Jakob Böhme
Jakob Böhme (1575 –1624) was a German Christian Mystic and theologian. Böhme was an original thinker who practiced the Lutheran religion, which began with the teachings of Martin Luther who would emphasize the cardinal doctrine of justification by faith alone. The ideas expressed in his book Aurora revolved around the nature of sin, evil and redemption. Consistent with Lutheran theology, Böhme preached that humanity had fallen from a state of divine grace to a state of sin and suffering, that the forces of evil including fallen angels who had rebelled against God ruled the world, and God's goal was to restore the world to a state of grace. Although Bohme’s ideas later take a different approach then what would usually be seen within accepted Lutheran theology, in the way that the fall from grace was a necessary stage in the evolution of the universe. This view is seen to be very controversial within the Lutheran faith as his idea of the fall had a more mystical approach. Boehme's bold speculations about development within the Lutheran faith, as well as his rejection of stubbornness, profoundly influenced on contemporary Protestantism, both in Germany and elsewhere. The English Behmenists (followers of Böhme) merged with the Quakers, who then carried his ideas into the New World. In his own country, the major impact of Böhme was on German Romanticism, notably on the ideas of G.W.F. Hegel, F. von Baader, and F.W.J. von Schelling. Reverberations of his thought continue today, especially among theosophists, Christian mystics, and dialectical theologians. Böhme was studied by at least three early Romantics, namely Novalis, Blake, and Coleridge and aspects of Böhme’s work can be found in their works specifically Coleridge as Böhme had bohemian ideas that one needs nature in order to know himself which can be seen This Lime Tree Bower My Prison and other Romantic works. Thus, Böhme had a significant impact upon the Romantics as his views and works directly influenced views one had about god and nature.
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Percy Bysshe Shelley |
God and religion held great significance in society but Romantic advocates through expression of self worth and concepts of individuality argued this very significance. As the Romantic period progressed, God and Religion were no longer at the centre of existence. Once faced with death, whilst the average citizen prepared to meet God, Romantic’s in their rebellion and disconnection from God saw them grow desperate for the assurance of an afterlife, which saw the development of the prospect of immortality. A number of Romantic’s had a profound impact on the shifting of religious paradigms, including the likes of Percy Bysshe Shelley who’s works and actions saw him expelled from Oxford University after he anonymously delivered thousands of flyers that celebrated and promoted atheism in 1811. The flyer proclaimed the nonsense that surrounded God and questioned the sincerity behind a concept with no proof. The flyer sent shockwaves across the campus and students and residents cried for all copies to be burned. Shelley’s actions were attacking the foundations of European civilisation. Shelley’s decision to openly express his atheistic beliefs became one of the most shocking and monumental of his time. Shelley’s actions were influenced by the way Romantic’s believed that they were in control of their own moral authority. Further, Romantic’s were opposed to ideas of conformity, priding themselves on the famous words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau who believed ‘man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.’ Romantics sought after the journey and discovery of spiritualism in which they believed was unique to each individual. Romantic poets, artists and philosophers had an extremely significant influence on the way the world as a whole saw God and sparked the beginning of change religious reconsideration on a global scale.
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Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was a poet and essayist born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a fundamental figure in bringing Romantic ideals to post-revolution America that would later influence writers such as Washington Irving. Emerson is most well-known for the development of the philosophy of Transcendentalism. In his 1836 essay, Nature, he outlined the doctrines of Transcendentalism, namely individual spirituality that transcends the limitations of rationality. Within this essay, Emerson targets nature as the prime source of individual spirituality- “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society… But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars… with this design…in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime…” Emerson’s main focus was upon individualism and spiritual freedom, and these became the tenants of his Transcendental Club (Massachusetts, 1836). The Transcendentalists, who included the famous novelists Henry David Thoreau (Walden) and Herman Melville (Moby Dick), sought God outside of institutional frameworks, a pursuit that became central to American Romanticism. Emerson especially believed that organised religion corrupted the purity of spirituality by trying to make it a communal experience as opposed to one that is deeply personal. Emerson’s obsession with the individual is a testament to Romantic conventions, and he is responsible for spreading the idea throughout America. In Fact, he delivered over 1,500 lectures across the United States on the topic and when asked to sum up the main concept of Transcendentalism, he stated the “infinitude of the private man.” His most famous essays, “Self-reliance” and “The American Scholar,” also contributed greatly to the spread of individualism throughout America. Furthermore, Emerson’s appreciation of nature- “A nobler want of man is served by nature, namely, the love of Beauty”- would later be reiterated by many great American writers, as is evident within Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This accounts for Emerson’s role in catalysing and spreading Romantic ideals within the United States.
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thomas HampsonThe Romantics felt free to draw on religious imagery and allusion but without pressure to be conventionally dutiful.
Romanticism saw religion as an expression of the fundamental impulse of the human spirit. The approach to religion during the Romantic period involved a movement away from to powerful influences of time: the ‘soulless’ rationalism of the Enlightenment era, and the impending ‘heartless’ encroachment of Science, especially by means of industrialization, on the human condition. Romantics generally rejected absolute systems, such as religion, in favor of the idea that each person must create their own systems by which to live. Many Romantics subscribed to the doctrine of pantheism, the belief that the universe is an organic whole and the lows that govern it are God. Therefore, God is manifest through nature. Hampson focuses on nature as God, stating “For the romantic, nature is a constant companion and teacher. Nature is a dynamic presence, a character who speaks in a language of symbols at once mysterious and anthropomorphic, who engages man in a dialogue with the life force itself.”References
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