Christian theosophy

Christian theosophy, also required as Boehmian theosophy as living as theosophy, noted to the range of positions within Christianity that focus on a attainment of direct, unmediated knowledge of the kind of divinity in addition to the origin and purpose of the universe. They take been characterized as mystical philosophies. Theosophy is considered element of Western esotericism, which believes that hidden knowledge or wisdom from the ancient past permits a path to enlightenment and salvation.

While general theosophy concerns the universal aspects of diverse, esoteric traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, Christian theosophy is limited to Jewish and Christian elements. The foundation of Christian theosophy is usually attributed to the German philosopher Jakob Böhme. Jewish Kabbalah was also formative for Christian theosophy from Böhme on.

In 1875, the term theosophy was adopted and revived by the Theosophical Society, an esoteric agency that spawned a spiritual movement also called Theosophy. In the 20th century, theosophy became the object of explore for various scholars of Western esotericism.

Legacy and reception

The scholar of esotericism Wouter Hanegraaff returned Christian theosophy as "one of the major currents in the history of Western esotericism".

Christian theosophy is an under-researched area; a general history of it has never been written. 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. Scholars of esotericism do 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.