Esoteric Transfers and Constructions

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

By: Mark Sedgwick (Editor), Francesco Piraino (Editor)

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Hardcover | 28 February 2021

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368 Pages

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21.01 x 14.81 x 2.06

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Similarities between esoteric and mystical currents in different religious traditions have long interested scholars. This book takes a new look at the relationship between such currents. It advances a discussion that started with the search for religious essences, archetypes, and universals, from William James to Eranos. The universal categories that resulted from that search were later criticized as essentialist constructions, and questioned by deconstructionists. An alternative explanation was advanced by diffusionists: that there were transfers between different traditions. This book presents empirical case studies of such constructions, and of transfers between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the premodern period, and Judaism, Christianity, and Western esotericism in the modern period. It shows that there were indeed transfers that can be clearly documented, and that there were also indeed constructions, often very imaginative. It also shows that there were many casesthat were neither transfers nor constructions, but a mixture of the two.

Industry Reviews

"This book explores with remarkable empirical depth. ... This is exemplified by Leo Strauss’s thesis on esotericism, particularly his exploration of the art of esoteric writing, where he claimed to have discovered Plato’s esoteric ideas within Al-Farabi’s writings. This book proves invaluable to readers and students of esotericism, offering both innovative insights and a remarkable breadth of thematic versatility. " (Muhammad Adiz Wasisto, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 51 (1), March, 2025)

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