Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was an Italian Renaissance nobleman and philosopher born 24 February 1463. In 1486, at 23, he offered to defend 900 theses on religion, philosophy, natural philosophy, and magic against all challengers, writing for the occasion the Oration on the Dignity of Man — later called a key text of Renaissance humanism and the "Hermetic Reformation". The 900 Theses became the first printed book universally banned by the Church. He founded the tradition of Christian Kabbalah, a cornerstone of early modern Western esotericism, and his theses anticipated views that would surf…