Author: GAFFAREL, JACQUES:
Title: Curiositez inouyes, sur la sculpture talismanique des Persans. Horoscope des Patriarches, et lecture des estoilles. No place 1637.
Description: . Small 8vo. Pp. (xvi), 315. With two folding plates with Hebrew characters (the first plate with tears and the second with tears repaired at the back with some loss). Contemporary limp vellum, stained. Internally with some insignificant stain. A scholarly treatise on ancient talismanic magic and Jewish mysticism (Kabbala). Gaffarel (1601-1681), theolog, was the librarian to Cardinal Richelieu. Around 1623 Gaffarel travelled to Italy where he acquired a.o. the Kabbala manuscripts of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. This work comprises four parts; the first part defends "the Oriental men", part two treats the use of talismans or amulets in ancient times; the third part deals with the ancient Hebrew astrology and the last part is about reading messages in the stars. Gaffarel then describes the "celestial writing" or arrangement of stars into Hebrew characters. This is illustrated in the two plates. First published in 1629, reprinted many times and translated into English in 1650. This work was critized and condemned by the Theology Faculty in Paris but defended by Gassendi and studied by Descartes. Brunet ii, 1433. Caillet ii, 4293. Thorndike vii, pp. 304-306.

Keywords: Near East, jews, jewish, hebrew, talismanic, astrology, talisman, mysticism, magic, persia, persian, asia, asie, asien, asiatic, travel, exploration,


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