Charles Augustus Tulk  and the role of Swedenborgianism in the reforming societies of 19th century Britain

For his PhD dissertation, Dell Rose is working on a project on Charles Augustus Tulk (1786-1849) and the role that Swedenborgianism played in the reforming societies of 19th century Britain. Though Tulk is often only known as the artistic patron of William Blake, he was also one of the earliest advocates of “public science.” He was elected in 1822 to the Royal Society for his own scientific work, and his quest to show the spiritual nature of the material world based on Swedenborg’s revelations would be widely acclaimed during the period.

The project is currently funded by the Swedenborg Society UK, and Dell is thrilled to be part of their scholarly legacy. In addition to his PhD work, Dell is currently researching the medical theory and physicalism of Franz von Baader (1765-1841). Baader was one of the most important thinkers of 19th century Germany and was instrumental in establishing academic interest in the theosophy of Jakob Böhme.

Dell has had a lifelong interest in Christian theosophy, and millenarianism and he currently has an article under review which deals with adaptation within the Southcottian movement. Dell is also interested in understanding the role that national mythologies have been influenced by Western esotericism, and he is conducting research on Willem Bilderdijk’s theological interpretation of the House of Orange, as well as esoteric currents in Germany during the Great War. Finally, Dell is interested in the inter-religious dialogue between Protestantism and Jewish sectarianism, most notably in Christian engagements with Sabbateanism as well as Karaism.