Esoteric Christianity is an approach to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
which features "secret traditions" that require an initiation to learn or understand.
[Guy G. Stroumsa (2005). Hidden Wisdom: Esoteric Traditions and the Roots of Christian Mysticism. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-13635-5] The term ''
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...
'' was coined in the 17th century and derives from the Greek (, "inner").
These spiritual currents share some common features, such as heterodox or heretical Christian theology; the canonical gospels, various
apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post- Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians. '' Apocalypse'' ( grc, , }) is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or unf ...
, and some
New Testament apocrypha
The New Testament apocrypha (singular apocryphon) are a number of writings by early Christians that give accounts of Jesus and his teachings, the nature of God, or the teachings of his apostles and of their lives. Some of these writings were cit ...
as sacred texts; and ''
disciplina arcani'', a supposed oral tradition from the Twelve Apostles containing esoteric teachings of Jesus the Christ.
[
Esoteric Christianity was closely related to ]gnosticism
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...
, and survives in a few modern churches.[
]
History
Ancient roots
Some modern scholars believe that in the early stages of proto-orthodox Christianity
The term proto-orthodox Christianity or proto-orthodoxy is often erroneously thought to have been coined by New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman, who borrowed it from Bentley Layton (a major scholar of Gnosticism and Coptologist at Yale), and des ...
, a nucleus of oral teachings were inherited from Palestinian and Hellenistic Judaism
Hellenistic Judaism was a form of Judaism in classical antiquity that combined Jewish religious tradition with elements of Greek culture. Until the early Muslim conquests of the eastern Mediterranean, the main centers of Hellenistic Judaism were A ...
.[ In the 4th century, it was believed to form the basis of a secret ]oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
which came to be called ''disciplina arcani''.[ Mainstream theologians, however, believe that it contained only liturgical details and certain other traditions which remain a part of some branches of mainstream Christianity.][ Important influences on esoteric Christianity are the Christian theologians ]Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and ...
and Origen
Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, ...
, the leading figures of the Catechetical School of Alexandria
The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and bishops and deacons in Alexandria. The teachers and students of the school (also known as the Didascalium) were influential in many of the early theological controvers ...
.
Present-day denominations
A denomination of esoteric Christianity is The Christian Community
The Christian Community (german: Die Christengemeinschaft) is an esoteric Christian denomination. It was founded in 1922 in Switzerland by a group of ecumenically oriented, mainly Lutheran theologians and ministers led by liberal theologian Frie ...
. It focuses on the experiential aspect of sacraments
A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...
, with the Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
serving as "the Rite of the Consecration of Man".
Scholar Jan Shipps
Jo Ann Barnett Shipps (born 1929), known as Jan Shipps, is an American historian specializing in Mormon history, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar ...
describes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
as having esoteric elements.
Concepts
Reincarnation
Influenced by the Platonic
Plato's influence on Western culture was so profound that several different concepts are linked by being called Platonic or Platonist, for accepting some assumptions of Platonism, but which do not imply acceptance of that philosophy as a whole. It ...
doctrine of metempsychosis
Metempsychosis ( grc-gre, μετεμψύχωσις), in philosophy, is the transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death. The term is derived from ancient Greek philosophy, and has been recontextualised by modern philoso ...
, reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
of the soul was accepted by most Gnostic Christian sects such as Valentinianism
Valentinianism was one of the major Gnostic Christian movements. Founded by Valentinus in the 2nd century AD, its influence spread widely, not just within Rome but also from Northwest Africa to Egypt through to Asia Minor and Syria in the East. ...
and the Basilidians
The Basilidians or Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. Basilides claimed to have been taught his doctrines by Glaucus, a disciple of St. Peter, though others stated he was a disciple of the Sim ...
, but denied by the proto-orthodox one. While hypothetically considering a complex multiple-world transmigration scheme in ''De Principiis
''On the First Principles'' (Greek: Περὶ Ἀρχῶν / ''Peri Archon''; Latin: ''De Principiis'') is a theological treatise by the Christian writer Origen. It was the first systematic exposition of Christian theology.
When Origen was around ...
'', Origen
Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, ...
denies reincarnation in his work ''Against Celsus
''Against Celsus'' (Greek: Κατὰ Κέλσου ''Kata Kelsou''; Latin: ''Contra Celsum''), preserved entirely in Greek, is a major apologetics work by the Church Father Origen of Alexandria, written in around 248 AD, countering the writings ...
'' and elsewhere.
Despite this apparent contradiction, most modern esoteric Christian movements refer to Origen's writings (along with other Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...
and biblical passages) to validate these ideas as part of the esoteric Christian tradition outside of the Gnostic schools, who were later considered heretical in the 3rd century.Archeosofica
Archeosofica is a school of esoteric Christianity founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1968 in Rome. It offers a program of research on Archeosophy.
The school is free and supplies booklets and other texts.
Beliefs
Archeosofica proposes a form of ...
,
Articles on Esoteric Christianity
'' (classical authors)
See also
References
Further reading
* Anonymous alentin Tomberg(1985). ''Meditations on the Tarot
''Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism'' (french: Méditations sur les 22 arcanes majeurs du Tarot) is an esoteric Christian book originally written in French with the date of 21 May 1967 given by the author at the end of ...
'': ''A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism.'' New York, NY: Tarcher/Penguin.
* Besant, Annie (2001). ''Esoteric Christianity or the Lesser Mysteries.'' City: Adamant Media Corporation. .
* Brown, Coleston (2007). ''Magical Christianity: The Power of Symbols for Spiritual Renewal.''Wheaton, IL: Quest Books.
* Duncan, Anthony (1972, 1996). ''The Lord of the Dance: An Essay in Mysticism.'' Sun Chalice Books.
* Knight, Gareth (1975, 2010). ''Experience of the Inner Worlds.'' Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Skylight Press.
* Knight, Gareth (2011). ''A History of White Magic.'' Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Skylight Press.
* Powell, Robert. (2007). ''The Sophia Teachings: The Emergence of the Divine Feminine in Our Time.'' Aurora, CO: Lindisfarne Books.
* Rittelmeyer, Friedrich (Author), Mitchell, M.L. (Translator) (2004). ''Meditation: Letters on the Guidance of the Inner Life 1932.'' Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, LLC.
* Smoley, Richard (2002). ''Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition.''Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications.
* Steiner, Rudolf (1997). ''Christianity As Mystical Fact And The Mysteries Of Antiquity.'' Great Barrington, MA: Anthroposophic Press.
External links
{{Commonscat
Esoteric/Mystic/Experiential Christianity
The Cornerstone of Esoteric Christianity
The Focus of Esoteric Futures
The Esoteric Scribe
Jacob Boehme Online
Christian mysticism