Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches in the Western Tradition

Hermeticism, Astrology, Alchemy, and Magic (1x15)

Air date: Jan 01, 2002

A closer look at the different intellectual traditions competing for the mind of the West in the late 15th and 16th centuries. The lecture looks briefly at astrology, alchemy, and magic, then turns to hermeticism, explaining in detail what the hermetic tradition was and tracing its roots to second-century Gnosticism and astrological lore.