Lullism

Lullism or llullism (Catalan: Llullisme) is an esoteric philosophy originally developed by Ramon Llull (1232-1316). Based on a search for truth in all areas of knowledge, Lullism stems from the belief that both mundane secrets and celestial levels of existence can be deciphered by manipulating the letters of the alphabet. In addition to his philosophies of mysticism, manuscripts show that Llull anticipated prominent work on elections theory several centuries ahead of his time. Further, he is considered a pioneer of the computational theory due to his influence on Gottfried Leibniz.

Due to his mystical and theoretical work, Llull's overall reception in the 14th century was diverse but limited. Llull's transformation into a mystic figure began in 16th century Europe and became even more prominent three hundred years after his death. At the time, Europeans valued his works as a method for integrating many different types of knowledge, including the works of Peter Ramus and Guillaume Budé.

In 1263, Llull experienced a religious epiphany that manifested itself through a series of visions. He narrated the event in his autobiography, Vita coaetanea ("Daily Life"):

Ramon, while still a young man and Seneschal to the King of Majorca, was very focused on composing worthless songs and poems, as well as doing other licentious things. One night he was sitting beside his bed about to compose and write in his vulgar tongue a song to a lady whom he loved with a foolish love; and, as he began to write this song, he looked to his right and saw our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross as if suspended in midair.

At the age of 82, Llull visited North Africa, possibly on a missionary quest. While there, he engaged in high-profile public preaching in the main square of the city of Bougie, in present-day Béjaïa in northern Algeria. This caused an adverse reaction that led to his arrest and beating. Llull was likely to have been executed, but Genoese and Catalan merchants intervened on his behalf, and instead of being executed, he served six months in jail. After his release, Llull was stoned by an angry crowd in the city of Bougie. Genoese merchants took him back to Mallorca where he died at his home in Palma the next year. According to a different account, Llull journeyed to Tunis, not Bougie, because he was erroneously informed that its ruler was interested in Christianity, and "the legend of Llull having been martyred in Bougie" only spread in the mid-15th century.

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