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Esotericism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Esotericism refers to knowledge suitable only for the advanced, privileged, or initiated, as opposed to exoteric knowledge, which is public. It is used especially for mystical, occult and spiritual viewpoints.
Etymology
Esoteric is an adjective originating in Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: "within". Esoteric refers to anything that is inner and occult. Its antonym is exoteric, from the Greek eksôterikos, from eksôtero, the comparative form of eksô: "outside".
Plato (427-347 BC) uses in his dialogue Alcibíades (aprox. 390 BC) the expression ta esô meaning «the inner things», and in his dialogue Teeteto (aprox. 360 BC) he uses ta eksô meaning «the outside things». The probable first appearance of the Greek adjective esôterikos is in Lucian of Samosata's (aprox. AD 120-180) "The Auction of Lives", § 26 (also called "The Auction of the Philosophical Schools"), written around AD 166. [1]
Esoteric knowledge is knowledge that is secret or not generally known. Historically, esoteric knowledge is not generally known in large part because it is deliberately kept secret from those outside a select group. Such knowledge was confined within certain disciplines, such as magic and freemasonry. This is not the case any more as most groups, such as the Theosophical Society and the Rosicrucian Fellowship, teach freely to anyone, often without cost. Because of this openness, the reflexive aspect of the esoteric prevails: that it is complex and difficult to grasp except by the fewer, more perceptive or aware.
Esotericism (also sometimes written as esoterism) is a word and concept created in the 19th century. It was first used as the noun substantive l�ésotérisme in the work Histoire critique du gnosticisme et de ses influences (1828) of Jacques Matter (1791-1864). Later, the occultist and cabalist Eliphas Lévi (1810-1875) made common the use of the terms «esotericism» and «occultism». The term became fashionable after Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) and other personalities of the Theosophic Society used it during the last quarter of 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In this context, Esotericism refered to things which are or were forced to be kept private or secret, either from fear of persecution or because of likely misunderstanding and misuse by the outside world.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Esotericism refers to knowledge suitable only for the advanced, privileged, or initiated, as opposed to exoteric knowledge, which is public. It is used especially for mystical, occult and spiritual viewpoints.
Etymology
Esoteric is an adjective originating in Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: "within". Esoteric refers to anything that is inner and occult. Its antonym is exoteric, from the Greek eksôterikos, from eksôtero, the comparative form of eksô: "outside".
Plato (427-347 BC) uses in his dialogue Alcibíades (aprox. 390 BC) the expression ta esô meaning «the inner things», and in his dialogue Teeteto (aprox. 360 BC) he uses ta eksô meaning «the outside things». The probable first appearance of the Greek adjective esôterikos is in Lucian of Samosata's (aprox. AD 120-180) "The Auction of Lives", § 26 (also called "The Auction of the Philosophical Schools"), written around AD 166. [1]
Esoteric knowledge is knowledge that is secret or not generally known. Historically, esoteric knowledge is not generally known in large part because it is deliberately kept secret from those outside a select group. Such knowledge was confined within certain disciplines, such as magic and freemasonry. This is not the case any more as most groups, such as the Theosophical Society and the Rosicrucian Fellowship, teach freely to anyone, often without cost. Because of this openness, the reflexive aspect of the esoteric prevails: that it is complex and difficult to grasp except by the fewer, more perceptive or aware.
Esotericism (also sometimes written as esoterism) is a word and concept created in the 19th century. It was first used as the noun substantive l�ésotérisme in the work Histoire critique du gnosticisme et de ses influences (1828) of Jacques Matter (1791-1864). Later, the occultist and cabalist Eliphas Lévi (1810-1875) made common the use of the terms «esotericism» and «occultism». The term became fashionable after Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) and other personalities of the Theosophic Society used it during the last quarter of 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In this context, Esotericism refered to things which are or were forced to be kept private or secret, either from fear of persecution or because of likely misunderstanding and misuse by the outside world.