Der Esoteriker und die Esoterik: Wie das Esoterische im 18. Jahrhundert zum Begriff wird und seinen Weg in die Moderne findet

Author: Neugebauer-Wölk, Monika

Source: Aries, Volume 10, Number 2, 2010 , pp. 217-231(15)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

As the outcome of an internet search in full digital versions of German texts from the 18th century, this contribution provides new information concerning the formation of substantive verbs in the domain of esotericism: the concept of an “esotericist” (Esoteriker) appears for the first time in 1770, followed by the abstractum “esotericism” (Esoterik) in 1792. This development took place within the historical context of scholarly discussion about Pythagoras and his school in the works of Christoph Meiners (1747-1810) and Johann Philipp Gabler (1753-1826). The standard view in the study of esotericism, according to which the term esotericism first appeared in Jacques Matter's study of gnosticism of 1828, must therefore be revised: the concept Esoterik was born in the Late Enlightenment, not in the 19th century. After this, however, it takes a long time for the concept to be established as a lemma in German lexicons and dictionaries: here, the decisive shift takes place only in the theosophical / anthroposophical movement and its popularization in the “New Age” context around 1970.

Keywords: HISTORY OF THE CONCEPT “ESOTERICISM”; PYTHAGOREANISM; CHRISTOPH MEINERS; JOHANN PHILIPP GABLER; JACQUES MATTER; ENLIGHTENMENT AND ESOTERICISM; THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156798910X520601

Affiliations: 1: Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Publication date: 2010-07-01