De Mysteriis (On the Mysteries of the Egyptians)

Iamblichus (tr. Thomas Taylor) · ~300 CE / 1821 ed. · English (from Greek)
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Contents — 123 chapters

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About this book

De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum by the Neoplatonist Iamblichus (c. 245-325 CE) is the foundational theurgic treatise - the doctrine of the divine names, the invocation of the planetary archangels, the rites of ascent through the seven spheres, and the theological defence of ritual as the soul’s return to the One. Thomas Taylor’s complete 1821 English translation is hosted here.

Relevance to this project

The late-antique source of the "the divine names have operative power" theology that underlies the whole letter-tradition: the names are not labels but theurgic instruments - the philosophical frame behind Sefer Yetzirah, Raziel and the letter-magic lineage (mages: Iamblichus).

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