Kocku von Stuckrad

A controversial issue of public debate during the recent years, esotericism can be described as the search for an absolute but hidden knowledge that people claim to access through mystical vision, the mediation of higher beings, or personal experience. In Western cultural history these claims often led to conflicts with more established forms of scriptural religions and with reductionist interpretations in science and philosophy. In this highly readable book Kocku von Stuckrad describes the impact of esoteric currents from antiquity to the present and pursues the continuities and breaks in a tradition that significantly influenced the formation of modernity. When Hermes Trismegistos reveals wisdom of an absolute quality, the unveiling of hidden knowledge in Jewish Kabbalah is transformed by Christians, Renaissance thinkers speak of an 'eternal philosophy', or when in the 'New Age' people try to get in contact with a source of superior understandingin every case the dynamic of concealment and revelation is at stake and the ways this hidden knowledge can be made accessible for human curiosity.

A Brief History of Secret Knowledge

Western Esotericism

The Lilith Case

Constructing Femininity

Esotericism is the search for an absolute but hidden knowledge accessed through mystical vision, the mediation of higher beings, or personal experience. In Western cultural history esoteric approaches to religion have often been in conflict with - and suffered at the hands of - more established forms of religious belief and practice. 'Western Esotericism' presents a very broad and engaging history of the people and ideas which have shaped occult history from antiquity to today. Throughout the history of esotericism the dynamic of concealment and revelation has characterized the search for secret knowledge. Pursued both publically and privately, esotericism has come to influence more mainstream religious practice and culture and has significantly shaped our understanding of modernity. Today, esotericism continues to be practised by a range of both established and new religious movements. 'Western Esotericism' presents the essential guide to one of the most fascinating, provocative, and sustained of religious traditions.

Christoph Auffarth

The Brill dictionary of religion

Studies in the adaptation of astrological discourses in Judaism and Christianity in late antiquity. From the contents: Astrology and priestly theology in Qumran.Astrology in light of Jewish historiography. Evidence of astrology in the literature "between the Testaments." The rabbinic discourse. Astrology in the Christian canon. Astrology in the context of Gnosticism. Manichaean astrology. Anti-astrological discourses in centrist Christianity.

Jüdische und christliche Beiträge zum antiken Zeitverständnis

Das Ringen um die Astrologie

De meest uiteenlopende zaken vallen vandaag onder de term `esoterie, zoals tarotkaarten en horoscopen, de relatie met krachtdieren binnen het neo-sjamanisme, mystieke ervaringen onder invloed van verdovende middelen, of de natuurreligieuze ideeën van de nieuwe heksenreligie. Maar niet alles wat tegenwoordig `esoterie wordt genoemd, is deel van dezelfde traditie. Vanuit religiewetenschappelijk perspectief delen de aanhangers van verschillende verschijningsvormen van esoterie de zoektocht naar een absolute, verborgen kennis die hun door een mystiek visioen, door een goddelijke autoriteit of door persoonlijke ervaring zal worden geopenbaard. Deze zoektocht kent een lange traditie. Kocku von Stuckrad beschrijft helder en levendig de oorsprong van de esoterie bij de antieke Pythagoreeërs en de geschriften van de mysterieuze Hermes Trismegistus; ook volgt hij haar ontwikkeling in de filosofische traditie van de islam, de joodse Kabbala en de Europese Renaissance tot aan de hedendaagse New Age. Volgens Von Stuckrad is de esoterie allesbehalve een duister zijspoor van de Europese geestesgeschiedenis. Ze heeft eerder juist een onuitwisbaar stempel op de grote theologische en natuurwetenschappelijke discussies gedrukt en de esoterie dient dan ook serieus te worden genomen als een belangrijke rode draad in de Europese godsdienstgeschiedenis. -Kocku von Stuckrad is hoogleraar Religiewetenschap en Decaan van de Faculteit Godgeleerdheid en Godsdienstwetenschap bij de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

