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The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science

Book by Philip Ball · 2 quotes · 2006, Magic, Medicine

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The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science Quotes

“Peasants brought up on a tradition of superstitious magic could hardly be expected to distinguish between such ostensibly Christian rituals and the mumbled incantations of the local wizard. And so, to the discomfort of the priests, many came to regard elements of Christian devotion as simple magical spells. The Latin Mass was, after all, incomprehensible to the common people, so it already had the aspect of an occult formula. It came to be seen, like magic, as an essentially mechanical rite through which absolution was achieved by observing the correct procedures. In that case, there was no real need for faith.”

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“I while yet a youth wrote in a quite large volume three books of magical things, which I called De occulta philosophia, in which whatever was then erroneous because of my curious youth, now, more cautious, I wish to retract by this recantation, for formerly I spent much time and goods on these vanities.”

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Book:The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science
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