H. Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim on the Gods of the Pagans, the Souls of Celestial Bodies, Intellects, and Daemons

De occulta philosophia, 3.14–16

Abstract

This contribution presents an excerpt from Book III of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim’s De occulta philosophia (On the Occult Philosophy), whose ultimate aim is the ascension of the human soul to God—a form of “practical mysticism”. Agrippa conceived the work not only as a handbook of Renaissance magic but also as an attempt to restore the presumed ancient meaning of the terms magus and magia, understood as denoting a sage deeply versed in the secrets of nature and his science, free of negative connotations. Although the treatise incorporates a wide range of ancient, medieval, and contemporary literary and philosophical sources, it advances a distinctive epistemological position: the highest knowledge is attainable only by those purified in soul, and all learning is subordinated to the path of ascent. The chapters presented here discuss the ancient gods, the souls of celestial bodies, the intellects, and the daemons from the perspective of the Renaissance magus.