Theurgy
Ritual action that seeks union with the gods.
4 traditions8 curated texts
Iamblichus defended theurgy, literally "god-work", against Porphyry around 300 CE, arguing that ritual rather than contemplation alone raises the soul. The Chaldean Oracles were treated as its scripture. Renaissance writers such as Ficino and Agrippa revived the idea, and it shaped later ceremonial magic.
Following theurgy from late Neoplatonism through Renaissance occult philosophy shows a line of influence. It is not a single unbroken practice, and the labels below keep that distinction.
Key Texts (8)
Iamblichus on the Mysteries of the Egyptians Chaldeans and Assyrians
Iamblichus
Iamblichus on the Mysteries of the Egyptians Chaldeans and Assyrians
Iamblichus
English · Neoplatonism & Theurgy
Three books of occult philosophy or magic
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Traditions Connected
The same idea appears in each of these traditions. Open one to browse its full shelf.