Johann Arndt in Quedlinburg (1590-1599): the mystical attainment

Recent data make it possible to reconstruct the Quedlinburg period (1590-1599) of the life and works of the famous German mystic, theologian, and philosopher Johann Arndt having greatly affected Russian spiritual culture, saints, poets, and thinkers. While studying the pivotal aspects of his activities in relevant texts, the author identifies the mystical roots of the philosopher’s views and publications proving his adherence to theosophy. Looking for the path to comprehensive knowledge in the above-mentioned period, Johann Arndt inspired by spiritualists, especially Valentin Weigel, got to know the doctrine of uniting with God by Johannes Tauler and realized this mystical unity as a practical method of attaining the philosopher’s stone - a universal sacred and profane wisdom. Apart from that, the theologian had remained committed to the teachings of Paracelsus and Hermes Trismegistus since his student years. He used the idea of the connection between the macrocosm and the microcosm, the concept of natural light, and the doctrine of the influence of the astral sky on the earth’s sphere in his sermons. The esoteric hermeneutics developed by J. Arndt in Quedlinburg allowed him to hide his theosophical moods behind his Lutheran statements throughout his life. The works of J. Arndt are an inexhaustible source of information for Russian philosophers.