Editing Christian theosophy

{{Short description|Esoteric Christian movement}}
{{About|the esoteric Christian movement|the esoteric movement originating in the 19th century|Theosophy|other uses|Theosophy (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Boehme Portrait 1730.jpeg|thumb|right|An idealised portrait of Jakob Böhme]]
'''Christian theosophy''', also known as '''Boehmian theosophy''' and '''theosophy''', refers to a range of positions within [[Christianity]] that focus on the attainment of direct, unmediated knowledge of the nature of [[divinity]] and the origin and purpose of the universe. They have been characterized as [[mystical]] philosophies.<ref>{{citation|title=Forward, to the East: Napthali Herz Imber's Perception of Kabbalah|last=Huss|first=Boaz|year=2013|journal=Journal of Modern Jewish Studies|volume=12|issue=3|page=398|doi=10.1080/14725886.2013.826464|s2cid=143491585}}</ref> Theosophy is considered part of [[Western esotericism]], which believes that hidden knowledge or wisdom from the ancient past offers a path to [[Divine illumination|illumination]] and [[salvation]].{{cn|date=December 2023}}

While general theosophy concerns the universal aspects of diverse esoteric traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, Christian theosophy is limited to Jewish and Christian elements.<ref name="Faivre 2000 4–5">{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|pp=4–5}}</ref> The founding of Christian theosophy is usually attributed to the German philosopher [[Jakob Böhme]]. Jewish [[Kabbalah]] was also formative for Christian theosophy from Böhme on.<ref name="A. Versluis 2007">A. Versluis, Magic and Mysticism, 2007.</ref>

In 1875, the term ''theosophy'' was adopted and revived by the [[Theosophical Society]], an esoteric organization that spawned a spiritual movement also called [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]].<ref>"Following a period of obscurity, it was then revived at the end of the 19th century by Russian occultist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky Partridge, C. (2013). ''Understanding the Dark Side''. Chester: University of Chester. page 3</ref> In the 20th century, theosophy became the object of study for various scholars of Western esotericism.

==Etymology and terminology==
Theosophy comes from the Greek ''{{lang|grc|theosophia}}'' ({{lang|grc|θεοσοφία}}), which combines ''{{lang|grc|theos}}'' (θεός), "God"<ref>Liddell and Scott: ''Greek-English Lexicon''</ref> and ''{{lang|grc|sophia}}'' ({{lang|grc|σοφία}}), "wisdom".<ref>{{cite web |title=Theosophy |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/other-religious-beliefs-and-general-terms/miscellaneous-religion/theosophy |website=Encyclopedia.com |publisher=Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology |access-date=16 June 2018}}</ref> Its etymological meaning is thus "wisdom of God."{{sfn|Faivre|1994|p=24}}

The term ''theosophia'' appeared (in both Greek and Latin) in the works of early [[Church Fathers]], as a synonym for [[theology]]:{{sfn|Faivre|1994|p=24}}<ref name = "Lobel">{{harvnb|Lobel|2007|p=27}}</ref> the ''theosophoi'' are "those knowing divine things".{{sfn|Faivre|1994|p=24}}<ref name="Faivre 1987">{{harvnb|Faivre|1987}}</ref> The term however acquired various other meanings throughout its history.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=4}}</ref> The adjective "theosophos" (θεόσοφος) "wise in divine things" was applied by [[Iamblichus]] to the [[gymnosophists]] (Γυμνοσοφισταί), i.e. the Indian [[yogi]]s or [[sadhu]]s.<ref>[[Iamblichus]] (''De mysteriis'' 7.1).</ref>

Scholars of esotericism such as [[Joscelyn Godwin|Godwin]] and [[Antoine Faivre|Faivre]] differentiated the tradition of religious illumination from the religious system established in the late nineteenth century by [[Helena Blavatsky]] by referring to the latter with a capital letter as Theosophy, and the former with a lower-case letter as theosophy.{{sfn|Godwin|1994|p=xii}}{{sfn|Faivre|1994}} Followers of Blavatsky's movement are known as Theosophists, while adherents of the older tradition are termed theosophers.{{sfn|Godwin|1994|p=xii}}{{sfn|Faivre|1994}} Several Theosophists — such as C. C. Massey and Franz Hartmann — were also theosophers.{{sfn|Godwin|1994|p=xii}}{{sfn|Faivre|1994}}<ref name="A. Versluis 2007"/>

