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295 Pages·2015·4.53 MB·English

by  Benjamin Brochstein

ABSTRACT
This dissertation presents three basic theoretical ideas: the hermeneutic of
privilege, how allegorical symbolism and esotericism protect elite privilege, and
the socio-political utility of anti-dogmatism. Alchemical casuistry is this study’s
modern analytical concept that combines aspects of these themes to show how
elites cultivated anti-dogmatic perspectives to reconcile themselves with opposing
and divisive dogmatic political positions. The ultimate expressions of alchemical
casuistry were found in courtly favor, diplomacy, and statecraft; but it also served
as a foundation of social suppression—concealing special knowledge. The earliest
alchemical texts contained recipes for imitating substances like emeralds and
gold—recipes whose value depended on both secrecy and lies. Over time, the
systems of allegorical and linguistic contrivance that originally served to protect
and preserve the secrets of imitations would extend to cover other things—like
miracles. The concept of miracles was divisive after the reformation—
characterizing phenomena as “miraculous” could have serious political
consequences. Alchemical casuistry explains how members of the nascent Royal
Society viewed Valentine Greatrakes (1629–1683) and his practically miraculous
healing treatments. Because the term “miracle” was central to religious debates,
these alchemical casuists carefully avoided using the word “miracle” and
equivocated Greatrakes’ extraordinary effects (that had no mechanistic
explanation). Greatrakes is the first instance of early modern science wrestling
with what we call today the placebo effect and his witnesses were the product of an
elite alchemical tradition that saw itself extending back to ancient Greece.
Alchemical linguistic contrivance was an integral aspect of social privilege and
education and protected one of society’s most dangerous secrets: how shifting
political and philosophical paradigms related to economic disparity.
Building on the momentum of the Protestant Reformation, the
Enlightenment was a philosophical assault on the notion of mediated divinity that
created a vacuum of institutional credibility. Trust in the both the Church of
England and the monarchy suffered when the 1649 regicide challenged their claims
to divine authority. Greatrakes’ “miraculous” effects simultaneously negated
monarchal claims of divine authority (based on similar healing touch) and the
Church of England’s position that miracles had ceased. When the Royal Society
became the official institution of early modern science, it extended its influence
and credibility by initiating organized Freemasonry as a polarizing device to direct
the considerable political potential of lesser elites. The Royal Society’s assault on
divinity placed it in the role of mediating truth claims, thereby usurping the social
functions of divinity previously administered by the church and monarch. Given
what we know about the placebo effect today, it is difficult to doubt that at least
some of the Greatrakes narratives described authentic cures. The only consistent
explanation for them (from Francis Bacon, to Robert Boyle, to Benjamin Franklin,
and to today) has been the power of the imagination to heal. Through alchemical
casuistry effective techniques like hypnosis, acupuncture, Reiki, and many others
are marginalized for the economic benefit of medical elites whose pills and
procedures have less value when the secret elixir of the imagination is widely
known.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gratitude is vitally important, and I will not apologize for erring on the side of
expressing too much, rather than too little of it here. Even though these remarks, in
resonance with this dissertation’s title, may be far too long, it is certain that some
to whom I am indebted are not mentioned here, and more lengthy comments could
be written about each person. Omissions are the product of my limited time, space
and memory.
I am grateful to my parents, Raymond and Susan Brochstein, for
emphasizing the importance of education to me at a very early age (and for many
other things, too). Becoming an scholar was not my childhood ambition. After high
school I sought only a very practical Bachelors of Business Administration with a
concentration in Accounting. I was certain that the “gentlemanly” Juris Doctor
degree I had just barely earned in 1987 would be my last academic “honor,” ever.
Happily, my perspective changed.
I am grateful that my friends Al and Lydia Dugan, noting my avid
enthusiasms for yoga and extraordinary healing, persistently encouraged me to
visit the Esalen Institute. My deeply moving experiences there led the Dugans to
introduce me to Dr. Kripal, who was writing his monumental book the complex
knot of spiritual movements and ideas that were the essence of Esalen. I was
fascinated (even astonished) that academia fostered such kooky interests. The
coincidence that Dr. Kripal was at Rice in Houston, where I lived, seemed
auspicious. I will always remember how the Dugans’ gentle persuasion nudged me
into a new direction that resulted in me realizing potential that I never even
suspected I had.
I can not adequately express the gratitude and esteem I have for the entire
Department of Religion at Rice. The stellar faculty radiates international gravitas
that attracts top scholars from around the world to participate in its conferences.1
The department’s focus on Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism (and the GEM
Certificate program) provided me with the nuanced perspective necessary to
pursue the dissertation that follows.
Valentine Greatrakes came to my attention after the Fondren Library, on Dr.
Kripal’s request, acquired Richard Pavek’s collection of over 1,000 books about
energy healing. Pavek agreed to meet with me on his houseboat in Sausalito in
2009 and told me that he believed that Greatrakes was the most important figure in
the history of energy healing. My initial research into Greatrakes revealed little to
me since scholars to that point had seldom dealt with Greatrakes in detail.
I am indebted to Dr. Michael Hunter, one of the foremost Boyle scholars
today, who corresponded with me regarding my research and whose footnote
informed me that Dr. Peter Elmer was preparing a monograph about Greatrakes.

