Alphonse Louis Constant, pseud. Éliphas Lévi - The History of Magic - 1913

De sjældne første udgave hos Rider, London, 1913 - xxxvi, 536 s. - linnenbind 22 x 14,5 cm.
Senere, håndbindet ex-University Library med titulatur på ryggen.
Tilstand: God. mørkeblå binding let slidt, hængslerne prima.
Indeholderen videre god, alle plader til stede. Titelblad i typoskript.
Dette er den første engelsksprogede udgave, oversat af og med forord af Arthur Edward Waite.

Indhold:
preface to the English translation
v
introduction
false definition of magic—it is not to be defined at hazard—explanation of the blazing star—existence of the absolute—absolute nature of magical science—errors of dupuis—profanation of the science—prediction of count joseph de maistre—extent and import of the science—the divine justice—power of the adept—the devil and science—existence of demons—false idea of the devil—conception of the manicheans—crimes of sorcerers—the astral light—the so-called imagination of nature—of what is to be understood hereby—the effects hereof—definition of magnetism—agreement between reason and faith—jachin and boaz—principle of the hierarchy—religion of kabalists—images of god—theory of the light—mysteries of sexual love—antagonism of forces—the mythical pope joan—the kabalah as an explanation and reconciliation of all—why the church condemns magic—dogmatic magic an explanation of the philosophy of history—culpable curiosity regarding magic—plan of the present work—the author’s submission to the established order
1
book i
the derivations of magic
chapter i
fabulous sources
the book of enoch concerning the fall of the angels—meaning of the legend—the book of the penitence of adam—the personality of enoch—the apocalypse of st. methodius—children of seth and of cain—rationale of occultism—error of rousseau—traditions of jewry—the glory of christianity—the sepher yetzirah, zohar and apocalypse—opening of the zohar
39
chapter ii
magic of the magi
the true and false zoroaster—doctrines of the true zoroaster—transcendental fire-philosophy—electrical secrets of numa—a transcript from
[pg xxiv]
Zoroaster on demons and sacrifices—important revelations on magnetism—initiation in Assyria—wonders performed by the assyrians—du potet in accord with zoroaster—danger incurred by the unwary—power of man over animals—downfall of the priesthood in assyria—magical death of sardanapalus
53
chapter iii
magic in india
the indians as descendants of cain—india the mother of idolatry—doctrine of the gymnosophists—indian origin of gnosticism—some wise fables of india—black magic of the oupnek’hat—citation from j. m. ragon—indian grand secrets—the english and indian insurrections
64
chapter iv
hermetic magic
the emerald table—other writings of hermes—magical interpretation of the geography of ancient egypt—ministry of joseph—sacred alphabet—the isiac tablet of cardinal bembo—the tarot explained by the sepher yetzirah—the tarot of charles vii—magical science of moses
73
chapter v
magic in greece
fable of the golden fleece—medea and jason—the five magical epics—aeschylus a profaner of the mysteries—the orpheus of legend—orphic mysteries—göetia—the sorcerers of thessaly—medea and circe
82
chapter vi
mathematical magic of pythagoras
pythagoras an heir of the traditions of numa—identity of pythagoras—his doctrine concerning god—a fine utterance against anarchy—golden verses—symbols of pythagoras—his chastity—his divination—his explanation of miracles—secret of the interpretation of dreams—the belief of pythagoras
92
chapter vii
the holy kabalah
origin of the kabalah—the horror of idolatry in kabalism—kabalistic definition of god—principles of the kabalah—the divine names—four forms of tetragrammaton—the word which accomplishes all transmutations—the keys of solomon—the chain of spirits—whether human spirits return—the world of spirits according to the zohar—of spirits which manifest—fluidic larvæ—the great magical agent—obscure origin of larvæ
101
[pg xxv]
book ii
formation and development of dogmas
chapter i
primitive symbolism of history
allegory of the earthly paradise—the edenic pantacle—the cherub—folly of a great mind—mysteries of genesis—children of cain—magical secrets of the tower of babel—belphegor—the mediæval sabbath—decadence of the hierarchy—philosophy of chance—doctrine of plato—an oracle of apollo—rationalism of aristotle—the cubic stone—summary of neoplatonism
115
chapter ii
mysticism
inviolability of magical science—profane and mystic schools—the bacchantes—materialistic reformers and anarchic mystics—imbecile visionaries—their horror of sages—tolerance of the true church—false miracles—rites of black magic—barbarous words and unknown signs—cause of visions—a theory of hallucinations
