Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
1486 – 1535 German occult philosopher, physician, soldier
Author of the great Renaissance summary of magic, the Three Books of Occult Philosophy.
- Religion
- Christian occult philosophy, systematizing natural, celestial, and ceremonial magic within a Neoplatonic and Kabbalistic frame.
- Affiliations
- Studied under Trithemius. No lasting society; his book Three Books of Occult Philosophy became a standard reference.
Cornelius Agrippa wrote De Occulta Philosophia, which organized natural, celestial, and ritual magic into a single system drawing on Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, and Kabbalah. It became the most influential magical textbook of the Renaissance and remained a core reference for occultists into the modern era. He led a restless life as a physician, soldier, and legal scholar, often in trouble with authorities.
Connections
- influenced Johann Reuchlin — Agrippa drew on Reuchlin's Kabbalistic scholarship.
- mentor of Johannes Trithemius — Taught Agrippa and encouraged his occult studies.
- student of Johannes Trithemius — Studied under Trithemius, who encouraged his work.
- influenced John Dee — Dee owned and drew heavily on Agrippa's Occult Philosophy.
In the timeline
- 1533 Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy mentioned
- 1533 Agrippa publishes the pentagram as a magical seal mentioned