De occulta philosophia libri tres

Record summary

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s De occulta philosophia is a major Renaissance synthesis of natural magic, astral influence, numerology, Kabbalah, angelology, and ritual theory. First circulated in manuscript and appeared in expanded print in 1533. It matters for comparison because it shows how learned magic drew together classical, Christian, Jewish, and Hermetic materials rather than forming a single uniform tradition. Researchers should distinguish Agrippa’s literary system from claims that he personally practiced every operation described, and should examine editions, censorship, and later reception.