeper, showing in more detail the technique people should practice, and revealing scientific mysteries. He said that Rabelais confines himself to portraying an ideal, rather than addressing questions of political economy and similar subjects, which must be solved in order to realize the Law.{{sfnp|Crowley|1998}}

Rabelais is included among the [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica#Saints of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica|Saints of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]].{{sfnp|Crowley|1919b|p=249}}