125
chapter iii
initiations and ordeals
the great work—the four aspects of the sphinx and the shield of achilles—allegories of hercules and œdipus—the secret doctrine of plato—of plato as kabalist—difference between plato and st. john—platonic theosophy—fatal experiences—homœpathy practised by the greeks—the cavern of trophonius—science of egyptian priests—lactantius and the antipodes—the greek hell—ministry of suffering—the table of cebes and the poem of dante—doctrines of the phædron—the burial of the dead—necromancy
133
chapter iv
the magic of public worship
magnificence of the true cultus—orthodox traditions—dissent of the profane—their calumnies against initiates—an allegory concerning bacchus—tyresias and calchas—the priesthood according to homer—oracles of sibyls—origin of geomancy and cartomancy
145
[pg xxvi]
chapter v
mysteries of virginity
of hellenism at rome—institution of vestals—traditional virtue of virgin blood—symbolism of sacred fire—religious aspect of the history of lucretia—honour among roman women—mysteries of the bona dea—numa as a hierophant—ingenious notions of voltaire on divination—prophetic instinct of the masses—erroneous opinions of fontenelle and kircher on oracles—religious calendar of numa
152
chapter vi
superstitions
their origin and persistence—beautiful thought of the roman pontiff, st. gregory—observation of numbers and of days—abstinence of the magi—opinions of porphyry—greek and roman superstitions—mythological data on the secret properties of animals—a passage from euripides—reasons of pythagorean abstinence—singular excerpt from homer—presages, dreams, enchantments and fascinations—magical whirlpools—modern phenomena—olympius and plotinus
158
chapter vii
magical monuments
the seven wonders of the world and the seven magical planets—the pyramids—thebes and its seven gates—the pantacle of the sun—the pantacle of the moon—the pantacle of the conjugal venus—the pantacles of mercury, jupiter and mars—the temple of solomon—philosophical summary of ancient wisdom
166
book iii
divine synthesis and realisation of magia by the christian revelation
chapter i
christ accused of magic by the jews
the beginning of the gospel according to st. john and its profound meaning—ezekiel a kabalist—special character of christianity—accusations of the jews against the saviour—the sepher toldos jeshu—a beautiful legend from the apocryphal gospels—the johannites—burning of magical books at ephesus—cessation of oracles—the great pan is dead—transfiguration of natural prodigy into miracle and of divination into prophecy
171
[pg xxvii]
chapter ii
the witness of magic to christianity
absolute existence of religion—essential distinction between science and faith—puerile objections—christianity proved by charity—condemnation of magic by the christian priesthood—simon the magician—his history—his doctrine—his conference with ss. peter and paul—his downfall—his sect continued by menander
176
chapter iii
the devil
the question considered in the light of faith and science—satan and lucifer—wisdom of the church—the devil according to the initiates of occult science—of possessions in the gospel—opinions of torreblanca-astral perversities—the sabbatic goat—the false lucifer
187
chapter iv
the last pagans
the eternal miracle of god—civilising influence of christianity—apollonius of tyana—his allegorical legend—julian the apostate—his evocations—jamblichus and maximus of tyre—birth of secret societies for the forbidden practices of magic
193
chapter v
legends
the legend of st. cyprian and st. justin—magical prayer of st. cyprian—the golden legend—apuleius and the golden ass—the fable of psyche—curious subtlety of st. augustine—philosophy of the fathers of the church
200
chapter vi
some kabalistic paintings and sacred emblems
gnosticism and the primitive church—emblems of the catacombs—true and false gnostics—profanation of the gnosis—impure and sacrilegious rites—eucharistic sacrilege—the arch-heretic marcos—women and the priesthood—montanus and his female prophets—tertullian—the dualism of manes—danger of evocations—divagations of kabalism—loss of the kabalistic keys
208
[pg xxviii]
chapter vii
philosophers of the alexandrian school
ammonius saccas—plotinus—porphyry—hypatia—incautious admissions of synesius—writings of this initiate—more especially his tract on dreams—the commentary of jerome cardan thereon—attribution of the works of st dionysius to synesius—their orthodoxy and their value
215
book iv
magic and civilisation
chapter i
magic among barbarians
