ESOTERIC  , having an inner or See also:

• SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret meaning . This See also:

• TERM

term, and its correlative " exoteric," were first applied in the See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek mysteries to those who were initiated (kw, within) and to those who were not (Ew, outside), respectively . It was then transferred to a supposed distinction See also:

• DRAWN

drawn by certain philosophers between the teaching given to the whole circle of their pupils and that containing a higher and secret See also:

• PHILOSOPHY (Gr. gthos, fond of, and vo4 (a, wisdom)

philosophy which was reserved for a select number of specially advanced or privileged disciples . This distinction was ascribed by See also:

• LUCIAN (d. 312)
• LUCIAN [Aowaavos] (c. A.D. 120-180)

Lucian (Vit . Auct . 26) to See also:

• ARISTOTLE
• ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.)

Aristotle (q.v.), who, however, uses EEWTEpuKOi X6yyoe (Nic . See also:

• ETHICS
• ETHICS, SHAFTESBURY, HOBBES

Ethics) merely of " popular See also:

• TREATISES

treatises." It was probably adopted by the Pythagoreans and was also attributed to See also:

• PLATO

Plato . In the sense of mystic it is used of a secret See also:

• DOCTRINE

doctrine of See also:

• THEOSOPHY (from Gr. Oe6s, god, and vogbta, wisdom)

theosophy, supposed to have been traditional among certain disciples of See also:

• BUDDHISM

Buddhism .