Pantheism Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Pre-modern times=== Early traces of pantheist thought can be found within animistic beliefs and tribal religions throughout the world as an expression of unity with the divine, specifically in beliefs that have no central [[polytheist]] or [[monotheist]] personas. [[Hellenistic]] theology makes early recorded reference to pantheism within the [[ancient Greek religion]] of [[Orphism (religion)|Orphism]], where ''pan'' (the all) is made cognate with the creator God [[Phanes]] (symbolizing the universe),<ref>Damascius, referring to the theology delivered by Hieronymus and Hellanicus in {{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/af/af12.htm|title=''The Theogonies''|work=sacred-texts.com}}:"... the theology now under discussion celebrates as Protogonus (First-born) [Phanes], and calls him Dis, as the disposer of all things, and the whole world: upon that account he is also denominated Pan."</ref> and with [[Zeus]], after the swallowing of Phanes.<ref>Betegh, Gábor, ''The Derveni Papyrus'', Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 176–178 {{ISBN|978-0-521-80108-9}}</ref> Pantheistic tendencies existed in a number of [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] groups, with pantheistic thought appearing throughout the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name=Worman/> These included the beliefs of mystics such as [[Ortlieb of Strasbourg]], [[David of Dinant]], [[Amalric of Bena]], and [[Meister Eckhart|Eckhart]].<ref name=Worman/>{{rp|pp. 620–621}} The [[Catholic Church]] has long regarded pantheistic ideas as heresy.<ref>Collinge, William, ''Historical Dictionary of Catholicism'', Scarecrow Press, 2012, p 188, {{ISBN|9780810879799}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-is-pantheism|title=What is pantheism?|work=catholic.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801114835/https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-is-pantheism|archive-date=1 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Sebastian Franck]] was considered an early Pantheist.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPbWAAAAMAAJ&q=%22the+first+pantheist%22 |title=The Two Eyes of Spinoza & Other Essays on Philosophers – Leszek Kołakowski – Google Books |date=2009-06-11 |isbn=9781587318757 |accessdate=2022-10-08|last1=Kołakowski |first1=Leszek |publisher=St. Augustine's Press }}</ref> [[Giordano Bruno]], an Italian friar who evangelized about a transcendent and infinite God, was burned at the stake in 1600 by the [[Roman Inquisition]]. He has since become known as a celebrated pantheist and martyr of science.<ref>McIntyre, James Lewis, ''Giordano Bruno'', Macmillan, 1903, p 316.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.science20.com/science_20/bruno_was_martyr_magic_not_science-115582|title=Bruno Was a Martyr for Magic, Not Science | Science 2.0|date=27 August 2014}}</ref> The Hindu philosophy of [[Advaita Vedanta]] is thought to be similar to pantheism. The term ''Advaita'' (literally "non-secondness", but usually rendered as "[[Nonduality (spirituality)|nondualism]]",{{sfn|Deutsch|1988|p=3}}{{sfn|Milne|1997}} and often equated with [[monism]]{{refn|group=note|name=Monism|Form of monism: * {{harvnb|Malkovsky|2000|p=71}}: "The interpretation of advaita that is the most common equates non-duality with monism and acosmic illusionism. Only the Absolute, or the paraa brahma, is said to exist; everything else is but an illusory appearance." * {{harvnb|Menon|2012}}: "The essential philosophy of Advaita is an idealist monism, and is considered to be presented first in the Upaniṣads and consolidated in the Brahma Sūtra by this tradition." * {{harvnb|King|1995|p=65}}: "The prevailing monism of the Upanishads was developed by the Advaita Vedanta to its ultimate extreme." * {{harvnb|Mohanty|1980|p=205}}: "Nyaya-Vaiseshika is realistic; Advaita Vedanta is idealistic. The former is pluralistic, the latter monistic."}} ) refers to the idea that ''[[Brahman]]'' alone is ultimately [[Satya|real]], while the transient [[phenomenon (philosophy)|phenomenal world]] is an illusory appearance (''[[Maya (religion)|maya]]'') of Brahman. In this view, ''[[Jiva|jivatman]]'', the experiencing self, is ultimately non-different ("na aparah") from ''[[Ātman (Hinduism)|Ātman]]-[[Brahman]]'', the highest Self or [[ultimate Reality|Reality]].{{sfn|Menon|2012}}{{sfn|Deutsch|1973|p=3, note 2; p.54}}{{sfn|Koller|2013|p=100-101}}{{refn|group=note|name=Brahman|Highest self: * Shankara, ''Upadesasahasri'' I.18.3: "I am ever-free, the existent" (''[[Sat (Sanskrit)|Sat]]''). I.18.6: "The two [contradictory] notions "I am the Existent-''Brahman''" and "I act," have ''Atman'' as their witness. It is considered more reasonable to give up only [that one] of the two [notions] which arises from ignorance. I.18.7: "The notion, "I am the Existent," arises from right means of knowledge [while] the other notion has its origin in fallacious means of knowledge." ({{harvnb|Mayeda|1992|p=172}}) * ''Brahmajnanavalimala'' Verse 20: "Brahman is real, the universe is mithya (it cannot be categorized as either real or unreal). The jiva is Brahman itself and not different." Translation by S. N. Sastri [https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/snsastri/brahmajnaanaavalimaalaa.pdf] * {{harvnb|Sivananda|1993|p=219}}: "Brahman (the Absolute) is alone real; this world is unreal; and the Jiva or individual soul is non-different from Brahman." * {{harvnb|Menon|2012}}: "The experiencing self (jīva) and the transcendental self of the Universe (ātman) are in reality identical (both are Brahman), though the individual self seems different as space within a container seems different from space as such. These cardinal doctrines are represented in the anonymous verse "brahma satyam jagan mithya; jīvo brahmaiva na aparah" (Brahman is alone True, and this world of plurality is an error; the individual self is not different from Brahman)." * {{harvnb|Deutsch|1973|p=54}}: "[the] essential status [of the individual human person] is that of unqualified reality, of identity with the Absolute [...] the self (''jiva'') is only misperceived: the self is really Brahman." * {{harvnb|Koller|2013|pp=100–101}}: "Atman, which is identical to Brahman, is ultimately the only reality and [...] the appearance of plurality is entirely the work of ignorance [...] the self is ultimately of the nature of Atman/Brahman [...] Brahman alone is ultimately real." * {{harvnb|Bowker|2000a|loc="Advaita Vedanta"}}: "There is only Brahman, which is necessarily undifferentiated. It follows that there cannot even be a difference, or duality, between the human subject, or self, and Brahman, for Brahman must be that very self (since Brahman is the reality underlying all appearance). The goal of human life and wisdom must, therefore, be the realization that the self (ātman) is Brahman." * {{harvtxt|Hacker|1995|p=88}} notes that Shankara uses two groups of words to denote 'atman': "One group - principally ''jiva'', ''vijnanatman'', and ''sarira'' - expresses the illusory aspect of the soul [...] But in addition there are the two expressions ''atman'' and ''pratyagatman''. These also designate the individual soul, but in its real aspect." {{Harvtxt|Mayeda|1992|pp=11, 14}} uses the word ''pratyagatman''; {{harvtxt|Sivananda1993|p=219}}, {{harvtxt|Deutsch|1973|p=54}}, and {{harvtxt|Menon|2012}} use the term ''jiva'' when referring to the identity of ''atman'' and ''Brahman''.}} The ''jivatman'' or individual self is a mere reflection or limitation of singular ''Ātman'' in a multitude of apparent individual bodies.{{sfn|Indich|2000|p=50}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page