Anacalypsis

Anacalypsis (full title: Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis or an Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions) is a lengthy two-volume treatise written by religious historian Godfrey Higgins, and published after his death in 1836. The book was published in two quarto volumes numbering 1,436 pages, and contains meticulous references to hundreds of references. Initially printed as a limited edition of 200 copies, it was partially reprinted in 1878, and completely reprinted in a limited edition of 350 copies in 1927. In 1965, University Books, Inc. published 500 sets for the United States and 500 sets for the British Commonwealth with Publisher's Note and a Postface.

A problem that the reader may find in the work of Higgins is that there is not an explanation of the meaning of the word that gives the title to his work, at least in the original edition.

In the original edition of 1836 from London (in the picture in this article), the word Anacalypsis only appears, in addition to the title, once. The word appears on page 447, in the Recapitulation (Summary) section, where Higgins reviews and sorts the ideas covered thus far in his work. There, in a footnote, readers finds an irrelevant information to understand the meaning of the word; there, Higgins expresses his plan to write in the near future a new work called Commentaries on the Anacalypsis and on Ancient History.

The original term anacalypsis comes from the Greek ανακάλυψης, which can be translated as "discovery" or "find". The word "anacalypsis" is the antonym of "apocalypse". In the work, the meaning of the word is twofold: on the one hand, the idea of anacalypsis is seen as something that is evident, transparent and clear, while the apocalyptic is mysterious, dark, and enigmatic; on the other hand, the term "apocalypse", from the Greek ἀποκάλυψις, means Revelation, and refers to the last canonical book of the New Testament, Revelation, where a teleological (Christian) principle states that the world is heading for an imminent and tragic end; whereas the "anacalypsis" does not refer to a teleological principle, but a regression towards the beginning that allows us to see through light how myths were created, precisely like the apocalypse in many religions. In fact, the title of the book speaks precisely about this unveiling from the Egyptian goddess Isis. The idea of "anacalypsis" as "unveiling", was discussed in depth by the Russian-born writer and theosophist Helena Blavatsky, in her book Isis Unveiled.

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