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A leading German theosophical writer, Karl Kiesewetter (1854 95)
produced a number of works on esotericism and occult beliefs and
practices. This book, first published in 1891, remains one of the
most extensive histories of modern esotericism. In his account of
its development, Kiesewetter focuses on a number of historical
figures who were, in his opinion, highly influential in the field.
He discusses the Renaissance esotericism of Heinrich Cornelius
Agrippa (1486 1535) and devotes much consideration to Paracelsus
(1493 1541), whom he considers to be 'the Luther of medicine'. He
also engages with the system of pneumatology developed by Emanuel
Swedenborg (1688 1772) and quotes extensively from the works of
Jacob Bohme (1575 1624) and other German writers on pneumatology.
Also included in this historical overview of modern occultism is
the work of Andrew Jackson Davis (1826 1910), who was a leading
figure within nineteenth-century American spiritualism.
A leading German theosophical writer, Karl Kiesewetter (1854 95)
published several influential works in the years just before his
early death. They included a history of modern esotericism (1891),
a biography of Mesmer (1893, also reissued in this series), studies
of John Dee and of the Faust legend (both 1893), and this
two-volume account of occult beliefs and practices in the ancient
world (1895), which was completed by Ludwig Kuhlenbeck (1857 1920),
a scholar of ancient philosophy and law. Volume 1 focuses on the
civilisations of the ancient Near East, including Babylon, Persia,
Egypt and Israel, and also contains a chapter on South Asia. Each
general description is followed by more detailed investigations of
particular aspects of that community, such as individuals
(Zoroaster), practices (divination, healing and magic), teachings
and texts (the Kabbalah and the Bundehesh), together with textual
excerpts (in German translation).
A leading German theosophical writer, Karl Kiesewetter (1854 95)
published several influential works in the years just before his
early death. They included a history of modern esotericism (1891),
a biography of Mesmer (1893, also reissued in this series), studies
of John Dee and of the Faust legend (both 1893), and this
two-volume account of occult beliefs and practices in the ancient
world (1895), which was completed by Ludwig Kuhlenbeck (1857 1920),
a scholar of ancient philosophy and law. Volume 2 focuses on the
civilisations of the Mediterranean (Greece, Alexandria, Rome) and
northern Europe (the Germanic and Celtic peoples). Each general
description is followed by more detailed investigations of
particular aspects of that community, such as individuals
(Socrates, Philo and Pythagoras), practices (divination, healing
and oracles), and teachings (gnosticism, Manicheanism and creation,
the afterlife), together with textual excerpts (in German
translation).
Karl Kiesewetter (1854 1895) was the most influential German
theosophical writer of his time, and wrote several books on the
history of esotericism and occultism. This biography of Mesmer
(1734 1815) was first published in Leipzig in 1893. It begins with
two very substantial historical chapters. The first discusses
practitioners of 'animal magnetism' before Mesmer, citing evidence
dating back to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Babylonian
cuneiform records. The second discusses the history of visions,
dreams, trances, soothsaying and divination, referring to the
Greeks and the Gnostics. The second half of the book focuses on
Mesmer himself. It describes his childhood near Lake Constance, his
university education in philosophy and medicine, his medical
practice in Vienna and his interest in 'cosmic magnetism'. It
documents his treatments and the controversies they caused, his
travels, his benefactors and detractors, and ends with a summary of
his theories including extracts from his work.
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