Henry Corbin und die orientalische Weisheit : Publication of the first German-language monograph by Mathias Bänziger

Henry Corbin und die orientalische Weisheit: Publication of the first German-language monograph by Mathias Bänziger

In May 2025, Mathias Bänziger published Henry Corbin und die orientalische Weisheit. Pionierwege des Denkens zwischen Philosophie und Spiritualität, an 852-page monograph that explores Henry Corbin’s role as philosopher, mystic, and mediator of Oriental traditions, making a significant contribution to comparative philosophy, religious studies, and the recovery of forms of knowledge marginalized by Western rationalism.

For Bänziger, Henry Corbin (1903–1978) stands out as an Islamicist, philosopher, and key figure of interreligious dialogue. He argues that Corbin should not be viewed merely as a learned Orientalist but as a philosopher engaged in a spiritual quest that emphasizes intuition, the imaginal (a central term in Corbin’s thought), and non-rational modes of knowledge.

The work is organized into an introduction and four major sections that trace Corbin’s intellectual itinerary, his philosophical, mystical, and spiritual influences, as well as his channels of transmission and his legacy. The introduction presents his life and works, the research framework, the guiding questions concerning his understanding of philosophy and spirituality, the paradigm of the “integral,” and the methodological approach adopted in the analysis.

The first section, “Auswege – aus Sackgassen durch hermeneutische Besinnung,” examines the dead ends of Western rationalism between the two World Wars. It includes chapters on French intellectual non-conformists, the theology of Karl Barth, Heidegger, as well as the genesis of philosophical and theological hermeneutics, arriving at the conclusion that the rational paradigm is insufficient to encompass the pathways of thought.

The second section, “Heimwege – im Zeichen des mystischen Orients,” focuses on Corbin’s return to the mystical Orient: his publication on Suhrawardī, his philosophical positioning in relation to Heidegger and Barth, and his first openings toward Iranian wisdom. It also represents a reappropriation of neglected dimensions of thought and a universal vision.

The third section, “Pionierwege – mit Brennpunkt Eranos,” studies Corbin’s role as a pioneer at the intersection of philosophy and spirituality, with particular attention to Eranos and its associated networks, explorations of Sufism, Ismaili traditions, Persian philosophers such as Avicenna, esoteric Islam, and the question of integral humanism.

The fourth section, “Mysterienwege – im Vermächtnis von Henry Corbin,” addresses Corbin’s mystical and imaginal legacy. The themes explored include Sophia, the symbolism of the temple, the mundus imaginalis as an integrative idea, the creative imaginaries of Ibn ʿArabī and Jacob Böhme, and the possibility of new perspectives—geographically or traditionally marginalized—that may contribute to an integral mode of thought.

Mathias Bänziger

Mathias Bänziger, born in 1979, studied religious studies and theology at the University of Zurich and received his doctorate in the philosophy of religion and hermeneutics.

At a summer camp in the Alps, he experienced a decisive awakening with the Sufi master Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (1917–2004), then head of the Inayatiyya Order. From that moment, he followed an interspiritual path, seeking to remain equally faithful to his love for the depth of the Christian message and to the universal breadth of the Sufism embodied by Pir Vilayat. This led him not only to the practice of Sufi retreats and to the Christian contemplative tradition, but also to an intellectual elaboration in the form of a doctoral dissertation on the work of the philosopher and Orientalist Henry Corbin (1903–1978), who himself was a border-crosser between Christian and Islamic mysticism.

Today, Mathias Bänziger serves as a leader—yet still more a student—within the Inayatiyya, as well as a Reformed pastor in the canton of Zurich, where he lives with his family. In his heart, he carries the vision of a Sophianic movement that seeks to unite Christian life-practice with universal breadth, contributing to the birth of a culture centered on earth and soul, now more necessary than ever.