ALL RELIGIONS ARE ONE & THERE IS NO NATURAL RELIGION: Enriched edition. Visionary Aphorisms on Universal Faith, Mysticism, and the Unity of Belief

by William Blake

All Religions are One is the title of a series of philosophical aphorisms by William Blake, written in 1788. Following on from his initial experiments with relief etching in the non-textual The Approach of Doom (1787), All Religions are One and There is No Natural Religion represent Blake's first successful attempt to combine image and text via relief etching, and are thus the earliest of his illuminated manuscripts. As such, they serve as a significant milestone in Blake's career.
William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic, and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th-century. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Religion, Classics

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1788

About the author

William Blake (November 28, 1757 - August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.

Blake's prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the language". His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced." Although he only once travelled any further than a day's walk outside London over the course of his life, his creative vision engendered a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced 'imagination' as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".

Once considered mad for his idiosyncratic views, Blake is highly regarded today for his expressiveness and creativity, and the philosophical and mystical currents that underlie his work. His work has been characterized as part of the Romantic movement, or even "Pre-Romantic", for its largely having appeared in the 18th century. Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the established Church, Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions, as well as by such thinkers as Emanuel Swedenborg.

Despite these known influences, the originality and singularity of Blake's work make it difficult to classify. One 19th century scholar characterised Blake as a "glorious luminary", "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors."

Reviews

[Keira]

I really really enjoyed these pieces of work and found them high lit beneficial to furthering my understanding of Blake and his beliefs. Strongly recommend. It’s very short, only about five or six pages on my phone, so definitely worth a read.

[Oscar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Son unos grabados que hizo con frases cortas poéticas sobre temas filosóficos y teológicos. Me gusta porque los grabados son composiciones tipográficas (not really) de mucho antes del diseño gráfico, lo que hoy serían posters/flyers.

Interesante las posturas considerando la época y lugar, pero es suficientemente ambiguo como para no molestar. Meh.

[Sincerrai Gentry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophical and Terse

First time analysis the paintings were amazing. What drew me to the text was the paintings so it was nice to enjoy both

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't agree.

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically about nobody can want anything that they don’t already have. Plus the idea that all religions come from one source- in his ideology, poetry.