1
My title page was signed before I wrote these heartfelt acknowledgements.
Peter was gracious enough to share his complete drafts with me and correspond
with me by both email and phone from 2009 until his exacting research was
published by Oxford in 2013.
I am grateful to Dr. Claire Fanger for helping me with Latin when I waded
into texts beyond a comfortable depth. Thanks are also due to my classmate
colleagues, Dr. Claire Villareal who proofread early drafts of the dissertation and
Dr. Michael Heyes who discussed the early conceptions of the thesis with me and
also helped with tricky Latin translations. Full responsibility for all errors in
translation is mine. My project required access to numerous obscure texts that
would have been impossible to acquire without the help of the wonderful staff at
Fondren Library who are far too numerous to include all by name, but in particular
Sarah Bentley and our fantastic research librarian Jane Segal.
Special acknowledgement is due to my high-school English teacher, Mike
Cullinan, who as a professional graphoanalyist was able to confirm my suspicion
that a signature upon which a substantial and longstanding historical claim is based
is actually a forgery. This would have been enough, but Mike also meticulously
proof-read my entire dissertation: footnotes, appendices, and bibliography. Mike is
an outstanding example of the faculty at St. John’s School, and my thirteen years
there (K-12) inspired far more scholarly inclination in me than I realized at the
time.
I am also grateful to my professors Dr. April DeConick, Dr. Elliot Wolfson,
Dr. Anne Klein, Dr. Marcia Brennan, Dr. David Cook, Dr. William Parsons, Dr.
Elias Bongmba, and Dr. Brian Ogren. Many of my classmates and colleagues also
deserve credit: The Venerable Dr. JianYing, Dr. Alejandro Chaoul, Dr. Chad
Shaw, Dr. Brian Nichols, Dr. Nate Carlin, Dr. Dustin Atlas, Dr. Aundrea
Matthews, Elizabeth Wallett, Minji Lee, Reyhan Basaran, and Erin Prophet. Others
to whom I am grateful include Dr. Timothy Daryl Stanley, Dr. Zach Hodges, and
Shelia Hetherington.
Sylvia Louie, the department coordinator of RELI, deserves special
acknowledgement. Sylvia long ago mastered the bureaucratic intricacies so
necessary to large institutions like Rice. When Sylvia announced her impending
retirement several years ago, I pleaded with her to remain until I had made it
though the maze. Though she certainly had much better reasons for staying than
helping me though, her continued presence has been a great benefit to me and all
my colleagues for which we are all very grateful.
Those professors who served on my dissertation committee had the most
significant influence over my developing dissertation. Dr. John Stroup, with his
extraordinary memory for historical facts, combined with an astonishing skill for
research, guided me instantly to many of the most important resources I cite. I am
also grateful to John for his cultured and nuanced perspective and very careful
reads of my work.
It is difficult to understand precisely how Dr. Elaine Ecklund manages to
keep so many plates spinning at the same time. I am very grateful to her for having
made the time serve on my committee and read the dissertation so thoroughly. She
helped me to see very interesting aspects of social boundaries that will be more
emphasized in my future work.
Dr. Jeff Kripal was the true catalyst for my initiation as a disciplined scholar.
He pushed my thinking to the edges of reason (and sometimes beyond) to embrace
extraordinary narratives and their critical deconstructions simultaneously. Jeff has
been a patient mentor into academia and an excellent example of discipline and
constancy. He is also an exemplar of scholarly superpowers.
Lastly, I am grateful to Phillip von Stephens, who labored many hours
teaching me the esoteric work of Freemasonry. Phillip was extremely
knowledgeable about all things, and shared his knowledge with fervor and zeal,
occasionally obdurately. Phillip’s insights into Masonry and its history inspired me
to consider the origins of Freemasonry and its relationship with the Royal Society
as a part of my thesis. Phillip’s death in 2013 ended a very long and distinguished
career of Masonic service. This dissertation is dedicated to Phillip, my friend and
teacher.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ 5
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1
Theoretical Highlights by Chapter .......................................................................... 5
Valentine Greatrakes (1629–1683) ......................................................................... 8
Franz Mesmer (1734–1815) ..................................................................................14
Methodology .........................................................................................................17
Personal Statement ................................................................................................19
CHAPTER 1: A BRIEF HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE .........................................................21
Historical Background: Regicide, Republic, and Restoration ..............................22
Robert Boyle (1627–1691) ................................................................................24
Elias Ashmole (1617–1692) ..............................................................................27
How the English People Loved their Kings and Queens ..................................29
Economic Disparity in the Body Politic and Culture ........................................33
Theological Tensions in the Headless Body Politic ..........................................38
Aftermath of the Republican Hurricane–the Violent Restoration .....................43
A Brief History of Touch Healing: Greatrakes’ Place..........................................44
Mesmer’s Place and Greatrakes’ Omission .......................................................45
The King’s Touch and the King’s Evil..............................................................46
The Harmony of Miracles: Neither Belief nor Denial ......................................52
The History of the Royal Society .........................................................................54
Sprat’s History - 1667 ........................................................................................56
Birch’s History - 1756 .......................................................................................58
Thomson’s History - 1812 .................................................................................59
Weld’s History - 1848 .......................................................................................61
Conclusion ............................................................................................................69
CHAPTER 2: EDUCATION, SECRECY, AND SOCIAL ORDER .........................................70
Alchemy as an Expression of Elite Entitlement ...................................................71
Syncretism, Secrecy, and Initiation ...................................................................72
Greek Origins of Alchemy ................................................................................75