rome conquered by the cross—history of philinnium and machates—the bride of corinth—philosophical considerations thereon—germanic and druidic theology—college of the druids at autun—druidic transmigration of souls—some druidic practices
223
chapter ii
influence of women
female influence in early france—velleda slandered by chateaubriand—berthe au grand pied—the fairy melusine—saint clothilde—the sorceress fredegonde—the story of klodswinthe—fredegonde and clovis—further concerning her history
232
chapter iii
the salic laws against sorcerers
laws attributed to pharamond—explanation of a talmudic passage by rabbi jechiel—belief in the immortality of the soul among the jews—an ecclesiastical council on sorcery—the rise of mohammed—the religious history of charles martel—the reign of pepin the short—the kabalist zedekias—his fables concerning elementary spirits—an epidemic of visions
238
chapter iv
legends of the reign of charlemagne
charlemagne a prince of faerie—charlemagne and roland—the enchanted sword and magic horn—the enchiridion of leo iii—the tradition therein—the pantacles—the sabbath—the free judges—their
[pg xxix]
foundation and purpose—power of this tribunal—the fate of frederick of brunswick—code of the free judges—laws of charlemagne—knight errantry—the cultus of the blessed virgin
246
chapter v
magicians
the pope and empire—the penalty of excommunication—further concerning rabbi jechiel—the automaton of albertus magnus—albertus and st. thomas aquinas—the legend of the automaton interpreted—scholasticism and aristotelian philosophy—the philosophical stone and the quintessence
256
chapter vi
some famous prosecutions
the great religious orders and their power—the knights templar—their origin—their secret design—the christian sect of johannites—their profanation of the history of christ—pontiffs of the johannite sect—the johannites and the templars—further concerning templar secret doctrine—development of the chivalry—their projects discovered—their suppression—the case of joan of arc—the history of gilles de laval
264
chapter vii
superstitions relating to the devil
apparitions of satan—possessions—a philosophy of superstitions—the crime of black magic—pathological states—the soul of the world—modern phenomena—fourier and m. de mirville—baron de guldenstubbé
281
book v
the adepts and the priesthood
chapter i
priests and popes accused of magic
inviolable sanctity of the priesthood—accusations of false adepts—groundless charges against pope sylvester ii—scandalous story of polonus reproduced by platina—the legend of pope joan—its derivation from ancient tarot cards representing isis crowned with a tiara—further concerning sylvester ii—opinion of gabriel naudé—the grimoire attributed to pope honorius iii—the anti-pope honorius ii as its possible author—an excursus on the content and character of the work
291
[pg xxx]
chapter ii
appearance of the bohemian nomads
their entrance into europe early in the fifteenth century—their name of bohemians or egyptians—an account of their encampment near paris, drawn from an ancient chronicle—a citation from george borrow—researches of m. vaillant—the gipsies and the tarot—a conclusion on this subject—communistic experiment in 1840
306
chapter iii
legend and history of raymund lully
story of the doctor illuminatus on its mythical side—raymond lully and the lady ambrosia—his immortality and liberation therefrom—the historical personage—lully as an alchemist—the rose nobles—his philosophical testament—colleges for the study of languages founded by his efforts—the great art—he appears at the council of vienna—lully a disciple of the kabalists—but the tradition in his hands had become christian
319
chapter iv
on certain alchemists
nicholas flamel and the book of abraham the jew—mysterious figures of the work—a tradition concerning flamel—bernard trevisan—basil valentine—john trithemius—cornelius agrippa—the pantacle of trithemius—william postel—illustrations of his teaching—the story of mother jeanne—the renewal of postel—an opinion of father desbillons—paracelsus—his doctrines of occult medicine—mysteries of blood—narrative of tavernier—the philosophia sagax of paracelsus
331
chapter v
some famous sorcerers and magicians
the divine comedy of dante and its kabalistic analysis—the romance of the rose—luther and anarchical theology—his disputes with the devil—his sacrilegious marriage—sorcerers during the reign of henry iii—-visions of jacques clément—mystic symbolism of the rose—union of the rose and the cross—the rosicrucians—henry khunrath—his amphitheatrum sapientiæ æternæ—it’s pantacles—oswaldus crollius—alchemists of the early seventeenth century—a rosicrucian manifesto
345
chapter vi
some magical prosecutions
