It is not the primitive trueth[sic] of creation, not the ancient, reall[sic]theosophie of the Hebrews and Egyptians, but a certain preternaturall[sic] up start, a vomit of Aristotle, which his followers with so much diligence lick up, and swallow.
1678, Ralph Cudworth, The true intellectual system of the universe : the first part, wherein, all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted; and its impossibility demonstrated, London: Richard Royston, →OCLC, page 377:
But Xenophanes his theosophy, or divine philosophy, is most fully declared by Simplicius out of Theophrastus in this manner, […]
1759, Thomas Hartley, A discourse of mistakes concerning religion, enthusiasm, experiences, etc., Germantown: Reprinted by C. Sower, →OCLC, page 28:
We have our skillful workmen of different denominations, that need not be ashamed, some demonstrated in a method of proof not to be gainsaid, that the sacred truths of our religion have their sure foundations in the depths of a divine theosophy[…]
[…] the defenders of physiognomy, the professed teachers of the science, have been either teachers and defenders of alchemy, magic, astrology, or theosophy, or all of them; and of course that it was utterly impossible that these doctrines should be rejected without some contamination on the character of the companion science of physiognomy; […]
1855, George H. Lewes, The life and works of Goethe : with sketches of his age and contemporaries from published and unpublished sources, volume 2, London: D. Nutt, →OCLC, pages 393–394:
There are two aspects under which religion may be considered: the divine aspect, and the human aspect; in the one it is Theosophy, in the other Ethics. Goethe's Theosophy was that of Spinoza, modified by his own poetical tendencies; it was not a geometrical, but a poetical Pantheism.
1856, Robert Alfred Vaughan, Hours with the mystics : a contribution to the history of religious opinion, volume 1, London: John W. Parker, →OCLC, page 45:
Then when philosophy falls into mysticism I give it another name, and call it theosophy. And, on the other side, I call mysticism, trying to be philosophical, theosophy likewise.
1877, Edward Caird, A critical account of the philosophy of Kant : with an historical introduction, Glasgow: J. Maclehose, →OCLC, page 17:
When we try to trace the effect of this experience on the philosophies or theosophies that close the period, record of Greek speculation, we are somewhat embarrassed by the increasing imperfection of logical method and form, that characterises the transition period […]
1888 May, anonymous author, “Reviewed Work: Die Seele indischer und hellenischer Philosophie in den gespenstern moderner Geisterseherei by Adolph Bastian”, in The American Journal of Psychology, volume 1, number 3, University of Illinois Press, →ISSN, →JSTOR, page 546:
As Jager's idea of soul as something which is smelled is met with among many savage races (even animals whose sense of smell takes the place of sight in man perhaps believing in olfactory ghosts, Marville claiming to see in a magnifying glass that the exhalations of friends fused and those of enemies mutually repelled each other), so theosophy is but a recrudescence of a belief widely proclaimed in the twelfth century and held to in some form by many barbaric tribes. Spiritism and "esoteric Buddhism" illustrate the oldest and most widespread of popular superstitions against which Aristotle so vigorously protested, that the soul is something material, apprehensible to vision, smell, taste, touch, or audition, though finer and perhaps smaller than the body.
[…] it is characteristic of theosophy that it starts with an explication of the Divine essence, and endeavours to deduce the phenomenal universe from the play of forces within the Divine nature itself. It is thus differentiated at once from all philosophic systems which attempt to rise from an analysis of phenomena to a knowledge, more or less adequate, of the existence and nature of God.
Theosophy[…] is distinguished from mysticism, speculative theology, and other forms of philosophy and theology, to which it bears a certain resemblance, by its claims of direct divine inspiration, immediate divine revelation, and its want, more or less conspicuous, of dialectical exposition. It is found among all nations — Hindus, Persians, Arabs, Greeks (the later Neo-Platonism), and Jews (Cabala) — and presents itself variously under the form of magic (Agrippa of Netteshelm, Paracelsus),or vision (Swedenborg, Saint Martin), or rapt contemplation (Jacob Boehme, Oettinger).
1928 Apr, Axel Lundberg, “A system of occidental occultism”, in The open court[1], volume 42, number 4, Chicago: Open Court, →OCLC, page 214:
Whatever significance we may attach to the above definitions they seem to indicate that the demarkation line between Theosophy and Mysticism is very thin and is to be found rather in the difference of methods than of results, which latter in both cases are the same, though in the former they are arrived at by means of spontaneous activity and efforts while in the latter a passive expectance serves the same purpose.