de zoektocht naar absolute kennis

Esoterie

Astrology numbers among mankind`s oldest sciences. It played a prominent role not only in the advanced civilizations of antiquity but also in the cultural history of Europe. It contributed to the development of the natural sciences, primarily astronomy, physics and chemistry, was an integral element of philosophies and religions and influenced political decisions, some of which had substantial consequences. Kocku von Stuckrad masterfully interweaves the disparate aspects of this often neglected or gingerly approached field and provides a thorough synopsis of a central stream in the European history of science and ideas. Not least, this well organized and highly informative book will serve as a first-class introduction to systems of astrological interpretation. It includes a glossary which defines the most important concepts. A must for all who are interested in astrology today or in historical times, regardless of whether they are searching for relationships between the vault of heaven and the earth. In this first comprehensive history of astrology Kocku von Stuckrad describes how celestial science emerged in Mesopotamia and played a significant role in ancient Egypt. Over the course of antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, knowledge of the course of planets and stars grew more sophisticated. The author examines the role of astrology in various philosophical systems and in major religions, and he discusses the new approaches astrology took in modern times after its legitimacy increasingly came under fire.

From Earliest Times to the Present

History of Western Astrology

The soul, which dominated many intellectual debates at the beginning of the twentieth century, has virtually disappeared from the sciences and the humanities. Yet it is everywhere in popular culture—from holistic therapies and new spiritual practices to literature and film to ecological and political ideologies. Ignored by scholars, it is hiding in plain sight in a plethora of religious, psychological, environmental, and scientific movements. This book uncovers the history of the concept of the soul in twentieth-century Europe and North America. Beginning in fin de siècle Germany, Kocku von Stuckrad examines a fascination spanning philosophy, the sciences, the arts, and the study of religion, as well as occultism and spiritualism, against the backdrop of the emergence of experimental psychology. He then explores how and why the United States witnessed a flowering of ideas about the soul in popular culture and spirituality in the latter half of the century. Von Stuckrad examines an astonishingly wide range of figures and movements—ranging from Ernest Renan, Martin Buber, and Carl Gustav Jung to the Esalen Institute, deep ecology, and revivals of shamanism, animism, and paganism to Rachel Carson, Ursula K. Le Guin, and the Harry Potter franchise. Revealing how the soul remains central to a culture that is only seemingly secular, this book casts new light on the place of spirituality, religion, and metaphysics in Europe and North America today.

Europe and North America from 1870 to the Present

A Cultural History of the Soul

Schamanische Techniken und Weltbilder haben in den letzten dreissig Jahren eine zunehmende Aufmerksamkeit in westlichen Gesellschaften erfahren und zur Bildung eines religiosen Feldes gefuhrt, das haufig als Neo-Schamanismus bezeichnet wird. Das vorliegende Buch analysiert dieses Feld in seinem kulturgeschichtlichen Kontext und zeigt auf, dass der moderne Schamanismus, der eine Popularisierung akademischer Wissensbestande darstellt, keineswegs als ein ganzlich neues Phanomen zu interpretieren ist. Vielmehr ist er Teil einer Faszinationsgeschichte des Schamanismus, die sich bis ins siebzehnte Jahrhundert zuruck verfolgen lasst. Nach einer Beschreibung der ambivalenten Haltung europaischer Beobachter zum Schamanen als einem religiosen Spezialisten - wobei der Schwerpunkt auf Aufklarung und Romantik liegt -, werden die zentralen Begriffe des gegenwartigen euro-amerikanischen Schamanismus-Diskurses, namlich Natur- und Seelenkonzepte, in ihrer Verbindung mit esoterischen und naturphilosophischen Traditionen der westlichen Neuzeit interpretiert. Die Verschrankung von Esoterik und Aufklarung, von Irrationalismus und Rationalismus, erweist sich dabei als ein Strukturelement der euro-amerikanischen Geistesgeschichte.

Kultur- und wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Betrachtungen

Schamanismus und Esoterik

The enigmatic relation between religion and science still presents a challenge to European societies and to ideas about what it means to be ‘modern.’ This book argues that European secularism, rather than pushing back religious truth claims, in fact has been religiously productive itself. The institutional establishment of new disciplines in the nineteenth century, such as religious studies, anthropology, psychology, classical studies, and the study of various religious traditions, led to a professionalization of knowledge about religion that in turn attributed new meanings to religion. This attribution of meaning resulted in the emergence of new religious identities and practices. In a dynamic that is closely linked to this discursive change, the natural sciences adopted religious and metaphysical claims and integrated them in their framework of meaning, resulting in a special form of scientific religiosity that has gained much influence in the twentieth century. Applying methods that come from historical discourse analysis, the book demonstrates that religious semantics have been reconfigured in the secular sciences. Ultimately, the scientification of religion perpetuated religious truth claims under conditions of secularism.