Antoine Faivre suggested in 1998 that it be called "Boehmian theosophy",{{sfn|Faivre|1998|p=116}} although he himself more often uses the term Christian theosophy.<ref>Western Esotericism. A Concise History by A. Faivre, 2010.</ref>

The term theosophy was used as a synonym for theology as early as the 3rd century CE.<ref name = "Lobel" /> The 13th-century work ''[[Summa philosophiae]]'' attributed to [[Robert Grosseteste]] made a distinction between theosophers and theologians. In the ''Summa'', theosophers were described as authors only inspired by the holy books, while theologians like [[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite]] and [[Origen]] were described as those whose task was to explain theosophy. Therefore, the terms denoted the opposite of the present-day meaning.{{sfn|Faivre|1994}}

During the [[Renaissance]], use of the term diverged to refer to [[gnostic]] knowledge that offers the individual enlightenment and salvation through a knowledge of the bonds that are believed to unite her or him to the world of divine or intermediary spirits.<ref name="Faivre 1987">{{harvnb|Faivre|1987}}</ref> Christian theosophy arose in Germany in the 16th century. Inspired to a considerable extent by the works of [[Paracelsus]] (1493–1541).{{sfn|Faivre|1994|p=8}} The term had not yet reached a settled meaning, however, as the mid-16th century ''Theosophia'' by [[Johannes Arboreus]] provided a lengthy exposition that included no mention of esotericism.<ref name="Faivre1987">{{harvnb|Faivre|1987|p=465}}</ref>

==Historical development==
{{see also|Transcendent theosophy}}

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Christian theosophy and [[Pietism]] arose in response to the orthodoxy of the [[Lutheran Reformation]].{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2008|p=87}}

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=left|quote=I do not write in the pagan manner, but in the theosophical.|source=— Jakob Böhme{{sfn|Faivre|2000|p=13}} }}

The work of the 17th-century German Christian mystic [[Jakob Böhme]] (1575–1624) strongly contributed to spread the use of the word "theosophy", even though Böhme rarely used the word in his writings. It is on account of the title of some of his works, but these titles appear to have been chosen more by the editors than by Böhme himself.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=13, see also p.19}}</ref>  Moreover, Böhme gave the word "theosophy" a limited meaning, making it clear that he was not conflating [[nature]] with [[God]].<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=13}}</ref> Böhme's work has been described as being "foundational" for Christian theosophy.{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2013|p=32}} There were relatively few theosophers in the 17th century, but many of them were prolific.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|pp=10–11 Faivre's list of 17th century theosophers in North-Western Europe (including Germany) consists of roughly ten names.}}</ref> Outside of Germany, there were also theosophers from Holland, England, and France. This group is represented by [[Jan Baptist van Helmont]] (1618–1699), [[Robert Fludd]] (1574–1637), [[John Pordage]] (1608–1681), [[Jane Leade]] (1623–1704), [[Henry More]] (1614–1687), [[Pierre Poiret]] (1646–1719), and [[Antoinette Bourignon]] (1616–1680).<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=10-11 Henry More is added to the list by Faivre with some reservations}}</ref> Theosophers of this period often inquired into nature using a method of interpretation founded upon a specific myth or revelation, applying [[active imagination]] in order to draw forth symbolic meanings and further their pursuit of knowledge toward a complete understanding of these mysteries.<ref name="Faivre 1987"/><ref>{{harvnb|OED|1989|}} v. XVII, p. 903.</ref> In [[Athanasius Kircher]]'s ''[[Oedipus Aegyptiacus]]'' (1652), Kircher assigned the word theosophy to the metaphysics adhered to in [[ancient Egypt]], and to [[Neo-Platonism]], and thus he gave once again the word one of its most generally accepted meanings, that of divine metaphysics.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=14}}</ref>

