Carlson No Religion Higher Than Truth

A History of the Theosophical Movement in Russia, 1875-1922
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4008-7279-4
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 310 Seiten

Reihe: Princeton Legacy Library

Among the various kinds of occultism popular during the Russian Silver Age (1890-1914), modern Theosophy was by far the most intellectually significant. This contemporary gnostic gospel was invented and disseminated by Helena Blavatsky, an expatriate Russian with an enthusiasm for Buddhist thought and a genius for self-promotion. What distinguished Theosophy from the other kinds of "mysticism"—the spiritualism, table turning, fortune-telling, and magic—that fascinated the Russian intelligentsia of the period? In answering this question, Maria Carlson offers the first scholarly study of a controversial but important movement in its Russian context.

Carlson's is the only work on this topic written by an intellectual historian not ideologically committed to Theosophy. Placing Mme Blavatsky and her "secret doctrine" in a Russian setting, the book also discusses independent Russian Theosophical circles and the impact of the Theosophical-Anthroposophical schism in Russia. It surveys the vigorous polemics of the Theosophists and their critics, demonstrates Theosophy's role in the philosophical dialogues of the Russian creative intelligentsia, and chronicles the demise of the movement after 1917. By exploring this long neglected aspect of the Silver Age, Carlson greatly enriches our knowledge of fin-de-sicle Russian culture.

Originally published in 1993.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Carlson, Maria

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Esoteric Tradition and the Russian Silver Age 3

I A Historical Survey of Russian Occult Interests 15

The Earliest Traditions 15

The French Occult Revival 19

Spiritualism 22

Theosophy 28

II The Early Days of Theosophy in Russia (1875-1901) 38

The Magnificent Madame 38

The Introduction of Theosophy into Russia 43

III The Theosophical Society in Russia (1901-1917) 54

The First Circles (1901-1908) 54

Theosophical Work (1908-1914) 60

Russian Theosophy during the First World War (1914-1918) 76

IV Other Russian Theosophical Movements 81

The Smolensk Theosophists 81

Vasilii Bogushevskii and Teosoficheskoe Obozrenie 86

An Independent: Khristoforova's Moscow Circle 88

The Russian Anthroposophists: Steiner and Russia 94

V Theosophical Doctrine: An Outline 114

What Is Modern Theosophy? 115

Theosophy and God 116

Theosophy and the Universe 117

Theosophy and Man 120

The Meaning of the Path 123

Anthroposophical Refinements: Rudolf Steiner's Spiritual Science 128

VI The Russian Reception of Theosophical Thought 137

The Three Critiques of Theosophy 140

Theosophy and the Russian Intelligentsia 158

Point and Counterpoint 167

VII The Russian Theosophical Movement after 1917 171

After the Revolution 173

The "Russian Theosophical Society Outside Russia" 180

Afterword: Theosophy's Impact on Fin de Siecle Russian Culture 188

Orientologist and Painter: Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich (1874-1947) 193

Theorist, Philosopher, and Writer: Andrei Belyi (1880-1934) 198

In Conclusion 205

Notes 209

Glossary 249

Bibliography: Theosophical and Related Works Published in Russia between 1881 and 1918 253

Selected Bibliography 275

Index 283