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The Divine Self #1
Shaman and Sage (The Divine Self, vol. 1): The Roots of “Spiritual but Not Religious” in Antiquity
The first volume of Michael Horton’s magisterial intellectual history of “spiritual but not religious” as a phenomenon in Western culture
Conversations around secularization and the rapid rise in “nones” identifying as “spiritual but not religious” tend to focus on the past century. But this phenomenon and the values that underlie it may be older than Christianity itself.
Michael Horton reveals that the hallmarks of modern spirituality—autonomy, individualism, utopianism, and more—have their foundations in Greek philosophical religion. Horton makes the case that the development of the shaman figure in the Axial Age—particularly its iteration among Orphists—represented a “divine self.” One must realize the divinity within the self to break free from physicality and become one with a panentheistic unity. Time and time again, this tradition of divinity hiding in nature has arisen as an alternative to monotheistic submission to a god who intervenes in creation.
This first volume explores the roots of the divine self in antiquity, while volumes two and three chart the concept through the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment. The Divine Self will be the authoritative work students and scholars consult to understand the “spiritual but not religious” tendency as a recurring theme in Western culture from antiquity to the present.
Conversations around secularization and the rapid rise in “nones” identifying as “spiritual but not religious” tend to focus on the past century. But this phenomenon and the values that underlie it may be older than Christianity itself.
Michael Horton reveals that the hallmarks of modern spirituality—autonomy, individualism, utopianism, and more—have their foundations in Greek philosophical religion. Horton makes the case that the development of the shaman figure in the Axial Age—particularly its iteration among Orphists—represented a “divine self.” One must realize the divinity within the self to break free from physicality and become one with a panentheistic unity. Time and time again, this tradition of divinity hiding in nature has arisen as an alternative to monotheistic submission to a god who intervenes in creation.
This first volume explores the roots of the divine self in antiquity, while volumes two and three chart the concept through the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment. The Divine Self will be the authoritative work students and scholars consult to understand the “spiritual but not religious” tendency as a recurring theme in Western culture from antiquity to the present.
528 pages, Hardcover
Published May 28, 2024
22 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Michael Scott Horton
86 books335 followersDr. Horton has taught apologetics and theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1998. In addition to his work at the Seminary, he is the president of White Horse Inn, for which he co-hosts the White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. He is also the editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine. Before coming to WSC, Dr. Horton completed a research fellowship at Yale University Divinity School. Dr. Horton is the author/editor of more than twenty books, including a series of studies in Reformed dogmatics published by Westminster John Knox.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 2, 2025
This was an eye-opening read. It took me a few months, and it's only the first volume of three, so writing a review is challenging.
I was broadly aware of some of the historical insights, but Horton ties together epochs of history with a convincing and clear (although fairly academic) argument. What we think of as rational modernity is more closely related to Orphic mysticism than objective reason or science. Even our assumption that the great Greek philosophers were anything other than pantheistic mystics is flatly wrong. When individuals and Western civilization at large turns away from Christianity, it turns not to something new, but to something foundational to Western civilization itself, which predates Christianity. The immortality (and therefore divinity) of the soul, the transmigration of the soul (reincarnation), and the eternal emanation of the many from the one and back (natural supernaturalism AKA pan(en)theism), may all be more associated in our minds with Eastern religions like Hinduism, but they are just as much the core tenets of Western philosophy (the "perennial tradition"), "Christian" mysticism, and, as Horton begins to argue here, modernity itself. And they are just as contrary to the Christian faith as they were when the early church fathers refuted them and medieval councils condemned them. I think this should lead us to question the obsession that some Christians have with saving Western civilization. Don't get me wrong, I like the West, and our art, history, and many of our values like democracy. But even democracy was initially developed in response to Orphic ideas of pantheism (if everyone is an immortal soul and therefore divine, then everyone should have a say). We should be able to appreciate Western civilization while criticizing it, and refusing to cling to it as if the future of humanity rests on the shoulders of the West.
What strikes me as I continue to meditate on this book is that Horton doesn't just draw similarities between the thought of modernity and that of the perennial philosophy. That's what these books usually do, just draw analogies between something past and something present. And at first, the striking part of the book was learning that Greek philosophy and Christian mysticism are more like Hinduism than Christianity. But Horton goes further than just saying "this is like that," he makes a thorough historical argument that "this came from that." I.e., modern thought came from the perennial philosophy. He shows that some of the most influential thinkers to modernity, like Engels and Hegel, were explicitly indebted to those in the perennial tradition, like Joachim of Fiori. He shows how Orphic pantheism ended up knocking on the door of modernity in the Italian Rennaissance. This is why Horton's work is so valuable. Anyone can draw similarities, and many have drawn historical connections, but Horton's work is unique for drawing connections not just between a few historical figures, but between dozens of philosophies and religions across 2,500 years.
