SSR: Theosophical or theological?

[Guest guest]

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

 

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It is not that this movement is simply a sentimental movement. Don't think

that these boys are dancing out of some religious sentiment or fanaticism.

No. We have the highest philosophical and **theosophical** background.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SSR 5d: Krsna Consciousness -- the Yoga for the Modern

Age

 

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Shall I translate "theosophical with "theological"?

 

The word "theosophical" may lead to confusion, for I think that when people

read that we have the highest theosophical background they may have a common

understanding in mind as to what theosophy is (or might be).

 

Concerning definition no. 3 (which seems to be Srila Prabhupada's intended

meaning), the OED mentions that it is "nonce-use" (i.e., for a particular

purpose), which seems to indicate that this sense is rarely applicable.

Thus, translating "theosophy" as is may not help our purposes.

 

What is your opinion, please?

 

 

OED on THEOSOPHY

 

The word was revived early in the 17th c. in Latin and vernacular forms, to

denote a kind of speculation, such as is found in the Jewish Cabbala and is

illustrated by the writings of Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535), Paracelsus,

Robert Fludd, and others, which sought, usually by the doctrine of the

macrocosm and microcosm, to derive from the knowledge of God contained in

sacred books, or traditions mystically interpreted, a profounder knowledge

and control of nature than could be obtained by the methods of the

Aristotelian or other current philosophy. The name theosophy was often

applied specifically to the system of Jacob Boehme (1575–1624), which,

though not claiming to the same degree traditional authority, was largely

expressed in language borrowed from writers of the school in question. The

word has then and since been applied to more ancient and more recent views

having more or less affinity to those already mentioned.]

 

1. Any system of speculation which bases the knowledge of nature upon that

of the divine nature: often with reference to such authors as those above

mentioned, and more particularly to Boehme.

 

2. Applied to a system of recent origin, resembling the above in its claim

to a knowledge of nature profounder than is obtained from empirical science,

and contained in an esoteric tradition of which the doctrines of the various

historical religions are held to be only the exoteric expression. Sometimes

called Esoteric Buddhism. See Theosophical Society, under theosophical b.

 

3. In etymol. sense: Wisdom or knowledge concerning things divine.

nonce-use.

 

 

Hare Krishna. Your humble servant,

Rupa Sanatana Dasa