Kocku Von Struckrad is now on, to discuss the latest German scholarship on Gnosticism.
Talking about 19th century German scholarship between Jews and Protestant Germans. Kabbalism became very popular in scholarly circles, and that included the origins of Gnosticism. Some even said Kabbalah was the true Judaism, and ‘oriental’ Judaism became very popular.
Martin Buber is an example.
Pray like an Eastern Jew was to pray like a Dervish– was a popular saying. Yes, Easter religions also became infused into Judaism. Basically, Judaism was about an experience with God and much less ritual. April talked about ecstasy as part of Gnosis, and Judaism really wanted it back then.
Gershom Sholem criticized Buber for not focusing on history and more on myth. Buber didn’t care, wanting the experience and the mysticism that was lacking in those days as materialism grew in Europe. Like Nietzsche, he wanted Dionysus back in humanity!
The world is not a being but a becoming, Buber said, and that we were not the slaves of the world but its lovers.