In the 18th century, the word theosophy came into more widespread use among some philosophers. However, the term "theosophy" was still "practically absent" throughout the entire eighteenth century in dictionaries and encyclopedias, where it only appeared more and more frequently beginning in the second half of the nineteenth century.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=47 (Diderot is the one exception Faivre mentions)}}</ref> Theosophers themselves used the word theosophy sparingly, at least up until the middle of the nineteenth century.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=24}}</ref> [[Johann Jakob Brucker]] (1696–1770) included a long chapter on theosophy in his monumental work {{cite book|title=Historia critica philosophia}} (1741). He included theosophers alongside other currents in esotericism in what was then a standard reference in the history of philosophy. By the 18th century, the word ''theosophy'' was often used in conjunction with [[Pansophism|pansophy]]. The term ''theosophy'' is more properly reserved for the reverse process of contemplating the divine in order to discover the content of the concrete universe.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|1987|p=467}}</ref>

In England, [[Robert Hindmarsh]], a printer with a Methodist background, formed a "Theosophical Society" in 1783, for translating, printing and distributing the writings of Swedenborg.<ref>Hindmarsh, Robert, ''Rise and Progress of The New Jerusalem Church In England, America and Other Parts,'' Hoderson and Sons, London 1861; {{ISBN|1-4021-3146-1}}.  Online [http://www.heavenlydoctrines.org/Books%20and%20Monographs%5CRise%20&%20Progress%20-%20Hindmarsh.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719003535/http://www.heavenlydoctrines.org/Books%20and%20Monographs/Rise%20%26%20Progress%20-%20Hindmarsh.html|date=2011-07-19}}</ref> This society was renamed in 1785 as "The British Society for the Propagation of the Doctrines of [[the New Church]]", consisting of [[Swedenborgian]] based beliefs.{{sfn|Rix|2007|p=98}}{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2008|pp=168-169}}{{efn|For mention of the 1783 Theosophical Society, see {{cite book|location=Philadelphia|publisher=Academy of the New Church|date=1898|editor-last=Odhner|editor-first=Carl T.|title=Annals of the New Church|oclc=680808382|pages=119–120, 122–123, 125, 127, 140, 219, 297, 314, 330, 405|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yk5GAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA120}}}} In France, [[Denis Diderot]] gave the word ''{{lang|fr|theosophie}}'' more attention than other encyclopedias of this period by including an article on it in his ''[[Encyclopédie]]'', published during the French Enlightenment.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|1987|p=466}}</ref> The article dealt mostly with Paracelsus and essentially plagiarized Brucker's "Historia".<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|pp=18–19}}</ref>

Groups such as the [[Martinist Order]] founded by [[Papus]] in 1891, followed the theosophical current closely linked to the [[Judeo-Christian-Islamic]] tradition and Western esotericism. Theosophers outside of the initiate societies included people such as [[Vladimir Solovyov (philosopher)|Vladimir Solovyov]] (1853–1900), whose views have been described as follows: "although empiricism and rationalism rest on false principles, their respective objective contents, external experience, qua the foundation of natural science, and logical thought, qua the foundation of pure philosophy, are to be synthesized or encompassed along with mystical knowledge in 'integral knowledge,' what Solovyov terms 'theosophy.{{'"}}<ref>{{harvnb|Nemeth IEP}}</ref>

==Common characteristics==

Faivre stated that "Theosophy is a gnosis that has a bearing not only on the salvific relations the individual maintains with the divine world, but also on the nature of God Himself, or of divine persons, and on the natural universe, the origin of that universe, the hidden structures that constitute it in its actual state, its relationship to mankind, and its final ends."{{sfn|Faivre|1994|p=23}}

Theosophy actually designates a specific flow of thought or tradition within the modern study of esotericism. Thus, it follows the path starting from the more modern period of the 15th century onward. Faivre describes the "theosophic current" or theosophy as a single esoteric current among seven other esoteric currents in early modern Western thought  (i.e., [[alchemy]], [[astrology]], Neo-Alexandrian [[hermetism|Hermeticism]], [[Christian Kabbalah]], Paracelsism—that is, the studying of the "prognostications" of [[Paracelsus]]—[[Three Books of Occult Philosophy|philosophia occulta]] and [[Rosicrucianism]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=32}}</ref>

