Pantheism, the personal feeling that everything is or contains God, and God is everything or all. The concept that God is immanent in all things is one of the oldest intuitions found in humankind. However, pantheism never developed into a formal doctrine.
The earliest evidence of pantheism is found on Brahmanism, the oldest existing religion, in the Vedas, dating back to 1000 BC. It is associated with the Egyptian religion when Ra, Isis and Osiris were identified with all existence.
Many philosophical scholars think the great Greek philosopher Parmanides was a pantheist as well as Plotinus, Erigen, and Spinoza.
The sentiment or belief in pantheism have predominantly influenced the thoughts and works of many poets, philosophers, mystics, and extremely spiritual people. Notably among pantheistic poets are Goethe, Coleridge, Wordsworth and Emerson. Many modern poets consider pantheism existing in their world-view. A.G.H.