"Nothing is concealed from the wise and sensible, while the unbelieving and unworthy cannot learn the secrets." — Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Lived: 1486–1535
German polymath—occult philosopher, physician, soldier, theologian, and legal scholar.
A Renaissance magus, deeply learned yet rebellious. He moved between courts, universities, and secret orders, often at odds with church authorities.
He was both a mystic and a rationalist, embodying the archetype of the Hermetic philosopher: part scholar, part seer, part subversive.
16th century, agrippa - height of medieval occultism
ironic that it was called “enlightenment” - when it was actually a darkening and falling into materialism
The Three Books of Occult Philosophy
Agrippa sought to synthesize all the esoteric knowledge of his time into a grand system that would:
• Unite magic, religion, and science
• Recover the lost prisca theologia (ancient divine wisdom)
• Defend the dignity and truth of magia naturalis—a sacred, lawful, and divine magic
He wanted to prove that true magic is the highest science, rooted in divine order and the harmonious structure of the cosmos—not superstition or heresy.
Agrippa stood at the crossroads of Hermetic revival, Renaissance humanism, and Neoplatonic mysticism. Key sources:
• Hermetic texts: Especially the Corpus Hermeticum, promoting a divine cosmos animated by mind and spirit.
• Neoplatonism: From Plotinus, Proclus, and Marsilio Ficino—focused on the chain of being, emanation, and the ascent of the soul.
• Kabbalah: Via Christian Kabbalists like Pico della Mirandola—symbolic interpretation, sacred letters, names of God.
• Scholasticism and Natural Philosophy: Medieval thinkers like Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas, merged with Aristotelian science.
• Astrology, alchemy, and Pythagorean numerology
• Grimoire tradition: Though more philosophical than practical, Agrippa absorbed threads from grimoires, talismanic magic, angelology, and Solomonic lore.
He was part of the magical intelligentsia of Europe, and his work reflects an encyclopedic ambition: to unite the mystical, the scientific, and the theological.
The Cultural Environment: Europe c. 1500–1530
• Renaissance Humanism: Rediscovery of classical texts, a rebirth of art, philosophy, and literature.
• Hermetic Revival: After Ficino’s 1460 translation of the Corpus Hermeticum, Hermetic magic and Platonic theology surged.
• Church Power vs. Occult Inquiry: Tension between ecclesiastical orthodoxy and underground esotericism.
• Alchemy and Astrology respected: Not fringe yet—many elite scholars studied these disciplines seriously.
• Printing Press era: New texts and ideas circulated widely, fostering intellectual rebellion.
Agrippa lived in this liminal threshold between medieval religiosity and early modern curiosity.
Structure of the Three Books
1. Book I – Natural Magic
• Philosophy of the four elements, humors, and natural virtues.
• The correspondences between nature and spirit.
• The occult virtues of stones, herbs, animals.
2. Book II – Celestial Magic
• Astrology, planets, fixed stars, and celestial influences.
• Magic of timing, talismans, planetary spirits.
3. Book III – Divine or Ceremonial Magic
• Angelic hierarchies, names of God, Kabbalah.
• Invocation, consecration, theurgy, spiritual ascent.
De Incertitudine et Vanitate Scientiarum: On the Uncertainty and Vanity of the Sciences
In De Incertitudine et Vanitate Scientiarum (“On the Uncertainty and Vanity of the Sciences”), Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa delivers a fierce and often satirical critique of the dominant knowledge systems of his time.
Agrippa’s central thesis is that most of the sciences and arts—philosophy, astrology, alchemy, medicine, rhetoric, law, even theology—are ultimately vain, uncertain, and often deceptive. He exposes how these disciplines are built on shaky foundations, riddled with contradictions, and often serve human pride, ambition, and illusion more than truth or virtue.
Yet paradoxically, Agrippa himself was deeply learned in these very arts.
This text is not just cynical skepticism, but a moral and spiritual critique—meant to lead the reader away from arrogant dependence on human knowledge, and toward divine wisdom, humility, and true faith. It is a kind of spiritual purgation, stripping the reader of illusions.
He writes almost like a Christian Diogenes or a Hermetic satirist, pulling down every pillar of worldly knowledge to make way for the light of God.
Key Themes:
• All human sciences are flawed and uncertain—they cannot provide ultimate truth or salvation.
• True wisdom is not found in books or syllogisms, but in divine revelation and inner illumination.
• Even the most revered authorities are shown to err—Socrates, Aristotle, Galen, etc.
• He often uses irony, exaggeration, and classical references to mock the pomp and pride of scholars and intellectuals.