Faivre noted that there are "obvious similarities" between earlier theosophy and modern Theosophy as both play an important part in Western esotericism and both claim to deal with wisdom from a gnostic perspective. But he says there are also differences, since they do not actually rely on the same reference works; and their style is different. The referential corpus of earlier  theosophy "belongs essentially to the Judeo-Christian type", while that of modern Theosophy "reveals a more universal aspect".<ref name="Faivre 2000 4–5"/> Although there are many differences between Christian theosophy and the Theosophical movement begun by Helena Blavatsky, the differences "are not important enough to cause an insurmountable barrier".<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=5}}</ref><ref>"Modern theosophy retains its western Hermetic motive, logic and end.... The continuities are greater than the differences." Handbook of the Theosophical Current , Olav Hammer, Mikael Rothstein, Brill, 2013 {{ISBN|9789004235977}}</ref> Theosophists like Blavatsky and [[W.Q. Judge]] wrote about Jakob Böhme's philosophy.<ref>Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism by A. Faivre. 28.</ref><ref>“Theosophical Articles”, William Q. Judge, Theosophy Co., Los Angeles, 1980, volume I, p. 271. The title of the article is “Jacob Boehme and the Secret Doctrine”.</ref> Böhme was also an important influence on the ideas of Franz Hartmann, the founder in 1886 of the German branch of the Theosophical Society. Hartmann described the writings of Böhme as “the most valuable and useful treasure in spiritual literature.”<ref name="A. Versluis 2007"/>

Theosophers engage in analysis of the universe, humanity, divinity, and the reciprocal effects of each on the other. Their departure point therefore may be knowledge of external things in the world or inner experiences, and the theosopher's aim is to discover deeper meanings in the natural or divine realm. [[Antoine Faivre]] notes, "the theosophist dedicates his energy to inventing (in the word's original sense of 'discovering') the articulation of all things visible and invisible, by examining both divinity and nature in the smallest detail."<ref name="Faivre 1987"/> The knowledge that is acquired through meditation is believed to change the being of the meditator.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Williamson
  | first = Lola
  | title = Transcendent in America: Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements (HIMM) as New Religion
  | publisher = New York University Press
  | year = 2010
  | location = New York, NY
  | page = 31
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OxD1SYaelLAC&q=theosophy%2C+%22until+one+attains+liberation%22%2C+%22through+meditative+practices%22&pg=PA31
  | isbn = 978-0-8147-9449-4}}</ref>

Faivre identified three characteristics of theosophy.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|pp=7–8}}</ref> The three characteristics of theosophy are listed below.

''Theosophy'':
# Divine/Human/Nature Triangle: The inspired analysis which circles through these three angles. The intradivine within; the origin, death and placement of the human relating to Divinity and Nature; Nature as alive, the external, intellectual and material. All three complex correlations synthesize via the intellect and imaginative processes of Mind.  
# Primacy of the Mythic: The creative Imagination, an external world of symbols, glyphs, myths, synchronicities and the myriad, along with image, all as a universal reality for the interplay conjoined by creative mind.
# Access to Supreme Worlds: The awakening within, inherently possessing the faculty to directly connect to the Divine world(s). The existence of a special human ability to create this connection. The ability to connect and explore all levels of reality; co-penetrate the human with the divine; to bond to all reality and experience a unique inner awakening.

