Astronomical Tables, page 97, the Book of the Olympics, the year 1283. The group describes King Alfonso of Castile (on top) as one of the Seven Planetary Spirits . The members were at the edges of a heptagon focused by the clockwise swastika, as the game unfolded with solemnity and reserve.
ΩΩΩ
Magica est scientia subtilis et spiritualis formata in celis et in homine. Et descendit cotidie sua potestas desuper et ymaginatur diversas figuras deorsum in isto mundo, et primus finis eius est sursum in celis et in stellis, et secundus finis est in homine quod sit aptus ad operandum. Et finis omnium est opus cum probatione et hoc cum intellectu et noticia rerum inferiorum, et propter hoc precipit tibi facere ymaginem pro omnibus rebus quas facere volueris.
Alfonso X, De diffinitione magice secundum Salomonem,
Liber Razielis, VII. Roma, Biblioteca Vaticana.
En 1517 el célebre humanista Johann Reuchlin German , known even then for giving the press the first Hebrew grammar due to a Christian, published his De arte cabbalistica an investigation where, among several presentations on the subject, trying to establish a list of the main works of the Hebrew Cabala. After commenting on some of the most conspicuous of the occult science of the Jews, declared Reuchlin:
I do not want to talk about the book attributed to Solomon named Raziel, because it is a magical fiction. ;
the words of one scholar today the cast of Reuchlin was first and foremost "an invitation to research in an era in which the whole of this literature was still in manuscript." Indeed, with regard to the 'magic fiction' of (the Archangel) Raziel had to wait almost two centuries until 1701, for publication in Amsterdam a collection of Hebrew texts from diverse backgrounds together under the common dedication to this name. But before the appearance of the Sefer Razï'el long ago that had spread in some Christian circles magical texts Jews were associated with the name of Raziel in the twelfth century and Pedro Alfonso quoted a Secret secretorum it attached to Raziel, whose content dealt around the invocation of certain angels as part of the alchemical ritual. Some years later, Albertus Magnus Liber referred to Raziel institutionis to mention again shortly after Thaddeus of Parma and Peter of Abano, who also called Volumina Salomonis.
The title Liber Razielis we find also leading a work that, as we shall see later, is attributed in the preface of the same to Alfonso X . It is a compendium of Jewish astral magic in which the invocations to the angels play a role. The Castilian king joined his vast collection of texts work astromágicos a angelology that came from the richest cultural area in this field, with the added attraction involving the mysterious connotations Kabbalistic Hebrew names of angels. The attribution of authorship of this collection is endorsed, as I shall explain below, by inserting fragments of other works Razielis Liber Alphonsine as are the Book of astromagia and Paper forms of ymágenes et. With the reappearance of this work, largely ignored by literary scholars alfonsí patronage, seems to be finally clarified the reference known Don Juan Manuel, once held to be spurious, that his uncle, the wise king, 'he made, move ... other Jews have naught, very hidden to call Kabbalah. "
talismanic magic, which works as dedicated Alfonso Lapidary , the Book and the Book astromagia forms of ymágenes et directs their spells to attract the powers of celestial bodies through images magic stones are recorded, rings and other objects. In the course of the liturgical practices to gain favor with the stars is essential that the magician who approaches them invoke the angels who are its agents. In Gaya, the famous work of Arabic astral magic poured into the scriptorium alfonsí Picatrix titled, reads as follows invocation to Mars:
Rubael Oh, angel of Mars the tough, the tough , the fiery, high, Mr High, hot, dry, driven, courageous, efusor of blood, inducing riots and disasters, male, victorious, dominant, reckless, quarrelsome, lord of pain, struggle, prison, lies, slander, indecency, unconsciousness, lethal, unique, rare, well armed, very copulating, I pray for all of your names, Mars in Arabic and Persian Bahram; Ris in Latin, Ares in Greek Hindi Anjar, I pray for the Lord Superior Construction, answer me and obey me and me my need solvents; you hear my prayer as I pray that I do this and that Rubael another by the Archangel of your stuff.
advocate the importance given to the angels as messengers of the power of the planets was not new, nor was the seduction exercised by the motley angelic Hebrew nomenclature. In the early Middle Ages the names of the angels Jews had been used frequently to be registered in the phylacteries. To the extent such practices were widespread in the Admonitio generalis 789 year Charlemagne had to prohibit the invocation of angels by names not found in the Bible. When in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw the unstoppable rise of Eastern astrology, the Hebrews did not merely play a subsidiary role as mere transmitters of Arab culture.
