Books by Timothy Scott
Symbolism of the Ark: Universal Symbolism of the Receptacle of Divine Immanence, 2009
In diverse traditions we find an ensemble of symbols, motifs and narratives centring on the idea ... more In diverse traditions we find an ensemble of symbols, motifs and narratives centring on the idea of a “container” or “receptacle” for the divine Presence. This idea is found in the symbolism of what we might loosely call “the Ark.” In the Semitic traditions this symbolism is most conspicuous in the biblical accounts of the Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant. The aim of this book is to uncover the more or less universal significance of Ark symbolism through an exploration of its biblical expressions. The starting point for this inquiry is a set of immutable metaphysical and cosmological principles constituting the philosophia perennis, which informs the world’s integral mythological and religious traditions. I understand the Ark as the receptacle of Divine Immanence or, what amounts to the same thing, as the dwelling place of God. Immanence may be symbolised by a series of numerical hypostases, the most fundamental of which is the progression from the monad to the quaternary. In turn, the unfolding of the quaternary reveals the fullness of the decad, with the number ten adequately expressing the return of the monad to metaphysical zero. With the account of the Ark of Noah and, to a lesser extent, the Ark of the Covenant in the foreground, we survey the symbolic “progression” from zero to four. Thus the mythology of the Ark of Noah is considered as the movement from zero (the waters of the flood), through the principial monad (the Ark as “seed”), via the duad as both retraction (“two by two”) and emanation (the “twin peaked mountains”), to the ternary, both as a hierarchy of constituent elements (the “three decks” of the Ark) and as a creative “power” (the “three sons” of Noah), to the quaternary, which may be said to express Immanence in terms of cosmic stability (the Temple, the Ka‘bah). The Noah myth is an expedient point of departure for a consideration of the Ark as a universal symbol with two fundamental expressions: the Ark as the divine “vehicle” (boat, ship, chariot) and the Ark as the “house of God.” These, however, are only the most obvious expressions of the symbolism under investigation and allusion is made to a variety of other related symbolic motifs (cup, trumpet, conch, heart, amongst others). In the final analysis we are engaged in an inquiry into universal metaphysical and cosmological principles.
The Ark is the receptacle of Divine Immanence. However, such a statement is too simple or even too obvious to bring into focus the vast body of symbolisms and the complex hermeneutics that explicate it. My aim is two-fold: to present an examination of the metaphysics related to the symbolism of the Ark, and to alert the reader to the broad scope of this symbolism. It might help to clarify the nature of this enterprise by first saying what it is not. It is not a work of historical investigation, history of religion, history of ideas, nor speculative or systematic theology, in any limited sense of these words. Neither is this a work concerned with contemplative spirituality, although it is this rich tradition that yields some of the most valuable writings concerning the Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant: one thinks of Hugh of St. Victor’s De arca Noe morali et de arca Noe mystica and Richard of St. Victor’s Benjamin Major (The Mystical Ark), and the influence this last had on The Cloud of Unknowing.
This book might best be described as a work of comparative symbolic exegesis. I have attempted to present a study of the traditional symbolisms and metaphysics associated with the idea of the Ark envisaged as a universal principle. Admittedly this is not original in any modern sense of the word. It is not my intention to formulate some new idea, but simply to fathom the depths of the Ark symbol and its related symbolisms. Still, while this is not original it is nevertheless relatively unique among modern scholarly studies, which are more often than not concerned primarily with historical proofs of the Ark of Noah or the Ark of the Covenant.
This work is far from exhaustive; it seeks simply to suggest certain understandings and symbolic relationships that by their very nature are multivalent. When discussing principles I have tried to be direct and concise. Where I engage with examples, be they mythological, symbolical, or literary, I generally let the web of allusions, correspondences and analogies speak for itself. If we appear to wander from what might be thought of as Ark mythology, be this the Ark of the Flood or the Ark of the Covenant, this is due to my central premise: that the Ark symbolises the receptacle of Divine Immanence. Immanence includes every manifested and created thing from the Cosmos itself to the most insignificant speck of dust. God exists in all things and all things exist in God. Thus one might speak of any “thing” as the receptacle of Divine Immanence.
