Artistic inspiration

Under inspiration (from Latin: inspiratio " inspiration " Exhale of spirit " life, soul, spirit " ) is generally understood linguistically an inspiration about an unexpected incident or a starting point for artistic creativity. Conceptual history the idea that underlies the one hand, works by artists, on the other hand religious traditions promptings of the (not necessarily personnel understood) Divine are - a notion that is found both in Near Eastern religions as well as in pre-Socratic philosophers, and then develops a wide influence.

Conceptual history

Hesiod and Democritus have been understood as a recipient of divine inspirations. Democritus formulated as: "Whatever a poet with enthusiasm (literally Eingottung, indwelling of the divine ) and writes with divine breath or spirit (met ' enthousiasmou kai hierou pneumatos ), which is certainly nice. "

Cicero used the Latin expression in the poetic afflatus as in the religious sense of "inspiration" or " divine inspiration ".

Artistic inspiration

In poetry, the terms of inspiration or Afflatus symbolize the " Einwehen, Exhale of something " by a divine wind. Cicero often speaks of the idea as an unexpected touch (see Pneuma ) which overtakes the poet - a powerful force whose nature the poet was helpless and unconscious exposed.

In this literary form " Afflatus " is rarely used primarily in English, in German and other European languages ​​, as a synonym for "inspiration". In general, it refers not to an ordinary sudden, unexpected, original idea, but the subjugation of a new idea in a tottering moment - an idea whose origin to the recipient usually remains inexplicable.

Already in Plato where a critical reflection of the profession is incident on the input divine self-understanding of poets (in the Phaedrus ). Yet Marsilio Ficino and other Renaissance poet in their attempts, the idea of ​​the divinity of poetry to revive less to Plato's critique of poetic enthusiasm than on his enthusiastic description rely. In classical and genius period of the 18th century, the source of inspiration shifts: There are the poets of earlier times, of whose work is taken and is inspired ( as JJ Winckelmann ).

In the romantic literature of the Enlightenment and the use of Afflatusbegriffs was sporadically revived as a mystical form of poetic inspiration of the literary genius. Repeated use of the Aeolian harp as a symbol for the poet is an allusion to the awakened to new life using the Afflatus.

By Nietzsche took place in the late 19th century, a debunking of inspiration aesthetics: All great artists were great workers. But above all in France, the inspiration aesthetics was discarded: Baudelaire called Edgar Allan Poe's style as a knit logic of the law, Paul Valéry wrote about Degas, whose paintings are a series of arithmetic operations.

But the experience and the idea of inspiration even in the late 19th century Nietzsche himself found ( in Ecce Homo ), in the 20th century, among other things Rainer Maria Rilke, Stefan George, and in surrealism, as in André Breton and Max Ernst, who emphasizes that the artist is not a creator, but live as a pure "spectator " of the creation of his dream inspired by the work only.

Christian doctrine of inspiration

In the context of Christian theology is ( officially by all Christian churches ) taught that the Bible is entered in a special way by God's Spirit, was inspired (Latin divinitus inspirata, gr θεόπνευστος / theopneustos, literally God-breathed ). That's why the Bible is also called the Word of God.

This doctrine of inspiration is interpreted differently in detail:

• According to the assumption of a verbal inspiration of the text of the Bible itself is considered to be inspired by God. This contradiction of the Bible and inerrancy is assumed. During the Reformation theologians saw themselves forced the doctrine of inspiration to define, as in the dispute between Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church, the question of the source of the Protestant doctrine of justification had to be clarified. Luther no longer needed them, as he moved the word of Christ at the center. Calvin, however, kept far gehendend sticking to it and thus the postulate of the inerrancy of Scripture. The onset of post-Enlightenment scientific and critical research led to a further departure from the doctrine of verbal inspiration and to the conclusion that not all statements in the Bible have the same weight. Thus, only very rarely found in the Old Testament itself evidence that God had instructed the prophets to write his message. Also would be to clarify which text in the face of complicated authorship of most biblical books and their three different original languages ​​(Hebrew, Aramaic of Daniel, Greek ) really is the original inspired version.
• In the opinion of representatives of the verbal inspiration theory detaching adoption of a " real inspiration " were revealed in the Bible ( divine ) facts or events (eg, a prophecy or a God experience) taken in human words, without being dictated word for word.
• For the Protestant theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), the apostles were as original followers of Christ in a special way carrier of light emanating from his mind; insofar as they are inspired people, their thoughts generation was inspired by the Holy Spirit. This understanding can be described as " personal inspiration ".
• The Catholic theology represents even after the Second Vatican Council an inspiration doctrine that the authors of the biblical writings were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit and it followed the inerrancy of the Bible.
• A further understanding of inspiration summarizes disclosure is not in accordance with the notification of a direct speech or a state of affairs on, but rather in the sense of self-revelation of God. Accordingly, there is the inspiration of Scripture is that the reader ( or listener ) can make it through the experience that God speaks to him personally and awakens in him religious faith. This is also possible with other text; the special position of the Bible follows this view by the fact that they also constituted the original testimony of God's dealings with men (especially in the person of Jesus Christ ).

For today's so-called " Bible loyalty " that adhere to the Reformed confession of " verbal inspiration ", the Bible is the only perfect and reliable revelation of God. Other possible revelations as "speaking in tongues ", which is not considered by all " Bible Faithful " as a godly revelation, must be measured against the Bible and assessed. For those who believe in the " verbal inspiration ", the original manuscripts of the Bible are in each word as completely infallible word of God, which makes the Bible for them to the highest authority.

Others

• Inspiration is the title of an American feature film by George Foster Platt from 1915 with Audrey Munson in the lead role. He is considered the first American film containing nudity.
• Inspiration Software, Inc. is a U.S. company for e-learning software that makes 60 % of American school districts with their products.