F.C. Baur's synthesis of Böhme and Hegel. Reading Christian theology as a gnostic philosophy of religion PDF
Preview F.C. Baur's synthesis of Böhme and Hegel. Reading Christian theology as a gnostic philosophy of religion
F.C. Baur’s Synthesis of Böhme and Hegel Philosophy of Religion World Religions Editor in Chief Jerome Gellman (Ben Gurion University) Editorial Board Pamela Anderson (University of Oxford) Richard Hayes (University of New Mexico) Robert McKim (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) Rusmir Mahmutćehajić (Međunarodni forum Bosna/ International Forum Bosnia) Volume 4 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/prwr F.C. Baur’s Synthesis of Böhme and Hegel Redefining Christian Theology as a Gnostic Philosophy of Religion By Corneliu C. Simuț LEIDEN | BOSTON Cover illustration: Satan shown as the fallen angel after having been smitten, by Gustave Doré. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Simuţ, Corneliu C. F.C. Baur’s synthesis of Böhme and Hegel : redefining Christian theology as a gnostic philosophy of religion / by Corneliu C. Simuț. pages cm. — (Philosophy of religion. World religions, issn 2210-481X ; Volume 4) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-90-04-27520-1 (hardback : alk. paper) — isbn 978-90-04-27521-8 (e-book) 1. Baur, Ferdinand Christian, 1792–1860. 2. Religion—Philosophy. 3. Gnosticism. 4. Philosophical theology. 5. Böhme, Jakob, 1575–1624—Influence. 6. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770–1831—Influence. I. Title. BL51.S5298 2014 230.092—dc23 2014029728 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see brill.com/brill-typeface. ISSN 2210-481X ISBN 978-90-04-27520-1 (hardback) ISBN 978-90-04-27521-8 (e-book) Copyright 2015 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. To my wife, Ramona, and my children, Ezra and Lara ∵ Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 part 1 What did Baur Learn from Böhme? 1 The Idea of Creation 13 The Creation of Creation 13 The Hierarchy of Being 22 From Absoluteness to Finitude 28 The Will and God between Creation and Fragility 34 The Materiality of the World between the Devil and Man 42 From God to God’s Word, Lucifer, and Man 51 2 The Image of Lucifer 60 Lucifer as God’s Creation 60 Lucifer and the Idea of Light 67 Lucifer and Opposition against God 73 Lucifer and Rebellion 81 Lucifer and Sin 91 Lucifer and Death 100 Lucifer and Evil 105 Lucifer and the World 110 Lucifer and the Foundation of Dualism 116 3 The Structure of Dualism 125 Gnosis as Fundamental Dualism 125 The Dualism of Light and Darkness 129 The Dualism of Matter and Spirit 134 Dualism Explained: The Idea of Fragility 140 Dualism Explained: The Idea of Birth 146 Dualism Explained: The Idea of Agony 151 Light and Darkness in Creation 156 Christ and Lucifer in Creation 164 The Word and the Son in Creation 170 viii contents part 2 What did Baur Learn from Hegel? 4 The Overlapping of Spirit and Matter 179 Baur’s Hegelian Understanding of God as Spirit in the Human Being 179 Baur’s Hegelian Understanding of God as Corporeal in Christ’s Being 194 5 The Connection between Philosophy and Religion 213 The Correlation of Philosophy and Religion as Interpenetration of Humanity and Divinity 213 Religion as Christianity, Paganism, and Judaism 231 Concluding Remarks. Baur’s Synthesis of Böhme and Hegel: Gnosis as a Christian Philosophy of Religion in History 262 Gnosis and the Old Philosophy of Religion 263 Gnosis and Manichaeism 265 Gnosis and Augustinianism 272 Gnosis and the Middle Ages 276 Gnosis and the Reformation 279 Gnosis between Absolute Truth, Salvation, and Faith 285 Personal Conclusions 290 Bibliography 295 Index 356 Acknowledgments Heartfelt thanks are in order for the publication of this book to a handful of people who found it interesting enough to be included in Brill’s “Philosophy of Religion—World Religions” Series: the Editor in Chief, Jerome Gellman (Ben Gurion University), the members of the Editorial Board: Pamela Anderson (University of Oxford), Richard Hayes (University of New Mexico), Robert McKim (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), and Rusmir Mahmutćehajić (International Forum Bosnia). Likewise, Mirjam Elbers (reli- gion editor), Els Meijer (assistant editor), and Thea Tilanus (production editor) were always prompt and professional, which made working with this excellent team a real delight. To me, seeing this book in print marks a happy anniversary: a decade has passed since the publication of my first two books which were dedicated to my wife, Ramona, and my children, Ezra and Lara. Ten years later, Ramona, Ezra, and Lara are still my main raisons d’écrire, so I am grateful to have been offered the chance once again to dedicate a book to them for reminding me every day why I do what I do and what mettre la main à la plume really means to me. Corneliu C. Simuț September 8, 2014 Oradea, Romania
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