I hope that once the entire trilogy is published, they consider publishing a condensed and popular level edition--something like they did with Carl Truman's Rise and Triumph. I also hope that the publisher will consider revising at least the first volume for a second edition, since there were several errors or repetitions, especially in the footnotes (eg, a few times an entire footnote is copied identically or nearly identically from one page to the next).
Overall this is a highly recommended and necessary read, for anyone curious and ready for a challenge. Definitely worth the money!
I was broadly aware of some of the historical insights, but Horton ties together epochs of history with a convincing and clear (although fairly academic) argument. What we think of as rational modernity is more closely related to Orphic mysticism than objective reason or science. Even our assumption that the great Greek philosophers were anything other than pantheistic mystics is flatly wrong. When individuals and Western civilization at large turns away from Christianity, it turns not to something new, but to something foundational to Western civilization itself, which predates Christianity. The immortality (and therefore divinity) of the soul, the transmigration of the soul (reincarnation), and the eternal emanation of the many from the one and back (natural supernaturalism AKA pan(en)theism), may all be more associated in our minds with Eastern religions like Hinduism, but they are just as much the core tenets of Western philosophy (the "perennial tradition"), "Christian" mysticism, and, as Horton begins to argue here, modernity itself. And they are just as contrary to the Christian faith as they were when the early church fathers refuted them and medieval councils condemned them. I think this should lead us to question the obsession that some Christians have with saving Western civilization. Don't get me wrong, I like the West, and our art, history, and many of our values like democracy. But even democracy was initially developed in response to Orphic ideas of pantheism (if everyone is an immortal soul and therefore divine, then everyone should have a say). We should be able to appreciate Western civilization while criticizing it, and refusing to cling to it as if the future of humanity rests on the shoulders of the West.
What strikes me as I continue to meditate on this book is that Horton doesn't just draw similarities between the thought of modernity and that of the perennial philosophy. That's what these books usually do, just draw analogies between something past and something present. And at first, the striking part of the book was learning that Greek philosophy and Christian mysticism are more like Hinduism than Christianity. But Horton goes further than just saying "this is like that," he makes a thorough historical argument that "this came from that." I.e., modern thought came from the perennial philosophy. He shows that some of the most influential thinkers to modernity, like Engels and Hegel, were explicitly indebted to those in the perennial tradition, like Joachim of Fiori. He shows how Orphic pantheism ended up knocking on the door of modernity in the Italian Rennaissance. This is why Horton's work is so valuable. Anyone can draw similarities, and many have drawn historical connections, but Horton's work is unique for drawing connections not just between a few historical figures, but between dozens of philosophies and religions across 2,500 years.
I hope that once the entire trilogy is published, they consider publishing a condensed and popular level edition--something like they did with Carl Truman's Rise and Triumph. I also hope that the publisher will consider revising at least the first volume for a second edition, since there were several errors or repetitions, especially in the footnotes (eg, a few times an entire footnote is copied identically or nearly identically from one page to the next).
Overall this is a highly recommended and necessary read, for anyone curious and ready for a challenge. Definitely worth the money!
November 13, 2024
In the HSC, my art project highlighted my journey from angst and confusion to peace and surety. The former Jesse tried to find fulfilment within, seeking the sacred in the cultivation of a unique subjective life. Private folksy ballads, mountain visitations, and inner searches - there was an intensity of seeking that tried to conjure the truth from within outside of an established community. You could describe my pre-Christian experience as “spiritual but not religious.”
Intrigued by this phenomenon, Michael Horton, in his book Shaman and Sage, traces its development through history, noting the advent of utopian experience in the sixth century, stemming from the Siberian shamans. Horton writes that the Axial Period “gave birth to universal religions that were more philosophical and oriented toward individual spirituality, transcendence, and the unity with the divine All” (p. 10).
On the edges of society, in the mountains, caves, and meadows, new cults emerged outside socially acceptable, locative religions. Breaking free of long-established traditions, these cults broke into a new locus of meaning - the self (p. 15). Richard Kroner describes this well: “Man discovered that he was in the centre of the world and had to seek truth and guidance from within himself.”
If you are curious about the origins of “spiritual but not religious”, I recommend this detailed yet intriguing work. Horton shows how a fringe tradition grew in strength, became a mainstream philosophical ideology, and continues to shape modern thought. Ultimately, Horton shows it is an alternative to Christian orthodoxy, which holds that true spirituality is rooted in external, scriptural truths rather than subjective, inner realisations.
It’s a fascinating read.
