Three Books of Occult Philosophy

De Occulta Philosophia, Libri tres

Man inscribed in a pentagram, from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. The signs on the perimeter represent the 5 visible planets in astrology.

Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia libri III) is Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's study of occult philosophy, acknowledged as a significant contribution to the Renaissance philosophical discussion concerning the powers of magic, and its relationship with religion. The first book was printed in 1531 in Paris, Cologne, and Antwerp, while the full three volumes first appeared in Cologne in 1533.

The three books deal with elemental, celestial and intellectual magic. The books outline the four elements, astrology, Kabbalah, numerology, angels, names of God, the virtues and relationships with each other as well as methods of utilizing these relationships and laws in medicine, scrying, alchemy, ceremonial magic, origins of what are from the Hebrew, Greek and Chaldean context.

These arguments were common amongst other hermetic philosophers at the time and before. In fact, Agrippa's interpretation of magic is similar to the authors Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola and Johann Reuchlin's synthesis of magic and religion, and emphasize an exploration of nature.

See also

• Classification of demons
• Grimoire
• Hermetic Qabalah
• The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer
• Vitruvian Man

Editions

• Three Books of Occult Philosophy, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa (Translated by James Freake). London: Printed by R.W. for Gregory Moule, 1651.
• Three Books of Occult Philosophy, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Book One – Natural Magic. Edited by Willis F. Whitehead. Chicago: Hahn & Whitehead, 1898.
• The Philosophy of Natural Magic, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Translated by James Freake, Edited by L. W. de Laurence (1913). (Only book one)
• The Philosophy of Natural Magic, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Translated by James Freake, Edited by Leslie Shepherd (1974). University Books. (ISBN 0-82160-218-7, Only book one; reprint of the Laurence edition)
• Three Books of Occult Philosophy, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa (Translated by J. F.). Hastings, England: Chthonios Books, 1986. Facsimile edition – First Thus.
• Three Books of Occult Philosophy, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Translated by James Freake, Annotated by Donald Tyson (2005). Llewelyn Worldwide. (ISBN 0-87542-832-0)
• De Occvlta Philosophia, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Translated by Paul Summers Young (2020). Black Letter Press.
• Three Books of Occult Philosophy, written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Translated by Eric Purdue (2021). Inner Traditions. (ISBN 9781644114162)

External links

• Short Biography of Agrippa
• Writings of Agrippa
• Three Books of Occult Philosophy (London, 1651) – From the Michigan State University digital collections. PDF.
• De occulta philosophia – From the Collections at the Library of Congress
• De occulta philosophia. Book 4 – From the Collections at the Library of Congress
• Book One - Natural Magic (Chicago: Hahn & Whitehead, 1898) - From the Cornell collection at the Internet Archive
• Selected images from De occulta philosophia From The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Digital Library
• The Philosophy of Natural Magic (Chicago: de Laurence, 1913) – From Internet Sacred Text Archive