Who was Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa?

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa was a Renaissance scholar, physician, and astrologer who popularized Hermetic and Cabalistic magic. As a student of Johannes Trithemius, his revolutionary ideas on occult philosophy explored both benevolent and malevolent magic while rejecting forbidden sorcery. He faced persecution for his critical stances against ruling authorities and the elite classes of his time.

What we know

• Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa was a scholar, physician, and astrologer who popularized the Hermetic and Cabalistic magic of Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. [3]
• Agrippa studied under the German Benedictine abbot and polymath Johannes Trithemius. [4]
• Agrippa faced persecution for his criticism of authorities and ruling classes. [3]
• In his work De occulta philosophia, Agrippa explored both benevolent and malevolent magic while rejecting forbidden forms of sorcery. [3]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Johannes Trithemius?
• the bigger pictureWhat was Renaissance magic?
• compared withHow did Paracelsus influence medicine and magic?
• what followedWhat arguments did Johann Weyer present against witch trials?
• whenHow did science separate from magic during the Renaissance?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a king from Judaea share a name with a Renaissance occultist?Both the ancient client king Agrippa I and the Renaissance polymath Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa share the famous historical cognomen Agrippa despite living in completely different eras and contexts.

Sources

• [1]Agrippa I (Wikidata Q298636) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Herod Agrippa · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Renaissance magic · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Johannes Trithemius · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]History of magic · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. Why is Moses the most mentioned person in the Quran?
2. /What links the philosophies of Wittgenstein and Heidegger?
3. /Who was Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa?