Magian soul:

Spengler’s reference to the creative entity of the Arabian civilization, active in the Spring/Summer stages.  The soul is the creative spirit, alive in the Spring & Summer, in decline Fall and dead in the winter; it is the primeval element of the Culture, from which the creative symbols emerge.

 

Pseudomorphisis:

see page 209 above

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macrocosm:

see Chapter III, pages 165, 172

 

physiognomic spirit:

see Chapter I page 49; chapter IV pages 118, 130, 145, 149, 156; chapter V, pages 100, 112, 113

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symbolic spirit:

see Chapter I, page 46, Chapter IV, page 142

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pure extension:

Spengler’s term for architecture (as opposed to painting or sculpture- ornamentation).  Spengler posits that all cultures initially express themselves through religious architecture.

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Battle of Issus mosaic (Naples): * see Endnote <A>

aka Alexander Mosaic, dating from 100 BC, Roman floor mosaic originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii; depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia and measures 2.72 x 5.13 metres.  The mosaic is believed to be a copy of an early 3rd-century BC Hellenistic painting.

 

Early-Arabian Mosaic picturing:

Chapter II page 71, Chapter III, page 110 and above page 183

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glass –picture of Gothic cathedrals:

Spengler’s term for stained glasses windows of the Faustian cathedrals.  Medieval stained glass, the coloured & painted glass of Europe from the 10th to 16th century; a major pictorial art form, particularly in northern France, Germany & England, where windows tended to be larger than in southern Europe (in Italy, for example, frescos were more common).  Their purpose was both to enhance the beauty of their setting & inform the viewer through narrative or symbolism. The subject matter was generally religious in churches, though "portraits" and heraldry are often included.

 

Plotinus:

see Chapter V, pages 96, 111

 

Origen:

aka Origen of Alexandria (184-253) an early Christian scholar, ascetic & theologian, born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria; a prolific writer (produced 2,000 treatises on textual criticism, biblical exegesis & hermeneutics, homiletics & spirituality); influential figure in early Christian theology, apologetics & asceticism.

 

Manicheans:

see page 183, 209 above

 

Gnostics:

see Chapter I pages 18, 20

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the Fathers:

The Apostolic Fathers were Christian theologians who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles, or to have been significantly influenced by them. Their writings, though popular in Early Christianity, were ultimately not included in the canon of the New Testament once it reached its final form.  Many of the writings derive from the same time period and geographical location as other works of early Christian literature that did come to be part of the New Testament, and some of the writings found among the Apostolic Fathers' seem to have been just as highly regarded as some of the writings that became the New Testament.

 

Apocalyptic poems:

aka Book of Revelation, book of the New Testament, occupied a central place in Christian eschatology; title derived from the first word of the text, written in Koine Greek: apokalypsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"  It is the only apocalyptic document in the New Testament canon.  The author is John; 2nd-century Christian writers such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, identify this writer as John the Apostle. The book spans 3 genres: epistolary,  apocalyptic & prophetic. It begins with John, on the island of Patmos addressing a letter to the "Seven Churches of Asia". He then describes a series of prophetic visions, including figures such as the Seven Headed Dragon, The Serpent and the Beast, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus.  The obscure and extravagant imagery has led to a wide variety of Christian interpretations.

 

union of round arch & column: * see Endnote <B>

illustration

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high Gothic century (3rd century):

Spengler is referring to a generic point in the life cycle of the Culture/Civilization, and not the Gothic period of Faustian Culture (1000-1500 AD).

 

Egyptian plant column: * see Endnote<>

Egyptian column’s took a variety of forms, common features include: stone shafts carved to resemble tree trunks or bundled reeds or plant stems, sometimes called papyrus columns;  lily, lotus, palm or papyrus plant motifs on the capitals or bud-shaped or campaniform (bell-shaped) capitals; and with brightly painted carved relief decorations.  During the period of the great pharoahs (3,050 to 900 B.C., at least 30 distinct column styles evolved.  The earliest builders carved columns from enormous blocks of limestone, sandstone & red granite; later, columns were constructed from stacks of stone disks.  Some had polygon-shaped shafts with as many as 16 sides while others were circular. The architect Imhotep (27th century B.C.) is credited with carving stone columns to resemble bundled reeds and other plant forms.

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Euclidean existence:

Spengler’s of ten uses this to describe the prime character of the Apollonian Culture, with its focus on body, unity, balance & strict proportions.