By contrast, some of the beliefs deep-rooted Jewish were taking shape, as translated by filtering and joining the body of new knowledge transferred to the West. Since ancient times, speculations attributed 'to the most illustrious of the Babylonians' gave the names of angels and archangels to the spirits who presided over the seven planetary spheres. Semitic belief following a remote source, the stars shining in the sky were actually considered as animate beings with their own characteristics, starry hosts real submissive to a king who made use of them to announce and enforce their wishes. The original idea that 'materialized' celestial bodies evolved into the belief that a spirit inhabits every star running its course. Planets in particular got frequently in relation to the seven archangels.
in the Greek Magical Papyri archangels in turn were associated with days of the week instead of the planetary deities. Religious and magical texts, in short, quite often mention the 'starry angels': thus, the Jupiter Heliopolitan, related to the sun, is awarded the title of 'Angelus' in a Latin inscription of the second century. No wonder the angels are conceived as envoys of the sun, as in some magic formula, or a letter of Julian.
The idea that the stars are angels, or at least be conducted by angels, have a long life in the medieval church, and with the arrival of Arab Aristotelianism in the West will lead to a bitter controversy will have its peak in the second half of the thirteenth century. So entrenched is the belief that Albert the Great will have to react exhaustively saying: 'non est dubium quod non Moventas angeli caelestia corpora. "
appeals Magic the intervention of angels. It is generally accepted that the wonders which it operates is the powerful agents as intermediaries between gods and men, ie the vast multitude of demons and angels. That is why both the former and are invoked in spells. The wizards knew the secret names of these spirits through hidden texts known to groups of insiders: it was enough to pronounce those words mysterious to be attended by those who were so raised. But the advocate role assigned to these celestial beings are not limited to the achievement of certain privileges by the divine beings and achieving the results required in certain magical operations, but also had a role in determining human destiny in the moment of birth. According to an old idea, the soul is an essence of divine origin, introduced into the body at birth. The angels will escort her on her journey from the sky and nature influences, like that of the stars that dwell on the character of the men when they are called to life.
Once you start earthly existence, they continue their care of the soul from which they have been appointed guardians. When the soul is again separated from the body, the Guardian Angels will be to assist the soul already freed from the shackles of the body, find their place in the firmament. The belief that a guardian angel guards the soul on its journey from the demons that inhabit his way in search of paradise remained in force in the medieval Christian tradition.
In this context, I have only briefly sketched, the importance of acquiring accurate knowledge of the angelic hierarchies for its invocation in talismanic magic ceremonies made it a key issue in the context of a draft astromágico arcane collection of the acquis such as Alfonso X. Wise King was thus one of those criticized by his contemporary Christians Albert the Great when he referred to aliam defendunt quidam posicionem Dicent virtutem intelligentiae alicuius sive orbis caeli influxam inferioribus vocari angelum. Alfonso was so committed to the pursuit of the main texts of the Jewish angelology, which proved to be those that had been associating with Raziel. But these writings were to be supplemented by other similar look to make their angelology more 'Conplan' that any of your time. In the foreword of the book, I reproduce below, we are told that the Book of Raziel has a remote origin in the early history of mankind to get into the hands of Solomon, the wise king par excellence, who compiled the seven treated in a single volume. In the lat Reg. 1300 of Vatican Library, a manuscript XV and XVI centuries is the most comprehensive that I know of Liber Razielis alfonsí, retaining the seven-part structure attributed to Solomon.
These seven parts are:
1) Book of the Key (folios. 13r ff.)
2) Book of the wing (fols. 21r ff.)
3) Book of incense (fols. 37 ff.)
4) Book of time (fols. 64 seq.)
5) Book of the purification of the body (fols. 87 ff.)
6) Book of Heaven (fols. 96 ff.)
