Magic in Western culture : from antiquity to the Enlightenment

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Bibliographic Information

Magic in Western culture : from antiquity to the Enlightenment

Brian P. Copenhaver

Cambridge University Press, 2018 c2015

  • : pbk

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Note

Originally published: 2015

Includes bibliographical references (p. 503-558) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The story of the beliefs and practices called 'magic' starts in ancient Iran, Greece, and Rome, before entering its crucial Christian phase in the Middle Ages. Centering on the Renaissance and Marsilio Ficino - whose work on magic was the most influential account written in premodern times - this groundbreaking book treats magic as a classical tradition with foundations that were distinctly philosophical. Besides Ficino, the premodern story of magic also features Plotinus, Iamblichus, Proclus, Aquinas, Agrippa, Pomponazzi, Porta, Bruno, Campanella, Descartes, Boyle, Leibniz, and Newton, to name only a few of the prominent thinkers discussed in this book. Because pictures play a key role in the story of magic, this book is richly illustrated.

Table of Contents

  • Part I. Introduction: 1. The scruples of J. G. Frazer
  • 2. Magic as a classical tradition and its philosophical foundations
  • Part II. Mageia: 3. Ancient philosophy in Ficino's magic I: Plotinus
  • 4. Ancient philosophy in Ficinio's magic II: Neoplatonism and the Chaldaean Oracles
  • 5. Ancient philosophy in Ficino's magic III: Hermes and Proclus
  • 6. Scholastic philosophy in Ficino's magic
  • 7. Data: a tale of two fish
  • Part III. Hermetica: 8. Hermes the theologian
  • 9. Hermes domesticated
  • 10. Hermes on parade
  • Part IV. Magic Revived and Rejected: 11. How to do magic, and why
  • 12. Nature, magic, and the art of picturing
  • 13. The power of magic and the poverty of erudition
  • 14. Disenchantment
  • Part V. Conclusion: 15. Who killed Dabholkar?

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