The bilingual volume aimed to fill a gap in esoteric and Catholic literature. In Chapter 1, Zander explains the current state of research on esoteric Catholicism and the challenges it faces. He also discusses terminological and methodological issues and outlines the characteristics of this religious current. Wilhelm Schmidt-Biggemann devotes Chapter 2 to Agostino Steuco's term, Philisophia perennis. He argues that stories that discover hidden, salvific meanings of existence are still attractive today. In Chapter 3, Tine Van Osselaer and Leonardo Rossi discuss how local clergy balanced mystics, believers, and ecclesiastical authorities. In Chapter 4, Bernadett Bigalke addresses the controversial topic of food abstinence and the role of female mystics, challenging the stereotypical Protestant-Catholic dichotomy. In Chapter 5, Karl Baier discusses the work of Friedrich Schlegel and his mesmerism circle. He emphasizes Schlegel's terminology of the esoteric and the exoteric and analyzes the role of a painting of St. Cecilia in the process of “exotericizing” the mystical movement. In Chapter 6, Alberto Alfredo Winterberg draws attention to the French Gnostic Catholic Church and introduces an approach to investigating Catholic esotericisms and their constructions of authority and memory. In Chapter 7, Giulio Dalla Grana discusses Towianism, a Polish religious movement that was neither understood nor accepted by the Catholic Church. In Chapter 8, Francesco Baroni addresses debates surrounding animal magnetism and its use by priests for therapeutic and spiritual fulfillment. Chapter 9 by Marty Bax is devoted to Western esoteric considerations in exploring the possibility of developing a modern iconography through avant-garde art. In Chapter 10, Andreas Krebs explores the debate between Rudolf Steiner and Constantin Neuhaus regarding the role of the sacrament as a mediator between the human and the divine. Chapter 11 by Ansgar Martins discusses Siegfried Kracauer's work on Catholicism and esotericism, as well as his debates about Catholic authority and transcendent “homelessness.” The final chapter, also by Zander, explores the philosophy of Robert Spaemann and the influence of Valentin Tomberg on his work. This volume will be of interest to those researching occultism and esotericism in the Catholic context and beyond.
Sára Eszter Heidl (Mon,) studied this question.
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