7) Book of the images ( fols. 139V-202V)
The sixth part, called "Book of Heaven 'is closely related to a Hebrew original which was rebuilt several years ago by Mordecai Margalioth, known as Sefer ha-Razim, the Book of secrets, a Jewish work of the Hellenistic era that remains a medieval Latin version. In his preface explains that this volume was given to Noah and Noah Raziel was recorded on a sapphire. After this prologue, the book consists of seven parts, corresponding to the seven heavens, reflecting their own Jewish cosmology of the Hellenistic period. Each sky under a certain magical practices which must be performed by performing the rituals described and invoking the names of the angels mentioned in the text. An example of magical invocation by angels in the Book of Mysteries, where quickly be apparent connection to the magic formulas that are in the Greek Magical Papyri:
, If want to know and understand what will happen in each and every one of the years [ahead], it takes a hieratic papyrus, and cut into strips, and write in hieratic with a mixture of myrrh ink and each and every one of the options separately. Then take a new bottle, put the oil of nard and throws into strips written, then stand upright facing the sun when it comes to their bridal chamber and say, 'I adjure you, O Sun that shines upon the earth, in the name of the angels who make men wise comprehend and understand the wisdom and secrets that you'll do what I ask and I'll know what will happen in that year ...'.
that their works were 'more Conplan' than before, Alfonso X completed the book allegedly compiled by Raziel (King) Solomon with other treaties which unfortunately are not retained in the version Vatican manuscript. However, we do that we find in him some pointers on what texts were:
... Hic finiunt capitula libri Razielis Septimus. Et post istum Librum Razielis summe et libri secuntur dictates that relevant diversorum Fri Razielis sapientum et isti fuerunt libri confecti super Razielem, et hic sunt Ordinatio et scripti secundum sequentem ordinem. Razieleu sunt Semaforas. Deinde sunt glose Semaforas. Et sunt verba Abraham de Alexandria que sunt necessaria in operibus Razielis. Et est liber qui dicitur Flores Mercurii de Babilonia ubi dicitur de omni opere magice, et est liber nimis perfectuosus. Et est capitulum generale sapientum Egypti pro operibus magice et conjurationis et opera et regule ad brevitatem quas oportet scire illum qui voluerit operari per Razielem et tabulae et caracteres. Et sunt nomina angelorum grandium. Et est liber Theyzoli philosophi greci super perfectionem operum Razielis.
Et est liber ymaginum sapientum antiquarum super XXIIII horas diei et noctis et ad obtinendum responsum in somnis et ymagines super 7 dies septimane et sigilla planetarum et suorum dierum et nomina angelorum et regum et ventorum et suffumigiorum et operum que conveniunt cuilibet diei et nomina Dei que debent scribi in literis petitionum et dies lunares boni et mali ad faciendum literas et sunt conjurationes VII dierum septimane. Et est magnum nomen septem. Et est liber Yeya ubi sunt VII partes in quibus dicitur Raby Ysmael et Raby Aqua. Et est liber Semiforas quem obtinuit Rabam Menona ab angelo serapino. Et hic perficiuntur translationes et opera que sunt in isto libro et sue dispositiones et Deus ducat nos in vias suas et det nobis gratiam suam qui vivit et regnat per omnia secula. Amen.
Sobre la autoría de esta compilación no doubt. Razielis Liber fragments, as we shall see later, you can delve into the alfonsí only confirm the precise attribution found in the preface to the work itself. In this exciting introduction the translator, a 'magister Johannes clericus' provides important details about the condition of Alfonso X as a patron of the work:
Prout Salomon dicit in book wisdom: omnis sapience et omnis scientia omnis et omne donum perfectum et pietas et bonum et provenit descendit Vivit et qui ab illo regnat et sine sine fine principle, qui verus est Dominus et Pater et omnia creavit visibilia et invisibilia ad libitum voluntatis sue. [...] Et hoc [devolver al hombre la sabiduría perdida por Adán] fecit per os angeli Razielis, qui Raziel portavit Çeffer, et hoc significat quod portavit librum secretorum. Adam, qui erat tristis et dolens, quia videbat quod erat sepa[ra]tus et elongatus a sapiencia.
