1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
RESEARCH OF MODERN MYSTICISM IN THE GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
| Project/Area Number |
03801042
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
独語・独文学
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| Research Institution | THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO (1992-1993)
Osaka University (1991) |
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Principal Investigator |
OKABE Yuzo THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO,COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES,ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, 教養学部, 助教授 (20116007)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1991 – 1993
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| Keywords | Mysticism / Unio mystica / Nothing (Nihil) / Anti-cosmos / Eschatology / Meister Eckhart / Paracelsus / Boehme |
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| Research Abstract |
1) The modern mysticism in the German-speaking countries began with Meister Eckhart (ca.1260-1328). His speculative and practical mysticism spread in the Rheinland as Devotio Moderna. 2) These mystical movements are characterized by emphasis on the inner world (soul), absoluteness of the spiritual blessings, importance of the mystical experience, high respect of the individualism, anti-cosmic behavior, eschatological interpretation of the Bible and so forth. 3) In the resurrection of the Hermetic philosophy in the 15th century Paracelsus (ca.1493-1541) combined the Hermetic view of nature with the theory of mystical unification. Nature is regarded as 'signatura', which indicates God's will indirectly. According to his mystical theurgy, 'unio mysitca' is indispensable to decipher correspondences of God's will with nature (cosmos). 4) As the Western Christendom itself has an anti-cosmic tendency the main cur-rents of German mysticism in modern ages also took mystical experiences in the i
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nner world of soul for absolutly important and had a strong inclination to neglect created nature, wherein there is the difference of view of nature between Christendom and Mahayana-Buddhism. For example in the poetical work 'Cherubic Wanderer' of Angelus Silesius (1524-1677) a lot of alchemic motifs are remodelled completely into the salvation-dramas of soul.5) Modern theosophical movements, which were started by Jacob Boehme (1575-1624) at the beginning of 17th century, described how God's will manifests in nature, history and a human mind. By his theosophy the German mysticism entered upon a new phase. 6) The most important mystics under the influence of Boehme's theosophy in the 17th and 18th century were Johann Georg Gichtel (1638-1710) who organized a secret society "Brethren of Angels" and persuaded to unify with God through the divine wisdom and ascetic practices, Gottfried Arnold (1666-1714) who regarded the history of mysticism as that of authentic Christianity and mystics as true believers of Christ's teachings, Quirinus Kuhlmann (1651-89) who criticized corruption of this world strictly and prophesied the end of the world and others. In this period large number of publications that described oecumenically the whole mystical movements from early Christianity to the present time were produced. However it is noteworthy that Boehme's theosophical speculation about 'Nothingness' (Nihil) and his Hermetical thoughts were in general disregarded even by Boehmists. Less
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