Germany
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
said
Cornelius Agrippa to the reader
— Three books of Occult Philosophy or Magic (1531 - 1533)
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
German polymath, physician, legal scholar and soldier (1486–1535)
- Fame55.5
- Momentum0.0
- Lawyers rank#240
Summary
Updated 2026-06-09
A Renaissance lawyer who moonlit as one of Europe's most influential occultists, writing the era's definitive grimoire on magic while somehow also practicing medicine, soldiering, and dodging inquisitors.
Biography
About
Born in 1486, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim moved through Renaissance Germany as physician, legal scholar, soldier, knight, and theologian—a polymath's résumé that somehow left room for his real passion. In 1533 he published Three Books of Occult Philosophy, a sprawling synthesis of Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism that became the foundational text for early modern esoteric thought. The inquisitor of Cologne condemned it as heretical. Esotericists across Europe devoured it anyway. He died in 1535, leaving behind a grimoire that outlived the controversy.
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In their own words
Sourced, dated quotes from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
said
The supercilious censors will object against the Sybils, holy Magicians and the Gospel itself sooner than receive the name of Magic into favor.
— Three books of Occult Philosophy or Magic (1531 - 1533)
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
said
I confess that Magic teacheth many superfluous things, and curious prodigies for ostentation; leave them as empty things, yet be not ignorant of their causes.
— Three books of Occult Philosophy or Magic (1531 - 1533)
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
said
Moreover, I thought it no crime if I should not suffer the testimony of my youth to perish!
— Three books of Occult Philosophy or Magic (1531 - 1533)
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
said
John Trithmius...to Henry Cornelius Agrippa... Your work, most renowned Agrippa, entitled Of Occult Philosophy, which you have sent by this bearer to me, has been examined.
— Three books of Occult Philosophy or Magic (1531 - 1533)
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Fame
Stable55.5
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Historical24.3
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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- WikipediaHigh confidencewikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- WikidataHigh confidencewikidata · wikidata.org
- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
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