Western Esotericism: A Cosmopolitan History and Historiography

Western esotericism has been inherently cosmopolitan since its historical origins with Pythagoras, integrating foreign spiritual beliefs and practices. This article distinguishes three levels of cosmopolitanism: restricted (between two religions, e.g., Jewish and Christian Kabbalah), extended (pagan Neoplatonic universalism excluding Christianity and Judaism), and global (without exclusions, proposed by Numenius of Apamea in the 2nd century CE). After Late Antiquity suppressed Kabbalah and pagan Neoplatonic theurgy, Renaissance humanists reintroduced them in Christianized forms. The Theosophical Society later extended cosmopolitanism to Eastern religions, and New Age movements globalized it further. The overview suggests that minority epistemes deferring to an alien "other" are often suppressed, while cultural globalization can transform them into syncretic universals.

Study at a glance

Abstract

From the 1950s onwards, the opening of the research field of the History of Religions to esoteric beliefs and practices worldwide was made possible by cosmopolitan, agnostic, and interdisciplinary positions that eventually responded to the constitutive cosmopolitan nature of esotericism itself. This article aims to show that, if Esotericism exists traditionally as an internal phenomenon in many non-Western religions, cosmopolitanism, i.e. the integration of alien spiritual beliefs and practices, can be seen as a characteristic of Western Esotericism from its historical inception, when Pythagoras created his School. This relationship is studied here by distinguishing several moments and three levels of extension: a restricted cosmopolitanism, between two religions (e.g. Jewish Kabbalah and Christian Kabbalah); an extended cosmopolitanism (as in the case of the late Neoplatonists who practiced a pagan universalism which only excluded Christianity and Judaism); and, finally, a global cosmopolitanism, without exclusions, proposed by Numenius of Apamea in the 2nd century CE. After the exclusion of Kabbalah and pagan Neoplatonic theurgy in Late antiquity, Renaissance erudite humanists will reintroduce them in Christianized forms. Later, against 19th century scientism, the Theosophical Society extended the cosmopolitanism of Western Esotericism to oriental religions. The phenomenon has become global in popular forms of New Age, including Jung’s deep psychology, “shamanisms” and their use of rituals and various psychedelic substances. This overview suggests that minority epistemes suspected of deference to an alien “other” are often suppressed or pushed back into oblivion, and, on the other hand, that cultural globalization phases can transform them into syncretic universals.