Born
on 22 February 1455, John Reuchlin
Paved
the Way to Luther and Other Reformers
Carlos Cardoso
Aveline
Reuchlin, a student of the Jewish tradition, and his
statue at his hometown
“…John Reuchlin (…), author of the
‘Mirific Word’,
[was] the teacher
and instructor
of Erasmus, Luther, and Melancthon”
(Helena P. Blavatsky)
German humanist and
kabalist John Reuchlin was born under the sign of Pisces. He came into the
physical world on 22nd February 1455 and died five centuries ago in 1522. [1]
Among the twelve zodiacal signs, Pisces is considered
“the dreamer”. The right kind of dream prepares effective action. Reuchlin
worked on the abstract level of mystic oneiric action as a pioneer of Martin Luther’s
Reformation. H.P. Blavatsky calls him “the father of the Reformation”.[2] As a mystic, Reuchlin paved the way to that change
on a philosophical level. Helena Blavatsky quotes from the Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia’s entry on “Rosicrucianism”:
“The Kabalistic reveries of a John Reuchlin led to the
fiery action of a Luther (…).”[3]
The episode indicates how social change is really
made. It has to begin on the abstract levels of “reverie” or dream. Francis
Barham writes in his classic 1843 work “The Life and Times of John Reuchlin”:
“All changes and revolutions have begun in the
metaphysical experiences of individuals, and can only be explained by them.” [4]
A student of Jewish tradition, a scholar in the Hebrew
language, Reuchlin was a forerunner of universal brotherhood. Writing about the History of Christianity,
H.P. Blavatsky says in “Isis Unveiled”:
“Magic, in all its aspects, was widely and nearly
openly practiced by the clergy till the Reformation. And even he who was once
called the ‘Father of the Reformation’, the famous John Reuchlin [5], author of the ‘Mirific Word’ and friend of Pico di
Mirandola, the teacher and instructor of Erasmus, Luther, and Melancthon, was a
kabalist and occultist.” [6]
Not all Reformation movement was Lutheran, of course. Unlike
Martin Luther, the Amish and Hutterites do not adopt a top-down structure for
their Churches, have no professional priests and do not believe in
State-sponsored churches.
While the Lutheran churches (and some Mennonites) did
the same as the Vatican in supporting Adolf Hitler’s crimes in Germany, the Amish
and Hutterites traditionally shun all violence and war and are radically
nonviolent. [7]
They do not adhere to the cult of machines. They reject
the blind worship of technology, which was central to Nazism. The fact that the
Nazis adored mechanical instruments while despising actual life is a warning to
us that should not be forgotten in our century.
The Hutterites and the Amish consistently refuse to
participate in military conflicts of any kind. They try to live instead in the
unbureaucratic spirit of the original Christian teachings.
Living in the 15th and 16th centuries, Reuchlin
narrowly escaped condemnation on the part of the Catholic clergy. Erasmus of
Rotterdam was among those who helped protect him from persecution, and gave him
valuable advice as how to keep to essentials and avoid causing unnecessary
irritation among narrow-minded monks.
Francis Barham shows the role played by Reuchlin in
protecting and preserving the Jewish literature:
“In his ardent pursuit of theology and universal
literature, Reuchlin especially distinguished himself by his knowledge of the
Hebrew and Cushite languages, no less than those of Greece and Rome. He
retrieved the oriental as well as the classical sciences. It is thus to
Reuchlin that we are mainly indebted for the revival of Hebrew and Cabalistic
literature in Europe. He himself was the principal Hebrew scholar of his day,
and composed Hebrew grammars and dictionaries, which have been rarely excelled
by subsequent authors. Besides this, he was instrumental in rescuing the Hebrew
manuscripts from the flames, and thus preserving the literature of the Jewish
nation.” [8]
Reuchlin was one of the great theosophists of all time.
His life demonstrates the best way to stimulate human progress: authentic
outward improvement must come from the soul. The true spiritual light smoothly
irradiates from within. The entire tree of life emerges little by little from
the creative heart of a small seed.
NOTES:
[1] Source of date, “Collected Writings”, H.
P. Blavatsky, volume XIV, and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Reuchlin is also known as “Johann”.
[2] “Collected Writings”, H. P.
Blavatsky, TPH, USA, volume XIV, p. 169.
[3] See her article “The Trial of the Sun
Initiate” in “Collected Writings”, H. P. Blavatsky, TPH, USA, volume XIV, p.
266.
[4] “The Life and Times of John Reuchlin, or Capnion, the Father of the German Reformation”, by Francis Barham, Esq., London: Whittaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane,
1843, 284 pp., see p. 18. H.P. Blavatsky
refers to this same work on note 5,
below. The book is available at our associated websites.
[5] NOTE BY HPB: Vide the
title-page on the English translation of Mayerhoff’s “Reuchlin und Seine Zeit”,
Berlin, 1830. “The Life and Times of John Reuchlin, or Capnion, the Father of
the German Reformation”, by F. Barham, London, 1843.
[6] “Isis Unveiled” Volume II, by Helena P. Blavatsky, p. 20.
[7] Regarding the Anabaptists, click to see the article “The Practical Philosophy of the Amish”.
[8] “The Life and Times of John Reuchlin, or Capnion, the Father of the German Reformation”, by Francis Barham, Esq., London: Whittaker and Co., 1843, see p. 7.
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An initial and
anonymous version of the above article is part of the February 2018 edition of “The Aquarian Theosophist”, pages 15-16.
It was published as an independent text
in our associated websites on 22 February 2019, and expanded by Carlos on 8
June 2019. It can also be read at our
blog in “The Times of Israel”.
On 14 September 2016, after examining the
state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided to found
the Independent Lodge of Theosophists. Two of the priorities
adopted by the ILT are learning from the past and building
a better future.
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