introductory remarks—real crime of sorcerers—some deplorable condemnations—the case of louis gaufridi—the case of urbain grandier—the nuns of louviers and some other processes—interpretation of certain phenomena—story of an apparition
360
chapter vii
the magical origin of freemasonry
its appearance in europe—its allegorical and real end—the legend of hiram—its meaning—mission of the rites of masonry—its profanations
382
book vi
magic and the revolution
chapter i
remarkable authors of the eighteenth century
important discoveries in china—the y-kim of fo-hi—legend of its origin—connection with the zohar—an example of absolute philosophy—opinion of leibnitz—emmanuel swedenborg—his system and its kabalistic derivation—the discovery of mesmer—its theory and its great importance—a comparison between voltaire and mesmer
391
chapter ii
thaumaturgic personalities of the eighteenth century
the comte de saint-germain—unpublished particulars of his life—the report of madame de genlis—the order of saint jakin—a pretended initiation—further concerning the rosicrucians—an appreciation of saint-germain—his alleged identity with the mysterious althotas—the alchemist lascaris—count cagliostro—an agent of the templars—a successor of mesmer—explanation of his seal and kabalistic name—his secret of physical regeneration—his trial by the inquisition—he is said to be still alive
400
chapter iii
prophecies of cazotte
the school of martinists—the supper of cazotte—the romance of le diable amoureux—its interpretation according to the kabalah—lilith and nehamah—initiation of cazotte—the mystic mountain—cazotte and the revolutionary tribunal
416
xxxii
chapter iv
the french revolution
the reveries of rousseau and their fatal consequences—the tomb of jacques de molay—the lodge in rue platrière—the doom of louis xvi—a genius of massacre—mademoiselle de sombreuil—madame elizabeth—the church of the jacobins—vengeance of the templars—further concerning the apocalypse of st. methodius—the prophecies of abbé joachim
422
chapter v
phenomena of mediomania
an obscure sect of johannite mystics—visions of loiseaut—dom gerle and catherine théot—a visit from robespierre—the prophecy of catherine—her fate and that of dom gerle—the saviours of louis xvii—martin de gallardon—eugène vintras—naündorff
427
chapter vi
the german illuminati
the adept steinert—an account of eckartshausen—schroepfer and lavater—the spirit gablidone—his prophecies—stabs and napoleon—carl sand and kotzebue—the mopses and their mysteries—the magical drama of faust
435
chapter vii
empire and restoration
predictions relative to napoleon—mademoiselle lenormand—etteilla and cartomancy—madame bouche and the czar alexander—madame de krudener—further concerning the saviours of louis xvii—visions of martin de gallardon
443
book vii
magic in the nineteenth century
chapter i
magnetic mystics and materialists
infectious follies of fourier—the dogma of hell—an evocation in the church of notre dame—lesser prophets and divinities—ganneau, auguste comte and wronski—sale of the absolute
453
[pg xxxiii]
chapter ii
hallucinations
yet again concerning the saviours of louis xvii—singular hallucination of eugène vintras—his prophecies and pretended miracles—the sect of vintras—its condemnation by gregory xvi—pontificate of vintras—his dreams and visions
461
chapter iii
mesmerists and somnambulists
the church and the abuse of somnambulism—baron du potet—his secret work on magic—table-turning—a table burnt for heresy—experiences of victor hennequin—a magical melodrama
471
chapter iv
the fantastic side of magical literature
alphonse esquiros invents a romanesque magic—henri delaage continues the work—his gifts of enchantment—his orthodoxy—le comte d’ourches—baron de guldenstubbé—his miraculous writings—their explanation—exhumation of a fakir—history of a vampire—the cartomancist edmond
477
chapter v
some private recollections of the writer
the author is presented by the magician alphonse esquiros to the divinity ganneau—eccentric doctrines of the mapah—another louis xvii—a fatal result of this visit—secret cause of the revolution of 1848—the wife of ganneau
495
chapter vi
the occult sciences
a synthesis in summary—recapitulation of principles—the search after the absolute
500
chapter vii
summary and conclusion
the enigma of the sphinx and its solution—paradoxical questions and their answers—knowledge and faith—the communion of faith—the
[pg xxxiv]
temporal power of the pope—the science of moral equilibrium—consequences of its recognition—a citation from the blessed vincent de lerins—another from comte joseph de maistre—an axiom of st. thomas aquinas—the liberation of magic—purpose of this work
503
appendix
526
index
529

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