Et erat iste liber scriptus in lapide saphirii. Et misit ei deus istum librum ad hoc quod propter vigorem et virtutem verborum istius sancti et preciosi libri sciret qualiter poterat recuperare maximum bonum quod amiserat ipse et alii qui post ipsum sequerentur precepta et vestigia Dei et obtinerent istum librum [...]. Et iste liber est divisus in 7 tractatus, et solebant prophete tenere quemlibet tractatum per se. Sed quando placuit Deo quod iste liber ita sanctus presentaretur regi Salomoni filio regis David qui fuit ita nobilis et perfectus rex in sapiencia quod vocatur Sapiens in Sancta Scriptura. Et quando ipse vidit istum librum intellexit quod opus unius tractatus sequebatur opus alterius, fecit et compilavit de omnibus septem unum volumen. [...]
Et erat iste liber scriptus in lapide saphirii. Et misit ei deus istum librum ad hoc quod propter vigorem et virtutem verborum istius sancti et preciosi libri sciret qualiter poterat recuperare maximum bonum quod amiserat ipse et alii qui post ipsum sequerentur precepta et vestigia Dei et obtinerent istum librum [...]. Et iste liber est divisus in 7 tractatus, et solebant prophete tenere quemlibet tractatum per se. Sed quando placuit Deo quod iste liber ita sanctus presentaretur regi Salomoni filio regis David qui fuit ita nobilis et perfectus rex in sapiencia quod vocatur Sapiens in Sancta Scriptura. Et quando ipse vidit istum librum intellexit quod opus unius tractatus sequebatur opus alterius, fecit et compilavit de omnibus septem unum volumen. [...]
Et ideo sit benedictum suum sanctum nomen et laudabile quia dignatus fuit dare nobis in terra in nostro tempore dominum iusticie, que est cognitor boni et sobrietatis et est pius et requisitor et amator philosophie et omnium aliarum scientiarum. Et iste est dominus Alfonsus, Dei gracia illustris rex Castelle, Legionis, Toleti, Gallecie, Sebellie, Cordube, Murcie, Jahen, Algarbe et Badaioz, filius illustris regis domini Fernandi et regine domine Beatricis qui semper laboravit ut posset sustinere iusticiam et exaltare, illuminare et perficere seu ac adimplere maximum defectum et ignorantiam illorum qui dixerunt sapientes et philosophe que nunc eveniant in nostro tempore. Et posuit iuxta se libros philosophorum et homines sapientes qui aliquando in eis intelligebant faciendo eis graciam et mercedem. Et ipsi transferebant semper propter suum preceptum libros meliores et perfectiores cuiuslibet artis et sciencie in quacumque lingua fuissent compositi convertendo eos in linguam castellanam. Unde predictus dominus noster Rex cum ad manus eius pervenit ita nobilis et preciosus liber, sicut est Çeffer Raziel, quod vult dicere in ebrayco volumen secretorum Dei.
Et quia iste liber est dignior et preciosior ceteris, precepit ipsum dignius et perfectius transferri et scribi in linguam castellanam in quantum humana conditio posset sufficere. Et precepit quod congregarentur in isto volumine libri et summe qui pertinent huic secreto, sicunt sunt Semifore Semiphore et alii libri qui sunt interclusi in isto libro per ordinem, sicut sunt nominati in fine capitulorum subsequencium in corpore libri.
Et quia iste liber est dignior et preciosior ceteris, precepit ipsum dignius et perfectius transferri et scribi in linguam castellanam in quantum humana conditio posset sufficere. Et precepit quod congregarentur in isto volumine libri et summe qui pertinent huic secreto, sicunt sunt Semifore Semiphore et alii libri qui sunt interclusi in isto libro per ordinem, sicut sunt nominati in fine capitulorum subsequencium in corpore libri.
