Gnosticism and esotericism: an example from Russian new religiosity
Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019 DOI: 10.30674/scripta.67340 via DOAJ
Summary
The terms gnosticism and esotericism are frequently linked, with esoteric teachings often involving secret knowledge of nature or the divine. Although the historical thesis that gnosticism is the source of all esotericism is not tenable—western esotericism began in the Renaissance—the two are interwoven. The author describes the dogmatics and history of the 'Great White Brotherhood Usmalos', a new religious movement that caused a stir in Ukraine and Russia in the early 1990s. Using this example, he applies the concepts of gnosticism and esotericism to illuminate both its mode of thought and form of life.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Gnosticism Esotericism Religious movements, popular Russia -- religion Occult sciences |
| Key finding | The Great White Brotherhood Usmalos exemplifies how gnosticism and esotericism can be applied to analyze a new religious movement's thought and life. |
Abstract
Time and again, the terms gnosticism and esotericism appear in connection with one another. Most esoteric teachings, for example, draw on the higher knowledge of the secrets of nature or deity. The terms esoteric and esotericism even surface in connection with antique gnosticism—and this is not a rare occurrence. Just think of the famous definition of gnosis suggested by leading scholars in the field in Messina in 1966. According to this definition, gnosis is the ‘knowledge of divine mysteries, which is reserved for the elite’. And just as Christian apologists saw gnosis as the source of all heresy, so today it is viewed as the source of all esotericism—at least from a theological point of view. In spite of the fact that this thesis is not historically tenable, given that western esotericism did not start until the time of the Renaissance, one cannot ignore the fact that gnosis and esotericism are multiply interwoven with each other. The author sketches the dogmatics and the history of a new religious movement which created quite a furore in the Ukraine and Russia during the first half of the 1990s. On the basis of this sketch of the ‘Great White Brotherhood Usmalos’, he then tries to apply the terms gnosticism and esotericism to this example. Proceeding this way, the author sheds light on both the level of its mode of thought as well as its form of life.