An Historical Study of Discursive Change, 1800–2000

The Scientification of Religion

Katharina Waldner

Die Herausforderung religionsgeschichtlicher Forschung besteht darin, die ErschlieSSung von Quellen in ihren Kontexten und ihre theoriegeleitete Erklarung mit einer historisch-kritischen Reflexion der Wissensproduktion selbst zu verknupfen. DIe Reihe Religionsgeschichtliche Versuche und Vorarbeiten (RGVV) will dieser Komplementaritat von historischer Kontextualisierung, theoretischer Verdichtung und disziplinarer Positionierung Rechnung tragen. STudien zu kulturspezifischen Sachzusammenhangen stehen neben vergleichenden Arbeiten, in Form von Monographien oder thematisch fokussierten Sammelbanden.

Olav Hammer

In its historical development from late antiquity to the present, western esotericism has repeatedly been the issue of polemical discourse. This volume engages the polemical structures that underlie esoteric identities and the controversy about esoteric currents in European history.

Esoteric Discourse and Its Others

Polemical Encounters

Günther Oestmann

Darrel, H. Rutkin

Dieser Band bringt eine Sammlung neuer Essays, die untersuchen, welche Rolle Horoskope und deren allgemeine Verwendung in der westlichen Kulturgeschichte von der Antike bis zum 19. Jahrhundert gespielt haben.

Essays on the History of Astrology

Horoscopes and Public Spheres

Von den Wissenschaften weitgehend vergessen, doch allgegenwärtig in der heutigen Kultur: Die Seele. Wie ist dieser "Seelenverlust" zu erklären, und wie kommt es, dass die Seele heute wieder so populär ist? Das Buch erzählt die faszinierende Geschichte der Seele im 20. Jahrhundert aus kulturwissenschaftlicher Sicht. Zu Beginn des Jahrhunderts fester Bestandteil kultureller Debatten zwischen Psychologie, Philosophie, Religionswissenschaft, Literatur und Politik, erfuhr die Seele nach 1950 einen großen Aufschwung außerhalb der Universitäten und wurde zum zentralen Bezugspunkt populärer Kultur – von alternativen Therapieformen bis hin zu Literatur, Film, neuen spirituellen Bewegungen sowie ökologischen und politischen Programmen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass Seelenkonzepte wichtige Träger von Religion in einer nur scheinbar säkularisierten Moderne sind.

Eine Kulturgeschichte

Die Seele im 20. Jahrhundert

The Brill Dictionary of Religion describes and analyses the multi-faceted roles of religions, both historically and in contemporary societies. This well-illustrated, comprehensive reference work engages religion as an important element of daily life and public communication.

The Brill Dictionary of Religion

Wietse Coppes

Piet Mondrian's Horoscope (Willem de Rooij)

Character is Fate

Brigitte Luchesi

Colleagues and friends have compiled this volume to honor Hans G. Kippenberg and engage in a critical and creative dialogue with his ideas. The 32 essays in German and English language are concerned with issues that have been part of Hans G. Kippenberg's work in recent years: History of the Academic Study of Religions · Methodological Reflections · European History of Religions · Religion and Modernity · Religion and Violence · Religion and Law.

Festschrift für Hans G. Kippenberg zu seinem 65. Geburtstag / Essays in Honor of Hans G. Kippenberg on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday

Religion im kulturellen Diskurs / Religion in Cultural Discourse

Für diesen Band haben sich Freunde, Kolleginnen und Kollegen zusammengetan, um Hans G. Kippenberg zu ehren, seine Ideen kreativ aufzugreifen und kritisch fortzuschreiben. Die 32 Beiträge in deutscher und englischer Sprache befassen sich mit Themengebieten, zu denen Hans G. Kippenberg in den vergangenen Jahren verstärkt gearbeitet hat: Geschichte der Religionswissenschaft · Methodische Reflexionen · Europäische Religionsgeschichte · Religion und Moderne · Religion und Gewalt · Religion und Recht.

Kocku von Stuckrad

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