Libri tres de occulta philosophia

(Redirected from Three Books of Occult Philosophy)

Pentagram image from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Libri tres de occulta philosophia illustrating the golden symmetry of the human body. The signs on the perimeter are astrological.

Libri tres de occulta philosophia (Latin: Three Books about Occult Philosophy) is Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's penetrating study of 'Occult Philosophy', widely acknowledged as a significant contribution to the Renaissance philosophical discussion concerning the powers of ritual magic and its relationship with religion.

In a discriminating revival Agrippa pursued the 'natural' magic of Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, while relating it to Johann Reuchlin's synthesis of magic and religion. Agrippa broadens the ideas he found in his sources to forge a much more comprehensive conception of the occult. The critical edition of De occulta philosophia clarifies a number of controversies about the interpretation of this magical work. More generally, this Renaissance magus proves to be driven by a deep scholarly curiosity, which seeks to come to grips with the intellectual and religious problems of his time.

See also

• Occultism
• Agrippa's Angelic Alphabet

References

• Wikipedia (2005). Libri tres de occulta philosophia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libri_tres_de_occulta_philosophia). Retrieved Nov 21, 2005