Planetary and Angel Magic in the Renaissance
Oxford University Press eBooks October 14, 2008 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320992.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Agrippa and Dee exemplify the syncretic blending of Renaissance esoteric traditions—Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Neopythagoreanism, magic, astrology, alchemy, and Cabala—which was influential in the history of Western esotericism. |
Abstract
This chapter examines the influence of Renaissance period planetary and angel magic on the history of Western esotericism. It evaluates the works of German magician and occultist Henry Cornelius Agrippa in the Holy Roman Empire and English occultist John Dee in Elizabethan England as representative figures of the more elaborate esoteric systems which employed more syncretic forms of Hermeticism. It discusses the blending of Renaissance esoteric traditions with Neoplatonism, Neopythagoreanism, magic, astrology, alchemy, and Cabala.