mysticism

The Interaction of Family and Religious Values in the World of “Supernatural”

The article considers the concept of “supernatural” in the cult television series of the same name, which is a representative example of modern mass culture. The authors consider its structural characteristics and analyze in detail the two closely related value-practical structures: the concept of the family and the relationship with the supernatural. They find in the series an archaic concept of the family as a blood brotherhood opposing the outside world.

There Is Nothing New under the Sun: The Concept of “Gnosis” in Studies of Western Esotericism

This article analyzes the tradition of using the category of «gnosis» in studies of Western esotericism. The origins of the understanding of «gnosis» as a special form of spiritual experience is related to non-traditional religiosity connected with the works of the members of the Eranos circle (H-C. Puech, G. Quispel, H. Corbin). Because of Corbin, the category of «gnosis» appeared in A. Faivre’s concept of Western esotericism as a form of thought. At the same time, among American researchers gnosis became a central category in the description of Western esotericism.

Kabbalah in the Twenty-First Century: Departure from Judaism?

Syriac Poetry in the Mongol Time: From Monastery Cells to Royal Tents

The Syriac poetry of the 11–14th centuries (so-called Syriac Renaissance) has been studied very poorly so far. One of the reasons is a traditional approach of the scholars, who treated this poetry as secondary to the strongly developed Islamic literature. The reason for changing of its character was the final fall of the Caliphate (1258) and the emergence of a new state in the area of Iran and Iraq with the Mongol dynasty, headed by Ilkhans (Hulaguids).

The New Age of Kabbalah. Contemporary Kabbalah, New Age and Postmodern Spirituality