Et ego, magister Johannes clericus, existens sub reverencia et mercede predicti domini regis, transtuli istos libros, qui Libro Razielis sunt coniuncti, de latino in ydioma castellanum cum maiori reverencia et diligencia quam scivi et intellexi secundum intellectum et potestatem quam michi concessit Creator omnium bonorum propter preceptum domini mei predicti altissimi et nobilissimi qui est camera philosophie et sciencie super omnis dominos existentes in mundo, cui Deus sustineat et dirigat vitam suam et salutem, honorem, valorem et victoriam ad honorem et gloriam illius qui vivit et regnat per cuncta seculorum secula. Amen.
La versión castellana del Liber Razielis se ha perdido, pero la autoría de Alfonso X como promotor de este compendio, testimoniada también en manuscritos hebreos later, the remains of the Liber confirmed Razielis found in other works of the scriptorium alfonsí, such as the Book and the Book astromagia forms of ymágenes et. The first
Liber highlight the importance of the literature Razielis alfonsí Solalinde was a disciple of George Darby, author of a first edition Book of astromagia that was never published. Years later, Ana Maria Vaccaro, who had known the Liber Razielis thanks to a fundamental work of Thorndike, identified a Hermetic treatise on talismans of the twenty-eight lunar mansions with Chapter 22 of the book Liber VII Razielis.
Several years later, recover for scholarship Niederehe alfonsí this article, which had hitherto gone unnoticed, and in 1979 D'Agostino Vaccaro develops the work of matching identifying some additional passages in both works, the Liber Razielis and Book astromagia. In his magnificent edition of the latter work, D'Agostino takes its arguments, echoing the chapters of the Liber Razielis common to both books.
But there is at least one other work alfonsí that may be related to the Liber Razielis: this is the book forms the ymágenes et. In this work remains only a summary ('table'), which paradoxically - given the title of the book - missing descriptions of the images should be recorded on the stones to bring the power magic of the stars.
The identification of the full text of the treaties that comprise the Book of the forms allows us to reconstruct the images had to be described herein. I tried talking to the eighth Book of the ways that 'Fable of the vertudes et of the properties that an ymágenes that the stones SECOND Fazen that he says Ragiel. Et to xxiiii capitolo it '.
The identification of the full text of the treaties that comprise the Book of the forms allows us to reconstruct the images had to be described herein. I tried talking to the eighth Book of the ways that 'Fable of the vertudes et of the properties that an ymágenes that the stones SECOND Fazen that he says Ragiel. Et to xxiiii capitolo it '.
The aforementioned name' Ragiel 'recognized Ullmann, not without doubts, Aly Aben Ragel, the author of the Book iudizios Conplan in the stars. Diman and picked up the suggestion Winget Ullmann, while D'Agostino, independently, exhibited the same assumption. None, however, has been unable to locate the precise language that supports this identification, as happens already in the nineteenth century Enrico Narducci, in fact, the first researcher to postulate the identity 'Ragiel' with Aben Ragel.
This hypothesis was rejected quickly and by the eminent scholar and bibliologic Moritz Steinschneider, who came to point out the similarity of the name 'Ragiel' with 'Raziel', but also dismissed without further investigation, this identification. However, the more knowledge we have today put the Liber Razielis clear that the eighth chapter of the Book of the forms are closely related to that work. The first 'wing' of the 'Liber alarum', which is the second part of Liber Razielis-versa on the virtues of twenty-four precious stones carved with figures paths, and is attributed Solomon once again. The coincidence in the number of stones treated with the eighth Book of the forms is not accidental: the magical properties of the figures carved on the stones are identical, which suggests that we are in both cases to the same treaty. Thus we can reconstruct the names of the stones and images to be carved on them that appear in this chapter of the Book of forms.
Using different versions of 'Lapidarius Salomonis' can reconstruct the magical images that would be sculpted in the twenty-four precious stones whose virtues are described in the eighth treaty Book forms:
Book of Forms, viii - 'Lapidarius Salomonis'
1 carbunculus [rubinus] ... to grow in onrra omne ... draco.
