The Esoteric in Religions

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

In this course we will explore the term "esoteric" as applied to several religious traditions. In the last decades the esoteric has had negative connotations as a reference to arcane, highly specialized, or abstruse ideas. It has also become a synonym of "occult sciences" such as alchemy, geomancy and astrology. However, the term has a rich history that goes back to philosophical and initiatory teachings of Ancient Greece. The origins of the term, its early Christian associations and its historical transformations raise critical questions as to its use in relation to Asian wisdom traditions and Abrahamic religions. Our chief concern will be to examine so-called esoteric currents in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism with a view to evaluate the cross-religious relevance of the concept of “esoterism” while identifying and addressing its limitations or flaws. In particular we will survey terms which, in different religions, have been translated by esoteric, or correlated with the esoteric. These include the Arabic bātin, the Japanese mikkyō, the Sanskrit rahasya and paramārtha, and the Hebrew sod, which will be analyzed in their respective contexts. More generally we will study perspectives and ways of approaching the Ultimate that can be referred to as “esoteric” in contrast with ordinary, conventional, established, “exoteric”, understanding and practices. This will include scriptural interpretations, ritual practices, and metaphysical interpretations. This task will be achieved through reading and discussions of seminal texts from the respective religious traditions.