To fully understand the Ark as the receptacle of Immanence one must consider the relationship of Immanence and Transcendence. Thus one moves to a study of Reality in Its fullness, the content of which is infinite. The scope of such a study is limited only by one’s intellectual horizon. Yet one is obliged to find a starting place. The
notion of the symbolism of the Ark provides that starting place for this book. It is finally, as in fact all symbolism should be, a stepping-stone to an appreciation of the Divine.
Book Chapters by Timothy Scott
Crossing Religious Frontiers, 2011
Water & It Spiritual Significance, ed. E. Lloyd-Sidle & G. Henry, 2009
he Betrayal of Tradition: Essays on the Spiritual Crisis of Modernity, ed. Harry Oldmeadow, 2005
For the person of simple religious faith the sense of being irrational in the light of modern sci... more For the person of simple religious faith the sense of being irrational in the light of modern science can be a difficulty if not an embarrassment. Such people often find themselves believing in a science based on the seen and the knowable, yet having faith in the unseen and the unknowable. Inevitably they feel themselves caught in a contradiction. The scientism of the modern era claims a rational view of reality. Up against this rationality it places what it takes to be the often incongruous demands of religious faith. However, it is a gross error to suggest that rationality and faith-based perspectives are irreconcilable. Faith, fully understood, is conformity to Truth.
The Essential Sophia, 2006
Christ's kenosis in light of the Judaic doctrine of tsimtsum and the Islamic doctrine of fanā.
Esotericism and the Control of Knowledge, ed. Edward Crangle, 2004
Papers by Timothy Scott
This paper examines how the Eucharist both engages in the cosmogonic Act, in ill temper, and simu... more This paper examines how the Eucharist both engages in the cosmogonic Act, in ill temper, and simultaneously engenders the cosmoyltic "reunion" of Essence and Substance. It surveys the Passover (Pesach) in this context and examines the cosmological symbolisms of bread and wine.
In his book, Understanding Islam, Frithjof Schuon observes that the doctrine of Islam hangs on th... more In his book, Understanding Islam, Frithjof Schuon observes that the doctrine of Islam hangs on the two statements of the Shahādah, which he refers to as the "two certitudes". In this paper I examine how these two certitudes are also articulated in Judaism and Christianity.
Text only version without images to reduce file size.
Belief' (SW17), touches upon a key element of the critique of the modern dilemma, being the envir... more Belief' (SW17), touches upon a key element of the critique of the modern dilemma, being the environmental crisis and the question of sustainability. This article is a short reflection upon some important thoughts of the "Native American" peoples. However, its brevity means that it is open, to a degree, to certain oversimplifications, to which I would like to address the following remarks. These are intended as a recognition of the complexities of the issues in general, rather than a critique of this article as such, which serves its purpose precisely by instigating such ruminations. In summary: Mr Larking recognises the role of sacrifice as a means of repaying the debt we owe to "Mother Earth" for her nurturing us, and thus maintaining a balance, both spiritually and, as a consequence, ecologically.
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Books by Timothy Scott
The Ark is the receptacle of Divine Immanence. However, such a statement is too simple or even too obvious to bring into focus the vast body of symbolisms and the complex hermeneutics that explicate it. My aim is two-fold: to present an examination of the metaphysics related to the symbolism of the Ark, and to alert the reader to the broad scope of this symbolism. It might help to clarify the nature of this enterprise by first saying what it is not. It is not a work of historical investigation, history of religion, history of ideas, nor speculative or systematic theology, in any limited sense of these words. Neither is this a work concerned with contemplative spirituality, although it is this rich tradition that yields some of the most valuable writings concerning the Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant: one thinks of Hugh of St. Victor’s De arca Noe morali et de arca Noe mystica and Richard of St. Victor’s Benjamin Major (The Mystical Ark), and the influence this last had on The Cloud of Unknowing.
This book might best be described as a work of comparative symbolic exegesis. I have attempted to present a study of the traditional symbolisms and metaphysics associated with the idea of the Ark envisaged as a universal principle. Admittedly this is not original in any modern sense of the word. It is not my intention to formulate some new idea, but simply to fathom the depths of the Ark symbol and its related symbolisms. Still, while this is not original it is nevertheless relatively unique among modern scholarly studies, which are more often than not concerned primarily with historical proofs of the Ark of Noah or the Ark of the Covenant.