2 Topasius ... auer et SEER rather chaste fondness of high omnes ... falco.
3 Smaragdus ... to grow in wealth and knowing what is to come ... Scarabeus.
4 Iacinta ... by aver salut and omne onrra and save the racing ... leo formatus bene.
5 Crisopasius ... by prophetizar things to come ... asinus.
6 Saphirus ... get out of passion and grief ... Aries.
7 Berillus ... to put friendship in omnes ... frog.
8 Onyx ... by aver power over demons ... cameli caput, vel inter duos duae caprae trees, quae dicuntur Myrtie.
9 Sardius ... by aver aver et onrra good color ... aquila.
10 Crisolitus ... by seer kept evil spirits ... vultur.
11 Eliotropia ... SEER invisible ... vespertilio.
12 Cristallus ... by crescer mugieres milk to ... Griffo.
13 Cornelius ... by aver onrra ... homo bene indutus tenentis virgam in manu sua.
14 Jaspis ... Venin SEER safe and fever ... Aries, Leo vel, vel Sagittarius.
15 Iris ... by aver salut ... armatus homo, qui cum saggitas arcum portato.
16 Corallus ... for storing of tepestad Logar and pestilence and ill-kept seer fechizos ... ensem tenentem homo similis in manu sua.
17 Prassinus ... por seer guardado de fechizos y por aver gra[cia] en su menester ... taurus.
18 Thatel ... por fazer venir alli qual muerto quisiere ... et sculpe in ipso herbam ante eam draganteam, quae est herba media, et dicitur colubrina.
19 Celonites ... por poner paz ... hyrundinis.
20 Calcedonius ... por seer sano en tierra agena ... homo, qui teneat manum suam dextram erectam ad coelos.
21 Ceraunius ... por seer defendido de los enemigos ... et scribe in ipso ex una parte Rafael, Michael, Gabriel, et ex altera parte Panthaferon, Sapdafen.
22 Ametistus ... impound saved by seer of wine ... ursus.
23 Magnes ... Enchantments fazer ... armatum hominem.
24 Adamas ... Saved seer Pora members of healthy omnes ... angelorum quinque.
Thus, the affiliation of the eighth chapter of the Book of the forms appears to be completely rebuilt. As is clear from the above in a paragraph and quoted from Liber Razielis, treaties to which Alfonso X wanted to make his book 'more Conplan' that none of the above on the subject were added to final Razielis Librum post istum ('... secuntur libri summe et sapientum ...'), diversorum dictates which apparently means that a fragment of 'Liber alarum' as is 'Lapidarium Salomonis' should be part of the initial corpus of treatises attributed Raziel on which alfonsí compilation. But at this point we must remember that it was also mentioned in the foreword of the book that there '... alii libri sunt qui in isto interclusi book '.
Well, one of the' libri interclusi 'would be the short lapidary attributed to Solomon to which I refer, without doubt is nothing but the reworking of a Hellenistic work Alfonso X had it translated from Greek into Latin. So it appears in a manuscript of the Arsenal Library in Paris copying the late fourteenth century, a time when other astromágicas Alphonsine were in the French royal library. It reads: Ci commence le livre des secrez of their nature et la vertu des poissons des oyseauls, pierres et herbes et bestes lequel le Noble Roy d'Espaigne fit Alfonce grec transporter in Latin.
The modern editor, Louis Delatte, attributed this pamphlet, not without doubts, Alfonso IX of Castile (1158-1214). However, there is no doubt that the patrons of the translation fue Alfonso X. En el segundo libro del Liber Razielis alfonsí, el ‘Liber alarum’, se explica: Dixit Salomon quod sicut ale avium sunt quaedam membra que ducunt ipsas ad loca que desiderant, sic per virtutes herbarum et lapidum et animalium que vivunt volando, natando, ambulando et castrando, sic poteris obtinere et attingere omnes causas quascumque volueris si cognoveris suas naturas, proprietates et virtutes.
El propio título ‘Liber alarum’ no dejaba de tener ciertas resonancias herméticas, pero lo que resulta indudable es su semejanza con los lapidarios de tradición helenística: Delatte puso de relieve la relación de su fuente principal, el Livre des secrez of nature, with the terse Damigeron-Evax, wondering even if they form part of the sixth Kyranide lost. In regard to our already spurious 'Lapidarius Salomonis', no doubt that this is a version of the chapter on the virtues of precious stones ('De la vertu des pierres Jeush prec') of the Libre des secrez of nature with the exception of the stones 10a, 17a, 18a and 24a and their respective figures, not shown here.
