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'''Lullism''' or '''llullism''' ({{lang-ca|Lullisme}}) is an [[Esotericism|esoteric philosophy]] based on the search for truth in all areas of knowledge. It stemmed from a [[belief]] that the mundane secrets and celestial levels of existence could be deciphered by manipulating the [[Letters of the alphabet|alphabet letters]].{{sfn|Leighton|2010|p=22}} It was first developed, and later inspired, by [[Ramon Llull]]. [[Manuscript]]s show that Llull anticipated prominent work on [[Voting system|elections theory]], several centuries ahead of his time. He is also considered a pioneer of [[computation theory|computational theory]], given his influence on [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz|Gottfried Leibniz]].{{sfn|Bonner|2007|p=290}}
'''Lullism''' or '''llullism''' ({{lang-ca|Lullisme}}) is an [[Esotericism|esoteric philosophy]] based on the search for truth in all areas of knowledge. It stemmed from a [[belief]] that the mundane secrets and celestial levels of existence could be deciphered by manipulating the [[Letters of the alphabet|alphabet letters]].{{sfn|Leighton|2010|p=22}} It was first developed, and later inspired, by [[Ramon Llull]]. [[Manuscript]]s show that Llull anticipated prominent work on [[Voting system|elections theory]], several centuries ahead of his time. He is also considered a pioneer of [[computation theory|computational theory]], given his influence on [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz|Gottfried Leibniz]].{{sfn|Bonner|2007|p=290}}


In 1263, Llull experienced a religious epiphany in the form of a series of visions. He narrated the event within his autobiography, ''Vita coaetanea'' ("Daily Life"): {{quote|Ramon, while still a young man and Seneschal to the King of Majorca, was very focused on composing worthless songs and poems, as well as doing other licentious things. One night he was sitting beside his bed, about to compose and write, in his vulgar tongue, a song to a lady whom he loved with a foolish love; and as he began to write this song, he looked to his right and saw our Lord [[Jesus]] [[Christ]] on the Cross, as if suspended in mid-air.<ref>Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" (an annotated ''Vita coaetanea'') at 10-11, in Bonner (ed.), ''Doctor Illuminatus'' (1985).</ref>}}
In 1263, Llull experienced a religious epiphany in the form of a series of visions. He narrated the event within his autobiography, ''Vita coaetanea'' ("Daily Life"); {{quote|Ramon, while still a young man and Seneschal to the King of Majorca, was very focused on composing worthless songs and poems, as well as doing other licentious things. One night he was sitting beside his bed, about to compose and write, in his vulgar tongue, a song to a lady whom he loved with a foolish love; and as he began to write this song, he looked to his right and saw our Lord [[Jesus]] [[Christ]] on the Cross, as if suspended in mid-air.<ref>Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" (an annotated ''Vita coaetanea'') at 10-11, in Bonner (ed.), ''Doctor Illuminatus'' (1985).</ref>}}


In the early 14th century, at the age of 82, Llull visited North Africa<ref>The ''Vita coaetanea'' (''Daily Life'') (circa 1311), the "autobiography" of Llull, does not mention such motive, but rather infers Llull's missionary quest, describing his high-profile public preaching in the main square of the city of Bougie, (present-day [[Béjaïa]] in northern Algeria), the edgy adverse reaction, his quick arrest, beating, likely execution, intervention by [[Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Catalonia|Catalan]] merchants, six months in jail, and eventual release. Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" (the ''Vita coaetanea'' augmented and annotated) at 10-11, 34-37, in Bonner (ed.), ''Doctor Illuminatus'' (1985).</ref> and was stoned by an angry crowd in the city of Bougie. Genoese merchants took him back to [[majorca|Mallorca]], where he died at his home in Palma the next year.<ref>Bonner states that his journey was to [[Tunis]] not Bougie, and dates it from autumn of 1314 until at least December 1315 [42-43]. Bonner also notes that according to modern scholarship, it was in the mid-15th century that "the legend of Llull having been martyred in Bougie spread" [44,n138].</ref> According to Bonner, Llull journeyed to [[Tunis]] because he was erroneously informed that its ruler was interested in Christianity.<ref>Riber, ''Raimunco Lulio'' (1935, 1949) [220-221]; Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" in his ''Doctor Illuminatus'' (1985) [42-44].</ref>
In the early 14th century, at the age of 82, Llull visited North Africa<ref>The ''Vita coaetanea'' (''Daily Life'') (circa 1311), the "autobiography" of Llull, does not mention such motive, but rather infers Llull's missionary quest, describing his high-profile public preaching in the main square of the city of Bougie, (present-day [[Béjaïa]] in northern Algeria), the edgy adverse reaction, his quick arrest, beating, likely execution, intervention by [[Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Catalonia|Catalan]] merchants, six months in jail, and eventual release. Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" (the ''Vita coaetanea'' augmented and annotated) at 10-11, 34-37, in Bonner (ed.), ''Doctor Illuminatus'' (1985).</ref> and was stoned by an angry crowd in the city of Bougie. Genoese merchants took him back to [[majorca|Mallorca]], where he died at his home in Palma the next year.<ref>Bonner states that his journey was to [[Tunis]] not Bougie, and dates it from autumn of 1314 until at least December 1315 [42-43]. Bonner also notes that according to modern scholarship, it was in the mid-15th century that "the legend of Llull having been martyred in Bougie spread" [44,n138].</ref> According to Bonner, Llull journeyed to [[Tunis]] because he was erroneously informed that its ruler was interested in Christianity.<ref>Riber, ''Raimunco Lulio'' (1935, 1949) [220-221]; Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" in his ''Doctor Illuminatus'' (1985) [42-44].</ref>

