Cosmotheism

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"Cosmotheism" is a term which refers to the idea that the entire universe (kosmos) is God (theos).[1] It is thus similar to pantheism and the idea of the anima mundi (world-soul). The term was coined by Lamoignon de Malesherbes (1721–1794) in 1782, to refer to the Stoic worship of the cosmos or mundus as a Supreme Being.[1] Jan Assmann ascribed the doctrine to ancient Egyptian theology as well as various Greek philosophies. According to Assman, "Malesherbes could not have found a better term for what seems to be the common denominator of Egyptian religion, Alexandrinian (Neoplatonic, Stoic, Hermetic) philosophy, and Spinozism, including the medieval traditions such as alchemy and the cabala that have served as intermediaries."[1] Assman also sees cosmotheistic ideas in the German Romanticism of figures like Goethe and Schiller.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Assmann, Jan (2009). Moses the Egyptian, p. 142. Harvard University Press.