This work is far from exhaustive; it seeks simply to suggest certain understandings and symbolic relationships that by their very nature are multivalent. When discussing principles I have tried to be direct and concise. Where I engage with examples, be they mythological, symbolical, or literary, I generally let the web of allusions, correspondences and analogies speak for itself. If we appear to wander from what might be thought of as Ark mythology, be this the Ark of the Flood or the Ark of the Covenant, this is due to my central premise: that the Ark symbolises the receptacle of Divine Immanence. Immanence includes every manifested and created thing from the Cosmos itself to the most insignificant speck of dust. God exists in all things and all things exist in God. Thus one might speak of any “thing” as the receptacle of Divine Immanence.
To fully understand the Ark as the receptacle of Immanence one must consider the relationship of Immanence and Transcendence. Thus one moves to a study of Reality in Its fullness, the content of which is infinite. The scope of such a study is limited only by one’s intellectual horizon. Yet one is obliged to find a starting place. The
notion of the symbolism of the Ark provides that starting place for this book. It is finally, as in fact all symbolism should be, a stepping-stone to an appreciation of the Divine.
Book Chapters by Timothy Scott
Papers by Timothy Scott
The Ark is the receptacle of Divine Immanence. However, such a statement is too simple or even too obvious to bring into focus the vast body of symbolisms and the complex hermeneutics that explicate it. My aim is two-fold: to present an examination of the metaphysics related to the symbolism of the Ark, and to alert the reader to the broad scope of this symbolism. It might help to clarify the nature of this enterprise by first saying what it is not. It is not a work of historical investigation, history of religion, history of ideas, nor speculative or systematic theology, in any limited sense of these words. Neither is this a work concerned with contemplative spirituality, although it is this rich tradition that yields some of the most valuable writings concerning the Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant: one thinks of Hugh of St. Victor’s De arca Noe morali et de arca Noe mystica and Richard of St. Victor’s Benjamin Major (The Mystical Ark), and the influence this last had on The Cloud of Unknowing.
This book might best be described as a work of comparative symbolic exegesis. I have attempted to present a study of the traditional symbolisms and metaphysics associated with the idea of the Ark envisaged as a universal principle. Admittedly this is not original in any modern sense of the word. It is not my intention to formulate some new idea, but simply to fathom the depths of the Ark symbol and its related symbolisms. Still, while this is not original it is nevertheless relatively unique among modern scholarly studies, which are more often than not concerned primarily with historical proofs of the Ark of Noah or the Ark of the Covenant.
This work is far from exhaustive; it seeks simply to suggest certain understandings and symbolic relationships that by their very nature are multivalent. When discussing principles I have tried to be direct and concise. Where I engage with examples, be they mythological, symbolical, or literary, I generally let the web of allusions, correspondences and analogies speak for itself. If we appear to wander from what might be thought of as Ark mythology, be this the Ark of the Flood or the Ark of the Covenant, this is due to my central premise: that the Ark symbolises the receptacle of Divine Immanence. Immanence includes every manifested and created thing from the Cosmos itself to the most insignificant speck of dust. God exists in all things and all things exist in God. Thus one might speak of any “thing” as the receptacle of Divine Immanence.
To fully understand the Ark as the receptacle of Immanence one must consider the relationship of Immanence and Transcendence. Thus one moves to a study of Reality in Its fullness, the content of which is infinite. The scope of such a study is limited only by one’s intellectual horizon. Yet one is obliged to find a starting place. The
notion of the symbolism of the Ark provides that starting place for this book. It is finally, as in fact all symbolism should be, a stepping-stone to an appreciation of the Divine.
Eye of the Heart was published between 2007-2009
Eye of the Heart was published between 2007-2009
Eye of the Heart was published between 2007-2009
Eye of the Heart was published between 2007-2009
Note: emergency maintenance work had led to the indefinite closure of the cathedral building at this time. It remained closed for six years before the perseverance and faith of the congregation eventuated in its reopening in 2016
This paper was written some 10 years ago as a matter of personal interest. I have tidied it up to some extent, however, it still probably needs further development on the earrings and brooches. It is presented here for anyone who might be interested. I would be happy to receive any feedback.
The paper presents a survey of the development of the Hanged Man from Court de Géblin’s identification of this card with the Cardinal Virtue, Prudence, through some of the key esoteric currents associated with the Tarot. By way of a conclusion it reassess de Géblin’s vision of the Hanged Man.