emanationism

emanationism

▪ philosophy and theology
      philosophical and theological theory that sees all of creation as an unwilled, necessary, and spontaneous outflow of contingent beings of descending perfection—from an infinite, undiminished, unchanged primary substance. Typically, light is used as an analogy: it communicates itself continually, remains unchanged, and shares its brightness in proportion to the nearness of its object. Emanationism precludes creation out of nothingness. Some scholars classify emanationism with pantheism despite their dissimilarities; however, emanationism does not hold that God is immanent in the finite world.

      Hints of this doctrine occur in the first two centuries AD in the writings of Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, and of Basilides and Valentinus, both founders of Gnostic schools (stressing esoteric knowledge); but its classic formulation is found in Neoplatonists such as Plotinus and Proclus. It played a prominent role in Gnostic religion. Early Christian writers modified the concept to explain the Trinity of divine Persons. The Jewish Kabbala, a system of mysticism, theosophy, and miracle working, explicates the doctrine; and logicians of the 16th and 17th centuries also employed it. After Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, however, the doctrine lost adherents; and today it has been displaced by theories of evolution.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Emanationism — • The doctrine that emanation (Lat. emanare, to flow from ) is the mode by which all things are derived from the First Reality, or Principle Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Emanationism     Emanationism …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Emanationism — is an idea in the cosmology or cosmogony of certain religious or philosophical systems. Emanation, from the Latin emanare meaning to flow from or to pour forth or out of , is the mode by which all things are derived from the First Reality, or… …   Wikipedia

  • emanaţionism — EMANAŢIONÍSM s.n. Emanatism. [pr.: ţi o ] – Din emanaţie. Trimis de claudia, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  EMANAŢIONÍSM s. (FILOZ.) emanatism. Trimis de siveco, 05.08.2004. Sursa: Sinonime  emanaţionísm s. n. (sil. ţi o ) Trimis de siveco,… …   Dicționar Român

  • emanationism — noun A religious concept that everything is derived from emanations from a god …   Wiktionary

  • emanationism — The attempt made by Plotinus, and foreshadowed in Plato, to understand creation as an overflow, radiating out from the supreme principle or God, somewhat as light emanates from a light source without in any way diminishing it. In Neoplatonism the …   Philosophy dictionary

  • EMANATIONISM —    the view that the UNIVERSE flows from the BEING of GOD rather like the rays of the sun shine forth from the sun. This viewpoint is found in YOGIC philosophies and such Western systems as NEO PLATONISM and GNOSTICISM …   Concise dictionary of Religion

  • Emanationism — belief that reality necessarily proceeds from a first Principle …   Mini philosophy glossary

  • emanationism — em·a·na·tion·ism …   English syllables

  • emanationism —  Эманация …   Вестминстерский словарь теологических терминов

  • emanationism — …   Useful english dictionary

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