Intrigued by this phenomenon, Michael Horton, in his book Shaman and Sage, traces its development through history, noting the advent of utopian experience in the sixth century, stemming from the Siberian shamans. Horton writes that the Axial Period “gave birth to universal religions that were more philosophical and oriented toward individual spirituality, transcendence, and the unity with the divine All” (p. 10).
On the edges of society, in the mountains, caves, and meadows, new cults emerged outside socially acceptable, locative religions. Breaking free of long-established traditions, these cults broke into a new locus of meaning - the self (p. 15). Richard Kroner describes this well: “Man discovered that he was in the centre of the world and had to seek truth and guidance from within himself.”
If you are curious about the origins of “spiritual but not religious”, I recommend this detailed yet intriguing work. Horton shows how a fringe tradition grew in strength, became a mainstream philosophical ideology, and continues to shape modern thought. Ultimately, Horton shows it is an alternative to Christian orthodoxy, which holds that true spirituality is rooted in external, scriptural truths rather than subjective, inner realisations.
It’s a fascinating read.
December 20, 2025
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company sent me a copy of "Shaman and Sage: The Roots of 'Spiritual but Not Religious' in Antiquity" by Michael S. Horton in exchange for an honest review.
Western civilization is in a really strange religious position. Christianity is generally on the decline, but the decline in religious affiliation comes with the rise of vague spirituality. Contrary to what our modern bias may tell us, this idea of being "spiritual but not religious" is hardly a new phenomenon. This book, the first of three volumes tracing the history of "the divine self,"
Each chapter tackles a different figure or idea, but all unpack Horton's main thesis. The basic idea is this: "The history of Western civilization cannot be reduced to Orphic philosophy and Hermetic magic. Yet it cannot be understood without it. The so-called Axial revolution was not something that happened once upon a time in the sixth century BCE. Rather, it has always been the native religion of Western culture. Challenges to the public religion of Athens and of Christendom have always asserted the 'Religion of the One'—the perennial tradition of the One as everything and everything as the One" (31). As you may suspect, this is a very dense read. Nevertheless, it is extremely profitable. Even if you don't understand all of its contents or have to slow down and reread portions, you will learn something. Furthermore, Horton is a more than capable guide. I encourage all of you to take up this book and sit under his teaching as we look to the past to understand the present.
Western civilization is in a really strange religious position. Christianity is generally on the decline, but the decline in religious affiliation comes with the rise of vague spirituality. Contrary to what our modern bias may tell us, this idea of being "spiritual but not religious" is hardly a new phenomenon. This book, the first of three volumes tracing the history of "the divine self,"
Each chapter tackles a different figure or idea, but all unpack Horton's main thesis. The basic idea is this: "The history of Western civilization cannot be reduced to Orphic philosophy and Hermetic magic. Yet it cannot be understood without it. The so-called Axial revolution was not something that happened once upon a time in the sixth century BCE. Rather, it has always been the native religion of Western culture. Challenges to the public religion of Athens and of Christendom have always asserted the 'Religion of the One'—the perennial tradition of the One as everything and everything as the One" (31). As you may suspect, this is a very dense read. Nevertheless, it is extremely profitable. Even if you don't understand all of its contents or have to slow down and reread portions, you will learn something. Furthermore, Horton is a more than capable guide. I encourage all of you to take up this book and sit under his teaching as we look to the past to understand the present.
October 23, 2024
With this first volume of a projected three-volume history of the concept of "spiritual but not religious," Horton, adding to such literature as Carl Trueman's Rise and Triumph and Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, provides an intellectual-historical account reaching back to ancient (pre-Socratic) Greek philosophy and its connection to the late medieval period. Here, his argument is that monism or the conflation of the divine with creation is what ties together the various philosophical trends of this first volume. There is so much ground covered in this volume and Horton's sophisticated analysis of the thinkers in view as well as engagement with secondary sources promises for this three-volume history to be a magisterial accomplishment. Although I cannot offer a summary of the details of this volume here (see Calvin Theological Journal for a fuller review), suffice it to say this will stand next to and in many ways complement and fill in the gaps left by other works in the same vein. Very highly recommended.
July 20, 2025
Excellent analysis of various spiritual practices across time, and very informative. Gets a bit dry as you read it, and I think he jumps between different spiritual practices across the globe a bit too much making it a little difficult to follow. But overall, this is a great resource and highlights how the “spiritual but not religious” trend is nothing new in humanity, nor culturally specific.
May 17, 2024
What they heck is Eerdman's thinking? A $65 hardcover??
No. Absolutely not.
No. Absolutely not.
September 4, 2025
Really interesting. Really good. Really technical.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews