Andrzej Towiański
1799–1878 · Polish-Lithuanian philosopher and messianic religious leader
Andrzej Towiański (1799-1878) was a Polish-Lithuanian philosopher and messianic religious leader, a singular figure of Polish Romanticism. Born in a village near Vilnius, in a region that after the partitions of Poland belonged to the Russian Empire, he moved between religious thought and the political turmoil of the Polish emigration.
In 1839 he described a vision in which the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary urged him to act as a messenger of the Apocalypse. According to his teaching, Poles, the French (with Napoleon as a prominent figure) and Jews would play leading roles in the events to come. He founded the movement known as the Circle of God's Cause, which attracted many followers.
His influence was strong among the Polish Romantic poets Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki and Seweryn Goszczyński. Mickiewicz, a central figure in the Polish exile community, was especially drawn to his ideas, which divided the emigrants; some of them went so far as to accuse Towiański of being a Russian agent. He died in Zurich in 1878.
Key ideas
- Prophetic mission: Towiański presented himself as a messenger sent to announce a spiritual renewal of humanity.
- Role of peoples: he held that Poles, French and Jews were to play decisive parts in the course of history.
- Communal spiritual life: he offered his followers a moral and religious discipline built on fulfilling the divine will in everyday life.
Curiosities
The 1839 vision
He described a vision in which the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary charged him with being a messenger of the Apocalypse.
Espionage accusations
Some Polish emigrés accused him of being a Russian agent, even though he was born in territory belonging to the Russian Empire.
Teachers and influences
Influenced
- Adam Mickiewicz 1798–1855
- Juliusz Słowacki 1809–1849
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.