Revision as of 09:04, 19 November 2015

Not to be confused with lulism.
Image from a 1505 edition of Arbre de ciència by Ramon Llull (1232?-1316). Printed in Barcelona.[1]

Lullism or llullism (Template:Lang-ca) is an esoteric philosophy based on the search for truth in all areas of knowledge. It stemmed from a belief that the mundane secrets and celestial levels of existence could be deciphered by manipulating the alphabet letters.[2] It was first developed, and later inspired, by Ramon Llull. Manuscripts show that Llull anticipated prominent work on elections theory, several centuries ahead of his time. He is also considered a pioneer of computational theory, given his influence on Gottfried Leibniz.[3]

In 1263, Llull experienced a religious epiphany in the form of a series of visions. He narrated the event within his autobiography, Vita coaetanea ("Daily Life");

Ramon, while still a young man and Seneschal to the King of Majorca, was very focused on composing worthless songs and poems, as well as doing other licentious things. One night he was sitting beside his bed, about to compose and write, in his vulgar tongue, a song to a lady whom he loved with a foolish love; and as he began to write this song, he looked to his right and saw our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, as if suspended in mid-air.[4]

In the early 14th century, at the age of 82, Llull visited North Africa[5] and was stoned by an angry crowd in the city of Bougie. Genoese merchants took him back to Mallorca, where he died at his home in Palma the next year.[6] According to Bonner, Llull journeyed to Tunis because he was erroneously informed that its ruler was interested in Christianity.[7]

Lullism has been envisaged as a bridge between Christianity and Islam. Aspects of theology and Muslim philosophy are incorporated in its works.[8]

Llull's many works, such as the Libre d’ amic e amat, contain Sufi ideas and allegories and show an appreciation of Islamic mystical expressions.[9] Eve Bonner has assessed the influence of Franciscan mysticism and Troubadour poetry on Lullism.[10]

Its geographical proximity to Judaism allowed for fertile ground where Llull could develop his own theories regarding the relationship between God and man, as well as the search for truth.[9] Dominique Urvoy suggests that the Jews were a knowledge source for Lullism about Islam, because they incorporated Muslim philosophy and Sufi ideas into their books.[11]

Connections between Lullism and Kabbalah have been debated by Christian and Jewish scholars with different results.[9] Adolphe Franck and Christian David Ginsburg referred to Lullism as Kabbalistic in their works,[12][13] based on the inaccuracy that the Opusculum raymundinum de auditu kabbalistico was a lullistic work.[14] Arthur Edward Waite and Joseph Leon Blau interdicted a connection between lullism and Kabbalah.[15][16][17] Frances Amelia Yates said that "Lull himself was almost certainly influenced by Cabala which developed in Spain at the same time as his Art. In fact, the Art is perhaps best understood as a medieval form of Christian Cabala".[18]

These works have approached the subject through the studies of Pico della Mirandola whom connected the two phenomenon: Lullism and Kabbalah.[19] But these works had anachronistically presented in lullism a Renaissance understanding and use of Kaballah.[20]

