White Magic, Black Magic in the European Renaissance: From Ficino, Pico, Della Porta to Trithemius, Agrippa, BrunoThis book explores philosophical theories which in the Renaissance provided an interpretation of nature, of its laws and exceptions and, lastly, of man’s capacity to dominate the cosmos by way of natural magic or by magical ceremonies. It does not concentrate on the Hermetic and Neoplatonic philosophers (Ficino, Pico, Della Porta), or on the relationship between magic and the scientific revolution, but rather upon the interference of the ideas and practices of learned magicians with popular rites and also with witchcraft, a most important question for social and religious history. New definitions of magic put forward by certain unorthodox and “wandering scholastics” (Trithemius, Agrippa, Paracelsus, Bruno) will interest readers of Renaissance and Reformation texts and history. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Àfteenth Agrippa Àgure Albertus Albertus Magnus ÀlosoÀa Ambrogio Ànd anima Antipalus Arnold Àrst Asclepius astrology atque autem Averroes Bacon Bovelles Butzbach ceremonial magic Chapter Ciliberto cited critical daemonibus daemonum deÀned deÀnition demons edition enim Epistolae Erasmus etiam Ficino Frances Yates Garin Giordano Bruno Gohory Hermes Hermetic Hermetica humanist Ibid ideas inÁuence incipit Johannes Trithemius Köpfel Lefèvre Leone letter Libanius Liber libri libro Lull magi magia naturali magicians Magus maleÀcarum manuscript multa natural magic Neoplatonic Nicholas of Cusa nihil occulta philosophia omnes omnia Opera cit Opere magiche Paracelsus Paris passage Pelagius Picatrix Pico Pico’s Plato Pomponazzi Porta printed psychopannychism published quae quam quod quoted Reformation Renaissance Reuchlin Rinascimento Roger Bacon scientia scientiÀc secret sic incipit sicut sive soul spiritus Steganographia studies sunt tamen theology Tocco tradition translation treatise vanitate vita Walker Warburg Warburg Institute witchcraft writings