Constructing Tradition: Means and Myths of Transmission in Western Esotericism (Aries Book Series Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism, #11)

The question of constructing tradition, concepts of origin, and memory as well as techniques and practices of knowledge transmission, are central for cultures in general. In esotericism, however, such questions and techniques play an outstanding role and are widely reflected upon, in its literature. Esoteric paradigms not only understand themselves in elaborated mytho-poetical narratives as bearers of “older”, “hidden”, “higher” knowledge. They also claim their knowledge to be of a particular origin. And they claim this knowledge has been transmitted by particular (esoteric) means, media and groups. Consequently, esotericism not only involves the construction of its own tradition; it can even be understood as a specific form of tradition and transmission. The various studies of the present voume, which contains the papers of a conference held in Tübingen in July 2007, provide an overview of the most important concepts and ways of constructing tradition in esotericism. Contents......Page 6 Introduction: Constructing Tradition in Western Esotericism......Page 10 Master Narratives of Tradition......Page 18 Das Verspätete Wissen. Zur Epigonalen Disposition der Esoterischen Tradition......Page 20 Note sur la Transmission des Traditions dans le Contexte des Courants Ésotériques Occidentaux Modernes......Page 48 Gewachsene Traditionen. Zur Formierung hermetischer Überlieferungen im Mittelalter......Page 64 Die Überlieferung der Zukunft. Esoterische Traditionsbildung als Mantische Textfunktion......Page 88 Western Esotericism in Enlightenment Historiography: The Importance of Jacob Brucker......Page 108 The Coming of the Masters: The Evolutionary Reformulation of Spiritual Intermediaries in Modern Theosophy......Page 130 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's Esoteric Tradition......Page 178 Tradition in Zwei Gestalten? Wissenschaftlicher Traditionsbegriff und Esoterische Traditionslinien in der Deutschen Geschichtsschreibung des 19. Jahrhunderts......Page 196 The Sociology of the Construct of Tradition and Import of Legitimacy in Freemasonry......Page 234 Secrecy as Social Capital......Page 256 Kabbalistic Concepts of Tradition......Page 270 Revelation and the 'Crisis of Tradition' in Kabbalah: 1475–1575......Page 272 Giovanni Pico and the Ideal of Concordia Discors: Disharmony as a Way to Esoteric Wisdom......Page 310 Spiritual Authority and the Transmission of Knowledge in Christian Kabbalah: The Case of Guillaume Postel (1510–81)......Page 320 The Kabbalah as Primordial Tradition in Russian Secret Societies......Page 340 Myths of Origin......Page 358 Traditionskonkurrenzen. Eine Kreditgeschichte Offenbarter Ursprungsgeschichten......Page 360 Ägypten und der Ursprung der Esoterik. zur Geschichte und Genese eines Mythos......Page 390 Ex oriente lux. Zur Funktion Indiens in der Konstruktion der abendländischen esoterischen Tradition im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert......Page 412 Sufis as Mythic Bearers of Esoteric Tradition......Page 430 Athanasius Kircher's Construction of the Hieroglyphic Tradition......Page 444 Vom dämonischen Archetyp zur Konstruktion einer Urtradition. Die Kontroverse über das Geschlecht der Giganten an den Barocken Universitäten......Page 466 Index of Persons......Page 484 This volume of conference proceedings investigates the various ways and patterns with which esoteric writings and groups establish their own tradition. This involves concepts of origin and memory, ways of legitimising esoteric tradition as well as techniques and practices of knowledge transmission in esotericism.