The secret nostalgia of Mircea Eliade for paradise: Observations on the method of the ‘history of religions’

Abstract

Mircea Eliade uses in his analyses of the history of religions a complex methodology called by him ‘creative hermeneutics’. This methodology has benefited from the suggestions of numerous modern authors (including R. Otto, C. J. Jung, S. Dasgupta) and from theoretical elements in various disciplines. The fundamental principle of interpretation behind Eliade's science of religion methodology has hitherto remained hidden. The following article is able to show that his methodology is linked with a special theological interpretation of the Byzantine theory of icons.