Alchemy and Kabbalah by Scholem Gershom

Author:Scholem, Gershom [Scholem, Gershom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jewish Studies
Publisher: Spring Publications, Inc.
Published: 2013-03-05T11:00:00+00:00

Planet

Row Number of the

Magic Square

Metal

Sefirah

Sefirah of metals

in Vital

Saturn

3

lead

ḥokhma

Hod

Jupiter

4

tin

Binah & Netsaḥ

Netsaḥ

Mars

5

iron

Tif’eret

Malkhut

Sun

6

gold

Gevurah & Tif’eret

Gevurah

Venus

7

copper

Hod

Tif’eret

Mercury

8

quicksilver

Yesod

Yesod

Moon

9

silver

Ḥesed

Ḥesed

It becomes clear from this table that Knorr von Rosenroth’s symbolism did not originate in kabbalist circles, where the sequence of the sefirot would have undoubtedly determined the numerical order of the squares, but rather in astrological circles, where the order of the planets is determined by their reverse proximity to the earth, as it was understood at the time. Evidently this was done with conscious, systematical intent. Already the fact that Saturn is here related to Ḥokhma while the Tiqqunei ha-Zohar (around 1300), for instance, related it to the lowest sefirot Yesod or Malkhut attests to its incompatibility with the old sefirah symbolism of the Kabbalah. 135 I believe, however, that the origin of these planetary amulets can be determined with certainty. They only penetrated Jewish circles through the well-known book by Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim, De Occulta Philosophia, which was published in its entirety for the first time in Cologne in 1533, a date that accords with the assumed date of the Esh Meẓaref. The subsequent editions, published in Paris (1567) and Lyon (1600), found an especially large readership. Agrippa introduces this entire symbolism (with the exception of the sun), exactly as found in our text, for the first time into wide circles of the Occident, although it had been known since the 14th century. He dedicates an entire chapter (chapter 22 of book 2) to it. He quotes neither directly from the Arabs, from whom it likely derives, nor from the kabbalists, but simply from “magical books”, that is, from manuscripts related to the magical text Picatrix (Ghâyat al-Hakîm fi’l-sihr). 136 Had he used kabbalist sources, an author such as Agrippa, who was obsessed with the Kabbalah, would not have failed to allude to that fact. Agrippa’s planetary characteristics are completely unfamiliar to Jews and were likely invented by him. On the Jewish side, we have the Sicilian Rabbi Nissim Abulfarash, the father of Flavius Mithridates (Gugliem Raimundus Moncada), 137 the famous translator of kabbalist and Arabic texts, who attests to his having practiced magic. He also had a gold amulet of the sun made, depicting, on one side, the typical image of a lion, and on the other, a magic square that, according to Agrippa’s table and earlier Arabic sources, represented Saturn. The contradiction to the systemization of numerical squares according to the planetary order is evident here. This Sicilian rabbi, possibly of Egyptian or Syrian descent, did not yet know the later scheme. There is no evidence that the author of the Esh Meẓaref understood Arabic and drew directly on Arabic sources. That he understood Latin has already been demonstrated above. Had he been under the influence of a Latin source, it would have been that of Agrippa, if not a later one. Indeed our text seems to be the only book that assimilates Agrippa’s ideas. Since it had limited distribution and left no trace in the Jewish literature, it may be said that it was premature

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