One example is the collation of both versions of the ninth stone, which in the Book of the forms are attributed pursuant to serve 'for good color auer auer et onrra’. En el Liber Razielis encontramos la siguiente descripción:
Nonus lapis dicitur Sardius, cuius color est nimis rubeus et pulcer. Et eius potencia est facere omnes alios lapides pulcriores. Et eius virtus est quod dat bonum colorem portanti eum secum, et debet collocari in auro. Et si sculpatur in eo figuram Aquile dat maximum honorem ,
mientras que en el capítulo correspondiente del Livre des secrez de nature se lee:
Le Sardoyne est une pierre qui a the three coulour mout belle et rouge. Sa vertu that elle est fait toutes les belles et autres pierres et donne bonne clerez coulour a celui qui la porte. Et mise en or narrow doit et on lui tailler is faictes joins aigle, elle donne celui three grant Honour to the note.
In short, we could stay here a process characteristic of the modus operandi of alfonsí scriptorium. Alfonso X wanted to compile an encyclopedia of magic astral containing the most conspicuous treated on the ritual invocation to the angels for magical ceremonies. For this, the scholars of his scriptorium resorted to literary and cultural tradition rich as it relates to the invocation angelic names, that of the Jewish religion professed by many of the employees of the Wise King.
found in Hebrew literature several treaties related to practice Kabbalah Raziel, the angel who gave it to Adam or Noah, a 'Book of the secrets of God "inscribed in a Sapphire would come at the hands of King Solomon, the wise king par excellence, which would translate into Hebrew Chaldean. In its investigation of wisdom, Alfonso X wanted to compile the speculation about the contents of this book of hidden knowledge that Kabbalists Jews attributed to Solomon, who would have divided into seven books that are the play says Alfonso. However, for this book to be more fulfilled than any that had hitherto been written on the subject, the Castilian king commanded that the addition of many works that shall be found there regarding what they had explained, so that scholars added Alphonsine various treaties to the main body of the work.
Some of them were mixed into it, as in the case of the booklet to which I referred, identified as the work of Solomon in the second part ('Liber alarum') of the Liber Razielis, but in reality critically linked to the work of Greek origin preserved in French under the title Livre des secrez of nature. This booklet was again used in the Book of Forms et images, which is attributed to 'Ragiel', and later met a large fortune among the occultists of modern times.
This diffusion of a singular text suggests posterity Raziel's writings, no less prolonged, judging by the existence of the English and French text. But there is no doubt that the Liber Razielis, with its magical invocations, prayers to the planets, their enigmatic talismanic signs and his motley angelology would also have a great appeal to the intellectuals of the English Middle Ages . It is well known that the Marquis of Villena had a book of Raziel in his library, which he even quoted in some of his works.
When John II of Castile ordered Fray Lope de Barrientos purge the library of the recently deceased Marquis and burn all those who attack the Catholic religion (especially any books related to religion Jewish), the religious refrained from launching into the flames the Book of Raziel, yielding to the temptation that he denounced in other English: the delight in the border issues between religion and superstition, the devout and the forbidden, which made a name Raziel often invoked in magical practices pursued by the Inquisition . In short, the magic-religious syncretism of the book of Raziel exerted a powerful magnetism for the English in the late Middle Ages that Lope de Barrientos could not fail to fail in the following terms:
; From the qual this art is magical and non aquesta above book Raziel has any effectiveness nin basis, for which it may the angels non constrained to come Quando seer was called, nin advenideras can reveal things that come from the onbres voluntat because non of know for certain causes, the second will say more at length later. And, if by chance some vezes come to such calls by magicians, this is because they are non constrained, except that the great evils and sins of our Lord allows us to display constrained and come to deceive us, but non was excuse for this great sin of idolatry that commit such necromantic with Fazen safumerios and invocations to call the said Spiritus, and, as Raziel in the book contain many devout prayers, but are mixed with many other sacrilegious and reproved in the Sacred scripture, this book is more than doubled in parts of Spain than in other parts of the world ...
Alejandro García Avilés,
Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, 1997