Notes

  1. ^ *SC.L9695.482ab, Houghton Library, Harvard University
  2. ^ Leighton 2010, p. 22.
  3. ^ Bonner 2007, p. 290.
  4. ^ Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" (an annotated Vita coaetanea) at 10-11, in Bonner (ed.), Doctor Illuminatus (1985).
  5. ^ The Vita coaetanea (Daily Life) (circa 1311), the "autobiography" of Llull, does not mention such motive, but rather infers Llull's missionary quest, describing his high-profile public preaching in the main square of the city of Bougie, (present-day Béjaïa in northern Algeria), the edgy adverse reaction, his quick arrest, beating, likely execution, intervention by Genoese and Catalan merchants, six months in jail, and eventual release. Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" (the Vita coaetanea augmented and annotated) at 10-11, 34-37, in Bonner (ed.), Doctor Illuminatus (1985).
  6. ^ Bonner states that his journey was to Tunis not Bougie, and dates it from autumn of 1314 until at least December 1315 [42-43]. Bonner also notes that according to modern scholarship, it was in the mid-15th century that "the legend of Llull having been martyred in Bougie spread" [44,n138].
  7. ^ Riber, Raimunco Lulio (1935, 1949) [220-221]; Bonner, "Historical Background and Life" in his Doctor Illuminatus (1985) [42-44].
  8. ^ Urvoy, Penser l’Islam: Les présupposés Islamiques de l’ “Art” de Lull
  9. ^ a b c Hames 2000, p. 118.
  10. ^ A. Bonner (trans. and ed.), Doctor Illuminatus: A Ramon Llull Reader [including E. Bonner (trans.) The Book of the Lover and the Beloved], (Princeton 1993) pp. 175-84
  11. ^ Urvoy, Penser l’Islam, pp 91-118
  12. ^ Franck, The Kabbalah: The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews, p. 223 (translated from the French published in Paris in 1843, with a second edition in 1889, 1892)
  13. ^ Guinsburg, The Kabbalah: Its Doctrines, Development, and Literature, pp. 83, 200-1
  14. ^ Hames 2000, p. 119.
  15. ^ Waite, The Holy Kabbalah: A study of the secret tradition in Israel, pp. 438-42
  16. ^ Waite, Three Famous Alchemists (Raymund Lully, Cornelius Agrippa and Theophrastus Paracelsus), p. 39
  17. ^ Blau, The Christian Interpretation of the Cabala in the Renaissance, pp. 17, 117-18
  18. ^ Yates, Llull and Bruno: Collected Essays, vol. 1, p. 6
  19. ^ Pico della Mirandola, Conclusiones, in Opera omnia, vol. 1, p. 108
  20. ^ Serouya, La Kabbale. Ses origines, sa psychologie, sa mystique, sa métaphysiqée, p. 473

References

  • Blau, Joseph Leon (1944). The Christian Interpretation of the Cabala in the Renaissance. New York.
  • Anthony Bonner (ed.), Doctor Illuminatus. A Ramon Llull Reader (Princeton University 1985), includes The Book of the Gentile and the Three Wise Men, The Book of the Lover and the Beloved, The Book of the Beasts, and Ars brevis; as well as Bonner's "Historical Background and Life" at 1-44, "Llull's Thought" at 45-56, "Llull's Influence: The History of Lullism" at 57-71.
  • Bonner, Anthony (2007). The Art and Logic of Ramon Llull: A User's Guide. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-16325-5. Retrieved 16 August 2015. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Franck, Adolphe (1967). The Kabbalah: The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews. New York.
  • Hames, Harvey J. (2000). The Art of Conversion: Christianity and Kabbalah in the Thirteenth Century. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-11715-6. Retrieved 10 September 2015. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Guinsburg, Christian David Ginsburg (1920). The Kabbalah: Its Doctrines, Development, and Literature. London.
  • Leighton, Lauren G. (1 November 2010). Esoteric Tradition in Russian Romantic Literature: Decembrism and Freemasonry. Penn State Press. ISBN 0-271-04153-6. Retrieved 16 August 2015. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Urvoy, Dominique (1980). Penser l’Islam: Les présupposés Islamiques de l’ “Art” de Lull, (Etudes Musulmanes, 23). Paris.
  • Waite, Arthur Edward (1929). The Holy Kabbalah: A study of the secret tradition in Israel. London.
  • Yates, Frances Amelia (1982). ‘Ramon Lull and John Scotus Erigena’, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institute 23, (1960) pp. 1–44 [reprinted in F.A. Yates, Lull and Bruno: Collected Essays, vol. 1, London 1982].
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