They have their own traditions of art and science. They do not […] discuss God or metaphysics or men. […] All their wisdom and theosophy, and all their grasp of beauty, truth or love, is in the singing. […] They look unloving enough, and so they are. Pitiless fallen angels.
2000, Antoine Faivre, Theosophy, imagination, tradition : studies in western esotericism, Albany: State University of New York Press, translation of original by Christine Rhone, →ISBN, pages 3–4:
It is not only the texts from late antiquity and the Middle Ages which present us with this dilemma: from the time of the Renaissance until today the word "theosophy" has continuously had different meanings ascribed to it.
Noun: "Any system which claims to attain communication with God and superior spirits by physical processes"[edit]
1847 March 31, “[The Freemason's lexicon entry:]Magie und Magiker, Geisterseher Theosophie Theosophen und Theurgie. Magic and Magicians, Ghost-seers, Theosophy, Theosophists and Theurgy”, in Freemason's quarterly review[3], volume 14, London: Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, →OCLC, page 33:
[…] in modern times magic hath also had its admirers and worshippers, and has become a rich source of profit to jugglers and impostors, who have used it under the name of Theurgy and Theosophy either to obtain money from the simple and superstitious, or for some secret and illegal object.
1854, James Murdock, “Theosophy”, in Noah Webster, Chauncey Goodrich, Noah Porter, Jr., editors, A dictionary of the English language, Rev. and enl. edition, London: Bogue, page 1144:
Theosophy[…] Supposed intercourse with God and superior spirits, and consequent attainment of superhuman knowledge, by physical processes; as by the theurgic operations of some ancient Platonists, or by the chemical processes of the German fire philosophers.
1869, Alexander Wilder, “The eclectic philosophy”, in Transactions of the Eclectic Medical Society of the State of New York, for the year 1868 edition, volume 1, Albany: Argus, →OCLC, page 86:
Proclus elaborated the entire theosophy and theurgy of his predecessors into a complete system.
The history of religions affords many other examples of the pernicious affinity between mysticism and magic—theosophy and theurgy.
1920 October, Ernest G. Sihler, “The Emperor Julian and his religion”, in The Biblical review, volume 5, number 4, [New York]: Bible Teachers Training School, →OCLC, page 579:
[…] for it is cryptic wisdom, (theosophy, we say now) not to be understood by the rabble, "but known to the blessed practitioners of theurgy."
1921, “Theosophists”, in English sects : an historical handbook, London: A. R. Mowbray, →OCLC, page 211:
Theosophy, according to […] Blavatsky, […] requires a belief in […] theurgy […]
1973, Samuel D. Cioran, The apocalyptic symbolism of Andrej Belyj, The Hague: Mouton, →OCLC, page 68:
The present theosophy appears before us alternately in the form of gnostic synthesis and the offspring of what was at one time ancient magical, theurgic and religious systems.
1975, Helmut Dahm, Vladimir Solovyev and Max Scheler : attempt at a comparative interpretation : a contribution to the history of phenomenology, Dordrecht [u.a.]: Reidel, →ISBN, page 196:
Solovyev regarded theosophy as the logical, theocracy as the ontological and theurgy as the ethical components of this total organic system.
1989, Georg Luck, “Magic in relation to philosophy: theurgy and forms of worship in neoplatonism”, in Jacob Neusner, Ernest S. Frerichs, Paul Virgil McCracken Flesher, editors, Religion, science, and magic : in concert and in conflict, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 188:
Iamblichus, Proclus, and others practiced a kind of theosophy, which, by ascetic exercises, special rites, and certain material objects could bring the deity down to earth or make the soul ascend to the higher regions.
2000, Antoine Faivre, Theosophy, imagination, tradition : studies in western esotericism, Albany: State University of New York Press, →ISBN, page 3:
[…] the late Platonists used the word theosophia to designate practically any kind of spiritual tenet, even theurgy itself.
2000, Urszula Szulakowska, The alchemy of light : geometry and optics in late Renaissance alchemical illustration, Leiden [u.a.]: Brill, →ISBN, page 8:
In Paracelsian theosophy, empathetic imagination was […] a powerful astral force which provided the basis for theurgy and prognostication, as well as for prophecy and mystical inspiration.
