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Key of Solomon
The Key of Solomon (Latin: Clavicula Salomonis; Hebrew: מַפְתֵּחַ-שְׁלֹמֹה, romanized: Map̄teḥa Šəlomo), also known as the Greater Key of Solomon, is a pseudepigraphical grimoire attributed to King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance. It presents a typical example of Renaissance magic.[citation needed]
It is possible that the Key of Solomon inspired later works, particularly the 17th-century grimoire known as The Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton, although there are many differences between the books.[citation needed]
Many such grimoires attributed to King Solomon were written during the Renaissance, ultimately being influenced by earlier works of Jewish theosophical kabbala and Muslim magicians. These, in turn, incorporated aspects of the Greco-Roman magic of late antiquity.
Several versions of the Key of Solomon exist, in various translations, with minor to significant differences. The original type of text was probably a Latin or Italian text dating to the 14th or 15th century. Most surviving manuscripts date from the late 16th, 17th or 18th century. There is also an early Greek manuscript dating to the 15th century (British Library, Harley MS 5596) that is closely associated with the text.[citation needed] The Greek manuscript is referred to as The Magical Treatise of Solomon, and was published by Armand Delatte in Anecdota Atheniensia (Liège, 1927, pp. 397–445.) Its contents are very similar to the Clavicula.
An important Italian manuscript is (Bodleian Library, Michael MS 276) an early Latin text that survived in printed form, dated to ca. 1600 (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Memorial Library, Special Collections). There are a number of later (17th century) Latin manuscripts. One of the oldest existing manuscripts (besides Harley MS 5596) is a text in English translation, entitled The Clavicle of Solomon, revealed by Ptolomy the Grecian and dated to 1572 (British Library, Sloane MS 3847). There are a number of French manuscripts, all dated to the 18th century, with the exception of one dated to 1641 (P1641, ed. Dumas, 1980).
A Hebrew text survives in two versions, one kept at the British Library, on a parchment manuscript, separated in BL Oriental MSS 6360 and 14759. The BL manuscript was dated to the 16th century by its first editor Greenup (1912), but is now thought to be somewhat younger, dating to the 17th or 18th century. The discovery of a second Hebrew text in the library of Samuel H. Gollancz was published by his son Hermann Gollancz in 1903, who also published a facsimile edition in 1914. Gollancz's manuscript had been copied in Amsterdam, in the Sephardic cursive Solitreo script, and is less legible than the BL text. The Hebrew text is not considered the original. It is rather a late Jewish adaptation of a Latin or Italian Clavicula text. The BL manuscript is probably the archetype of the Hebrew translation, and Gollancz's manuscript a copy of the BL one.
Abramo Colorni translated the Hebrew Sefer Mafteah Shelomoh into Italian and Latin around 1580 at the request of the Duke of Mantua. According to Jütte, this could possibly be an original work synthesized by Colorni and not a translation at all, with the Hebrew version being in fact a translation from Colorni's Latin or Italian versions. However, he believes it is not possible to conclusively determine the philological origin and nature of the work, since there are differences in the 17th and 18th French century manuscripts which claim to be based on Colorni. Robert Mathiesen believed the Greek version to be the original.
A French edition titled La véritable Magie Noire ou Le secret des secrets (The True Black Magic or The secret of secrets) is kept at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. It is a translation from Hebrew by Iroé-Grego, dated 1750.
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Key of Solomon AI simulator
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Key of Solomon
The Key of Solomon (Latin: Clavicula Salomonis; Hebrew: מַפְתֵּחַ-שְׁלֹמֹה, romanized: Map̄teḥa Šəlomo), also known as the Greater Key of Solomon, is a pseudepigraphical grimoire attributed to King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance. It presents a typical example of Renaissance magic.[citation needed]
It is possible that the Key of Solomon inspired later works, particularly the 17th-century grimoire known as The Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton, although there are many differences between the books.[citation needed]
Many such grimoires attributed to King Solomon were written during the Renaissance, ultimately being influenced by earlier works of Jewish theosophical kabbala and Muslim magicians. These, in turn, incorporated aspects of the Greco-Roman magic of late antiquity.
Several versions of the Key of Solomon exist, in various translations, with minor to significant differences. The original type of text was probably a Latin or Italian text dating to the 14th or 15th century. Most surviving manuscripts date from the late 16th, 17th or 18th century. There is also an early Greek manuscript dating to the 15th century (British Library, Harley MS 5596) that is closely associated with the text.[citation needed] The Greek manuscript is referred to as The Magical Treatise of Solomon, and was published by Armand Delatte in Anecdota Atheniensia (Liège, 1927, pp. 397–445.) Its contents are very similar to the Clavicula.
An important Italian manuscript is (Bodleian Library, Michael MS 276) an early Latin text that survived in printed form, dated to ca. 1600 (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Memorial Library, Special Collections). There are a number of later (17th century) Latin manuscripts. One of the oldest existing manuscripts (besides Harley MS 5596) is a text in English translation, entitled The Clavicle of Solomon, revealed by Ptolomy the Grecian and dated to 1572 (British Library, Sloane MS 3847). There are a number of French manuscripts, all dated to the 18th century, with the exception of one dated to 1641 (P1641, ed. Dumas, 1980).
A Hebrew text survives in two versions, one kept at the British Library, on a parchment manuscript, separated in BL Oriental MSS 6360 and 14759. The BL manuscript was dated to the 16th century by its first editor Greenup (1912), but is now thought to be somewhat younger, dating to the 17th or 18th century. The discovery of a second Hebrew text in the library of Samuel H. Gollancz was published by his son Hermann Gollancz in 1903, who also published a facsimile edition in 1914. Gollancz's manuscript had been copied in Amsterdam, in the Sephardic cursive Solitreo script, and is less legible than the BL text. The Hebrew text is not considered the original. It is rather a late Jewish adaptation of a Latin or Italian Clavicula text. The BL manuscript is probably the archetype of the Hebrew translation, and Gollancz's manuscript a copy of the BL one.
Abramo Colorni translated the Hebrew Sefer Mafteah Shelomoh into Italian and Latin around 1580 at the request of the Duke of Mantua. According to Jütte, this could possibly be an original work synthesized by Colorni and not a translation at all, with the Hebrew version being in fact a translation from Colorni's Latin or Italian versions. However, he believes it is not possible to conclusively determine the philological origin and nature of the work, since there are differences in the 17th and 18th French century manuscripts which claim to be based on Colorni. Robert Mathiesen believed the Greek version to be the original.
A French edition titled La véritable Magie Noire ou Le secret des secrets (The True Black Magic or The secret of secrets) is kept at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. It is a translation from Hebrew by Iroé-Grego, dated 1750.