Over the past half century or so esotericism has gradually succeeded in establishing itself as a recognized field of academic study, thanks to the work of a number of dedicated scholars, including the author of the present work, Wouter J. Hanegraaff, who is Professor of the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam. Whereas previously the subject of esotericism was generally shunned and derided in academe, it now has its own university departments, its learned societies, and its conferences. Commensurately, there is an increasing output of excellent scholarly publications in the field.
Now is therefore a good moment to look at the field of esotericism itself and its place in the academy and in Western intellectual and cultural history. This is what Wouter Hanegraaff has undertaken in this outstanding book. He brings to the task an unusually wide knowledge of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history....
