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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Magic, alchemy & hermetic thought
Reuchlin’s keen interest in Jewish mysticism resulted in the
original publication of this work in 1517. The first part of this
dialogue reflects on messianism, the second part on the relation of
the Pythagorean system to the Kabbalah, and the third on the
"practical Kabbalah."Â The German humanist Johann Reuchlin
(1455-1522) defended the value of Jewish scholarship and literature
when it was unwise and unpopular to do so. As G. Lloyd Jones points
out, "A marked mistrust of the Jews had developed among Christian
scholars during the later Middle Ages. It was claimed that the
rabbis had purposely falsified the text of the Old Testament and
given erroneous explanations of passages which were capable of a
christological interpretation." Christian scholars most certainly
did not advocate learning the Hebrew language. Reuchlin was
exceptional in pursuing and promoting Hebrew studies, believing
that a working knowledge of that language was essential for a true
appreciation of the Bible and rabbinic literature. Refusing to join
Christian contemporaries who wished to destroy the Kabbalah and the
Talmud, he spoke out against ignorance. Christians could have a
useful dialogue with Jews if they gained a thorough knowledge of
the writings of Jewish exegetes and philosophers. Toward that end
he proposed university endowments that aroused the fury of
opponents and led to the famous "battle of the
books."Â Reuchlin's keen interest in Jewish mysticism resulted
in the publication of De arte cabalistica in 1517. The first part
of this dialogue reflects on messianism, the second part on the
relation of the Pythagorean system to the Kabbalah, and tdhe third
on the "practical Kabbalah." According to Jones, "Reuchlin
demonstrates how Christians can make profitable use of Jewish
mystical writings, and therefore shares with the reader his
understanding of the art of the Kabbalah." That art will reach more
readers in this modern English-language translation by Martin and
Sarah Goodman. It reinforces the historical importance of the man
who prevented the destruction of Jewish books and anticipated the
more liberal climate of the Reformation.
Parting company with the trend in recent scholarship to treat the
subject in abstract, highly theoretical terms, Magic in Ancient
Greece and Rome proposes that the magic-working of antiquity was in
reality a highly pragmatic business, with very clearly formulated
aims - often of an exceedingly malignant kind. In seven chapters,
each addressed to an important arm of Greco-Roman magic, the volume
discusses the history of the rediscovery and publication of the
so-called Greek Magical Papyri, a key source for our understanding
of ancient magic; the startling violence of ancient erotic spells
and the use of these by women as well as men; the alteration in the
landscape of defixio (curse tablet) studies by major new finds and
the confirmation these provide that the frequently lethal intent of
such tablets must not be downplayed; the use of herbs in magic,
considered from numerous perspectives but with an especial focus on
the bizarre-seeming rituals and protocols attendant upon their
collection; the employment of animals in magic, the factors
determining the choice of animal, the uses to which they were put,
and the procuring and storage of animal parts, conceivably in a
sorcerer's workshop; the witch as a literary construct, the clear
homologies between the magical procedures of fictional witches and
those documented for real spells, the gendering of the witch-figure
and the reductive presentation of sorceresses as old, risible and
ineffectual; the issue of whether ancient magicians practised human
sacrifice and the illuminating parallels between such accusations
and late 20th century accounts of child-murder in the context of
perverted Satanic rituals. By challenging a number of orthodoxies
and opening up some underexamined aspects of the subject, this
wide-ranging study stakes out important new territory in the field
of magical studies.
The essays in this book originally appeared as articles in the
Inner Light Journal, the house journal of Dion Fortune's Society of
the Inner Light, between 2002 and 2005 and include two lectures
originally given at the Temenos Academy. Full of wisdom and
insights gained through a lifetime's work in the Western Esoteric
Tradition, topics covered include the role of psychism within the
occult tradition, working with the Elemental Tides, the medieval
grail texts of Chretien de Troyes which predate Malory, pathworking
the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the magical symbolism of the rose.
Many of the articles have a common theme relating to the life and
work of Dion Fortune and her trailblazing esoteric path, the
results of which are still bearing fruit today.
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