Elitism and the Approach to God
Published on 24. July 2025
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-90-04-50428-8 (ISBN)
Description
Elitism and the Approach to God investigates a historical and cultural dichotomy in European history which has not hitherto been satisfactorily explained. Why did so many of the most influential "authorities" of the age insist that the nature and mystery of the divine and of God should not be shared with "the vulgar crowd", that is with the ordinary people, although this appears to be the principal purpose of all other religious teaching throughout the period? Robin Raybould gives examples from the works of more than sixty "authorities" who insisted that the mysteries of the divine should remain secret. He then surveys the attempts of other religious and civic leaders, both pagan and Christian, to investigate, understand and by contrast to share their findings on the nature of God. In a final section he attempts to reconcile these opposing views.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
526 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-50428-8 (9789004504288)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Robin Raybould (M.A., LL.M., Cambridge, UK) is an independent scholar studying the symbolic literature of the European Renaissance. He has published, monographs, articles and translations on the subject including a translation and commentary of Karl Giehlow's Die Hieroglyphenkunde (Brill, 2015).
Content
Contents
List of Figures
Introduction
Part 1: The Witness of the Authorities: Reasons to Withhold the Secrets
1 The Ignorant Were Not Initiated
?1?Origin of the Rites of Initiation
?2?Orpheus
?3?The Derveni Papyrus
?4?The Mysteries: an Experience of the Divine
?5?Plato and the Mysteries of Philosophy
2 Reasons to Withhold the Secrets: the Ignorant Were Not Sufficiently Instructed
?1?Pagan Writers
?2?Christian Initiation: Jesus Christ
?3?Collegia
3 Reasons to Withhold the Secrets: the Ignorant Were Not Worthy (I) - the First Millenium CE
?1?The Christian Fathers: Clement of Alexandria
4 Reasons to Withhold the Secrets: the Ignorant Were Not Worthy (II) - the Renaissance
Part 2: Strategies to Understand the Divine Mysteries
Introduction to Part 2
Section 1: Direct Approaches to the Divine
5 History of the Symbol
6 The Neoplatonists
7 Theurgy, Agalmata and the Divine Names
8 Christian Mysticism
9 Silence as a Medium to Approach God
10 Visions and Dreams
11 The Paradox of Concealing and Revealing
Section 2: Indirect Understanding of the Divine
Introduction to Section 2, Part 2
12 Poetry and Myth
?1?The Myths
13 Allegory
?1?Secular and Christian Allegories
?2?The Scriptures
?3?The Book of Nature
14 The Literary Species
?1?Hieroglyphs
?2?Enigmas
?3?Bestiaries
?4?Emblems
Part 3: Why the Secrets Were to Be Withheld
Introduction to Part 3
15 Disdain for the Unlearned
Conclusion
?1?The Elite
?2?Profanation and the Love of God
?3?The Status of Man
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures
Introduction
Part 1: The Witness of the Authorities: Reasons to Withhold the Secrets
1 The Ignorant Were Not Initiated
?1?Origin of the Rites of Initiation
?2?Orpheus
?3?The Derveni Papyrus
?4?The Mysteries: an Experience of the Divine
?5?Plato and the Mysteries of Philosophy
2 Reasons to Withhold the Secrets: the Ignorant Were Not Sufficiently Instructed
?1?Pagan Writers
?2?Christian Initiation: Jesus Christ
?3?Collegia
3 Reasons to Withhold the Secrets: the Ignorant Were Not Worthy (I) - the First Millenium CE
?1?The Christian Fathers: Clement of Alexandria
4 Reasons to Withhold the Secrets: the Ignorant Were Not Worthy (II) - the Renaissance
Part 2: Strategies to Understand the Divine Mysteries
Introduction to Part 2
Section 1: Direct Approaches to the Divine
5 History of the Symbol
6 The Neoplatonists
7 Theurgy, Agalmata and the Divine Names
8 Christian Mysticism
9 Silence as a Medium to Approach God
10 Visions and Dreams
11 The Paradox of Concealing and Revealing
Section 2: Indirect Understanding of the Divine
Introduction to Section 2, Part 2
12 Poetry and Myth
?1?The Myths
13 Allegory
?1?Secular and Christian Allegories
?2?The Scriptures
?3?The Book of Nature
14 The Literary Species
?1?Hieroglyphs
?2?Enigmas
?3?Bestiaries
?4?Emblems
Part 3: Why the Secrets Were to Be Withheld
Introduction to Part 3
15 Disdain for the Unlearned
Conclusion
?1?The Elite
?2?Profanation and the Love of God
?3?The Status of Man
Bibliography
Index