Christian theosophy

Christian theosophy, also known as Boehmian theosophy and theosophy, refers to a range of positions within Christianity that focus on the attainment of direct, unmediated knowledge of the nature of divinity and the origin and purpose of the universe. They have been characterized as mystical philosophies. Theosophy is considered part of Western esotericism, which believes that hidden knowledge or wisdom from the ancient past offers a path to enlightenment and salvation. While general theosophy concerns the universal aspects of diverse, esoteric traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, Christian theosophy is limited to Jewish and Christian elements. The foundation of Christian theosophy is usually attributed to the German philosopher Jakob Böhme. Jewish Kabbalah was also formative for Christian theosophy from Böhme on. In 1875, the term theosophy was adopted and revived by the Theosophical Society, an esoteric organization that spawned a spiritual movement also called Theosophy. In the 20th century, theosophy became the object of study for various scholars of Western esotericism. Theosophy comes from the Greek theosophia (θεοσοφία), which combines theos (θεός), "God" and sophia (σοφία), "wisdom". Its etymological meaning is thus "wisdom of God." The term theosophia appeared (in both Greek and Latin) in the works of early church fathers, as a synonym for theology: the theosophoi are "those knowing divine things". The term however acquired various other meanings throughout its history. The adjective "theosophos" (θεόσοφος) "wise in divine things" was applied by Iamblichus to the gymnosophists (Γυμνοσοφισταί), i.e. the Indian yogis or sadhus. Scholars of esotericism such as Godwin and Faivre differentiated the tradition of religious illumination from the religious system established in the late nineteenth century by Helena Blavatsky by referring to the latter with a capital letter as Theosophy, and the former with a lower-case letter as theosophy. Followers of Blavatsky's movement are known as Theosophists, while adherents of the older tradition are termed theosophers.