==Legacy and reception==
The scholar of esotericism [[Wouter Hanegraaff]] described Christian theosophy as "one of the major currents in the history of Western esotericism".{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2013|p=32}}

Christian theosophy is an under-researched area; a general history of it has never been written.<ref>{{harvnb|Faivre|2000|p=31, also xxx.(Preface)}}</ref> The French scholar [[Antoine Faivre]] had a specific interest in the theosophers and illuminists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He wrote his doctoral thesis on [[Karl von Eckartshausen]] and Christian theosophy.{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2008|p=6}}
Scholars of esotericism have argued that Faivre's definition of Western esotericism relies on his own specialist focus on Christian theosophy, Renaissance Hermeticism, and Romantic ''Naturphilosophie'' and therefore creates an "ideal" type of esotericism that does not suit all esoteric currents.{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2008|p=11}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{notelist|30em}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last=Faivre|first=Antoine|author-link=Antoine Faivre|title=Theosophy|volume=14|encyclopedia=The encyclopedia of religion|editor1-last=Eliade|editor1-first=Mircea|editor1-link=Mircea Eliade|editor2-last=Adams|editor2-first=Charles J.|year=1987|publisher=Macmillan|location=New York|isbn=9780029094808}}
* {{cite book |last=Faivre |first=Antoine |year=1994 |title=Access to Western Esotericism |location=Albany, NY |publisher=State University of New York Press |series=SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions |isbn=0791421783 }}
* {{cite contribution |last=Faivre |first=Antoine |year=1998 |contribution=Renaissance Hermeticism and the Concept of Western Esotericism |title=Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times |editor=Roelof van den Broek |editor2=Wouter J. Hanegraaff |pages=109– |location=Albany, New York |publisher=State University of New York Press }}
* {{cite book |last=Faivre |first=Antoine |location=Albany, NY |publisher=State University of New York Press |series=SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions |translator=Christine Rhone |title=Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism |year=2000 |isbn=9780791444351 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZW4FtJLNe-kC }}
* {{cite book |last=Godwin |first=Joscelyn |year=1994 |title=The Theosophical Enlightenment |location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0791421512 }}
* {{cite book |last=Goodrick-Clarke |first=Nicholas |year=2008 |title=The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0195320992 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hanegraaff |first=Wouter |year=2013 |title=Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed |publisher=Bloomsbury Press |location=London |isbn=978-1441136466 }}
* {{cite book|last=Lobel|first=Diane|title=A Sufi-Jewish dialogue: philosophy and mysticism in Baḥya Ibn Paqūda's "Duties of the heart" |location=Philadelphia, PA| publisher= University of Pennsylvania Press|series=Jewish culture and contexts|year=2007|page=27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_UGgSxZlw4C&pg=PA27|isbn=978-0-8122-3953-9}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|ref={{harvid|Nemeth IEP}}|last=Nemeth|first=Thomas|title=Vladimir Solovyov|url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/solovyov/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108154248/http://www.iep.utm.edu/solovyov/|archive-date=2014-11-08|url-status=live|encyclopedia=[[The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]]|issn=2161-0002|location=Martin, TN|publisher=University of Tennessee at Martin|editor1-last=Fieser|editor1-first= James|editor1-link=James Fieser|editor2-last=Dowden|editor2-first=Bradley Harris|editor2-link=Bradley Dowden}}
* {{cite book|last=Rix|first=Robert|title=William Blake and the cultures of radical Christianity|year=2007|location=Burlington, VT [u.a.]|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=9780754656005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hcq6NA6_GJAC&pg=PA98}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|ref={{SfnRef|OED|1989}}|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|year=1989|publisher=Oxford University Press|volume=17|page=903|title=theosophy}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Carter |first=Steven R. |title=James Jones: an American literary orientalist master |year=1998 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana, Il and Chicago |isbn=0-252-02371-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/jamesjonesameric0000cart |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Gombrich |location=London; New York |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |series=Library of religious beliefs and practices |first=Richard F. |author-link=Richard Gombrich |title=Theravāda Buddhism: a social history from ancient Benares to modern Colombo |year=2006 |edition=Reprint of 1st |orig-year=1988 |isbn=0-415-07585-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/theravadabuddhis00gomb|url-access=registration |ref=none}}
* {{cite web |last=Minderovic |first=Zoran |url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=q7982/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Alexander Scriabin (Biography) |website=AllMusic |year=2011 |access-date=15 June 2016 |ref=none}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/index.htm An Esoteric Archive]

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