Athanasius Kircher’s Cabala Saracenica: European Reception of the Islamic Science of Letters and Divine Names
This article introduces a significant case regarding the European reception of ʿilm al-ḥurūf wa-l-asmāʾ (the science of letters and divine names) in the Oedipus Aegyptiacus by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Classis V in Tomus II.1, Caps. I-X, and Classis VII, Cap. VI in Tomus II...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Arabica
Year: 2024, Volume: 71, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 381-429 |
| Further subjects: | B
manuscript transmission
B universal language B Magic B Science des lettres B Athanasius Kircher B langage universel B Kabbalah B hermetic philosophy B réception de la magie islamique en Europe B Cabale B science of letters B Islamic occult sciences B transmission des manuscrits B philosophie hermétique B reception of Islamic magic in Europe B sciences occultes islamiques |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article introduces a significant case regarding the European reception of ʿilm al-ḥurūf wa-l-asmāʾ (the science of letters and divine names) in the Oedipus Aegyptiacus by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Classis V in Tomus II.1, Caps. I-X, and Classis VII, Cap. VI in Tomus II.2 contain Kircher’s most comprehensive engagement with the science of letters, referred to as the Cabala Saracenica in juxtaposition with the Cabala Hebraica. In addition to identifying crucial sources that influenced Kircher’s understanding of the science of letters, this article demonstrates how “Cabala” serves as a comparative tool in Kircher’s construction of a universal language for the Church. It encapsulates his approach to sacred oriental philology, revealing the Hermetic and Kabbalistic erudition absorbed by their native users. This exposure aims to demonstrate that wisdom ultimately reveals the truth of Christian doctrine. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Arabica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700585-20246911 |
