Magic in Western Culture From Antiquity to the Enlightenment [Paperback]

This richly illustrated and groundbreaking book treats magic as a classical tradition with foundations that were distinctly philosophical.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, this richly illustrated and groundbreaking book treats magic as a classical tradition with foundations that were distinctly philosophical.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, this richly illustrated and groundbreaking book treats magic as a classical tradition with foundations that were distinctly philosophical.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.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 fishlCÔ