Solovyov's Metaphysics between Gnosis and Theurgy

Bibliographic Data

ID3487578
AuthorsAleksandr Gaisin (0009-0003-4965-9623, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume9
Issue11
Pages354
Publication date2018-11-13
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel9110354
OpenAlexW2901196126
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited1

This article provides a reading of Vladimir Solovyov's philosophy as expressed in his 'Lectures on Divine Humanity' and 'The Meaning of Love'. It seeks to unpack his eclectic thought in order to answer the question of whether there is a Jewish Kabbalistic influence on the Russian thinker amidst his usual platonic, gnostic, and Schellengian tropes. Interested as a young man in Jewish Mysticism, Solovyov fluctuates in his 'Lectures on Divine Humanity' between a platonic reading of Schellengian Gnosticism and some elements of Kabbalistic origin. In 'The Meaning of Love', he develops a notion of love that puts him very close to what Moshe Idel calls 'theosophic-theurgical Kabbalah'. Showing how 'The Meaning of Love' completes the narrative of 'Lectures', we can affirm that there is a certain Christian Kabbalistic line in Solovyov's thought that culminates in his theurgical understanding of love. In this sense, Solovyov might be called a philosophical Marrano as he is certainly a heterodox theosopher that fluctuates between Christian Gnosis and Christian Kabbalah, never assuming a solid identity

Art · Epistemology · Gnosticism · Humanity · Jewish mysticism · Judaism · Kabbalah · Literature · Metaphysics · Mysticism · Narrative · Theology · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Philosophy · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

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