Russian Esotericism of the Early Twentieth Century and Kabbalah
Journal of Comparative Studies December 1, 2022 Konstantin Burmistrov 1 citation
In early twentieth-century Russia, after decades of government and church suppression, esoteric groups flourished, blending European occultism, Freemasonry, Martinism, Rosicrucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, and Jewish Kabbalah. This article examines Kabbalah's role in that milieu, focusing on Gregory Moebes (1868–1930/34), a leading Martinist and neo-Rosicrucian. Through archival discovery and textual analysis, the author shows that Moebes drew Kabbalistic concepts from the "Sefer Yezirah," "Sefer ha-Zohar," and Lurian Kabbalah to interpret Tarot arcana. Moebes's version of Russian occultism later spread outside Russia after the 1917 communist coup.