The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1079 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Il
d
(deviation)
:
see
HERESY
.
Illo tempore
(that-ideal-time)
:
see
MYTH
.
Illuminati
.
Either 16th-cent. Spanish mystical sects; or a German secret society founded in 1776. The Spanish illuminati or
alumbrados
appear to have been founded by Antonio de Pastrana at the end of the 15th cent. They believed in a form of pure contemplation and absorption into God, practised severe mortifications, and claimed visions and the power of prophecy. The German illuminati, founded by Johann Adam Weishaupt (1748–1830), pursued progressive illumination through initiation into the successive stages of their society, involving the study of philosophy and the arts. They were also known as Perfectibilists. Though outlawed in 1784/5, the society re-emerged at the end of the 19th cent., only to disappear again under the Nazis.
Illuminationist
(
ishraqi
) school
:

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