Esoteric Christian Tradition Esotericism refers to the doctrines
or practices of esoteric knowledge, or otherwise the quality or
state of being esoteric, or obscure. Esoteric knowledge is that
which is specialized or advanced in nature, available only to a
narrow circle of "enlightened", "initiated", or highly educated
people. Most late medieval esoteric speculation, for example in
alchemy, astrology and magic was constructed on Christian
foundations. Therefore, most late medieval western esotericism
can be considered as a kind of Esoteric Christianity in which
Christian Theology and doctrines are elaborated and combined
with esoteric concepts. In this sense, the original Rosicrucian
movement may likewise be considered a form of esoteric
Christianity. The emergence of Christianity in Alexandrian Egypt
posed a unique threat to the survival of the Royal Art of
alchemy. To protect the secrets of Hermetic alchemy from
destruction with the emergence of Christianity, many of its
practices were encoded in the rites