2000, Urszula Szulakowska, The alchemy of light : geometry and optics in late Renaissance alchemical illustration, Leiden [u.a.]: Brill, →ISBN, page 11:
The religious ideas of late Renaissance alchemists were based on the Paracelsian theosophical system, which was a half-pagan, half-Christian belief system, both a mystical path and a theurgic practice.
2007, Henrik Bogdan, Western esotericism and rituals of initiation, Albany: State University of New York Press, published 2012, →ISBN, page 103:
[…] was founded by the theosophist and kabbalist Martines de Pasqually […] included a peculiar form of theurgy mixed with the philosophy and theosophy of its founder.
2008, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, The Western esoteric traditions : a historical introduction, Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 141:
as a highly complex form of Judeo-Christian theosophy and gnosis with a hint of Kabbalah […] Its cult practiced a form of theurgy […]
2012, James A. Santucci, “Theosophy”, in Olav Hammer, Mikael Rothstein, editors, The Cambridge companion to new religious movements, Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 233:
Theosophy[…] practice of "theurgy” […] evidenced by […] remarks regarding Felt's experiments in manifesting "Elementary Spirits” […] the Preamble of the Society asserts that the appellation "Theosophical Society," according to the founders, sought "to obtain knowledge of the nature and attributes of the Supreme Power and of the higher spirits, by the aid of physical processes."
2014, Yair Lorberbaum, In God's Image : myth, theology, and law in classical Judaism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 189:
Theurgy is thus a central and critical element in the zelem theosophy of the tannaim[…]
2014, Moshe Idel, “Panim: faces and re-presentations in Jewish thought”, in Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, Aaron W Hughes, editors, Moshe Idel : representing God, Leiden [u.a.]: Brill, →ISBN, page 80:
[…] a more complex divine picture, which can be described as theosophy, and the possibility to affect it, that can be called theurgy, and the entire approach may be designated as theosophical theurgy.
1892 Feb, Elliott Coues, “Theosophy: what it is not”, in The Californian[4], volume 1, number 3, San Francisco, →ISSN, page 133:
That Blavatskyism and theosophism are identical is now a popular fallacy so deeply rooted as to be almost ineradicable. But the fact is, that the ingenious woman simply invented a scheme for exploiting herself, and called that scheme "theosophy."
2001, (editor), edited by in René Guénon, James Wetmore, Theosophy : history of a pseudo-religion, Hillsdale, NY: Sophia Perennis, published 2004, →ISBN, page 1, note:
In English, the capitalized term 'Theosophy' is generally understood to refer to the Theosophical Society founded by H.P. Blavatsky and H.S. Olcott, while the uncapitalized 'theosophy' is associated with various mystical writers such as those Guénon mentions […] It seemed unnecessary, then, to introduce the French neologism 'theosophism' to reinforce a distinction already clear in English through the connotations of the capitalized and uncapitalized forms of the word theosophy.
1859, Antonio Rosmini, Teosofia, volume 1, quoted in Theosophy, volume 1, Durham: Rosmini House, translation of original by Terence Watson and Denis Cleary, published 2007, →ISBN, page 7:
My theosophy certainly cannot give the public such magnificent and wonderful promises, but it will explain how the speculative human mind is inclined to find everything in itself.
Rosmini, however, is concerned here only with reasoning about God, and takes the word "theosophy" in its fundamental meaning of "wisdom about God" in so far as God is the supreme Being and the apex of philosophical speculation.
Noun: "Knowledge or wisdom about divine things" (nonce-use)[edit]
The organ of theosophy occupies the most elevated part of the os frontis. […] It is excessively developed in religious fanatics, and in men who have become recluse through superstition and religious notions.
1847 March 31, “[The Freemason's lexicon entry:]Magie und Magiker, Geisterseher Theosophie Theosophen und Theurgie. Magic and Magicians, Ghost-seers, Theosophy, Theosophists and Theurgy”, in Freemason's quarterly review[6], volume 14, London: Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, →OCLC, page 33:
[…] in modern times magic hath also had its admirers and worshippers, and has become a rich source of profit to jugglers and impostors, who have used it under the name of Theurgy and Theosophy either to obtain money from the simple and superstitious, or for some secret and illegal object.
1996, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “The meaning and concept of philosophy in Islam”, in Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Oliver Leaman, editors, History of Islamic Philosophy, London [u.a.]: Routledge, →ISBN, page 24:
There is of course the partly justified argument that in recent times the term "theosophy" has gained pejorative connotations in European languages, especially English, and has become associated with occultism and pseudo-esoterism.