Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия I. Богословие, философия
December 21, 2024
Pavel Nosachev
J. Strube deconstructs established ideas about Western esotericism by tracing its origins to early socialists rather than occult myths like Vril. He proposes a new program of global religious studies that moves beyond poststructuralism, postcolonialism, and cultural relativism. Through a systematic reconstruction of the Western reception of Tantrism, including the Theosophical Society in India and the 'Arthur Avalon project' connected to the Shivachandra tantric school, Strube argues that esoteric discourse was not a colonial appropriation of Indian doctrines but a global form of constructing ideologies and identities. Indians in the early 19th century used it to modernize ancient religious language, and later Bengalis employed it to legitimize Tantra. This program revives religious comparativism on a solid empirical foundation.
Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия I. Богословие, философия
March 8, 2023
Pavel Nosachev
The article reviews how a younger generation of scholars (notably E. Asprem, Y. Strube, and L. Saif) has reshaped research on Western esotericism between 2010 and 2021. It first outlines the current state of the field, then examines younger scholars' critiques of classic works, especially those of W. Hanegraaff. Three key criticisms are analyzed: the constructed nature of categories such as Islamic esotericism, the artificiality of the esotericism–occultism divide, and the term 'Western esotericism' itself. The division between etic and emic categories is shown to be conditional, with modern conceptual foundations rooted in 19th-century esoteric teachings. The critique of esotericism as 'rejected knowledge' is also examined.
Religions
December 5, 2020
Pavel Nosachev
The television series Supernatural constructs a new theology by blending Christian demonology with occult and charismatic Protestant ideas. Drawing on C. Partridge's theory of occulture and U. Eco's semiotic narrative model, the article argues that the show's popularity stems from its bricolage of Western personified evil with abstract Eastern spirituality. Over 15 seasons, Supernatural evolved from a story of two brothers hunting evil into a global panorama of demonology, angelology, and eschatology, engaging themes of theodicy and the nature of God. The show's narrative draws on third-wave charismatic spiritual warfare theology and Emmanuel Swedenborg's occult system. The author concludes that classical monotheistic mythology, in both orthodox and heterodox forms, remains highly attractive to modern audiences, and occulture makes it flexible enough to meet diverse demands.
Religions
April 18, 2018
Pavel Nosachev
The article examines how Western esotericism shapes computer game plots, using the game "Gray Matter" by J. Jensen as a case study. Jensen employs occultural bricolage, mixing elements from Stephen King, the Society for Psychical Research, parapsychology, and neuropsychology. The game presents three competing explanations for paranormal events: a magician who denies the supernatural, a neurobiologist who sees mind as objectifiable energy, and a psi-specialist who affirms super-abilities and an afterlife. The authors argue that Jensen promotes the last perspective, making it the game's central thesis.