Encyclopedia

Isaiah

A major biblical prophet whose visions and prophecies were frequently analyzed by Christian kabbalists and mystics for hidden cosmological meanings.

97 books · 2390 mentions

Isaac

A biblical patriarch whose life and near-sacrifice are frequently interpreted in mystical and kabbalistic traditions as symbols of divine judgment or spiritual trial.

90 books · 2726 mentions

Iamblichus of Chalcis

82 books · 2493 mentions

Israel

The biblical land and people central to Judeo-Christian theology and Kabbalistic thought, often representing the spiritual community of the elect or the site of divine revelation.

76 books · 1975 mentions

Indra

The king of the gods and the god of thunder and storms in Vedic mythology, frequently mentioned in early translations of Sanskrit texts regarding the celestial hierarchy.

55 books · 1309 mentions

Isaac Newton

An English physicist and mathematician who formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, while also being a prolific student of alchemy and biblical chronology.

39 books · 1210 mentions

Ireland

An island in the North Atlantic with a rich tradition of early medieval scholarship, which became a site of intense religious and political focus in the early modern era.

34 books · 830 mentions

Idolatry

The worship of physical objects or created beings as divine, a central concept in early modern theological debates regarding the boundaries of religious practice and natural magic.

34 books · 599 mentions

Isis

A major ancient Egyptian goddess whose cult was central to Hellenistic mystery religions and who was often syncretized with other goddesses in Hermetic literature.

32 books · 727 mentions

Immortality of the Soul

The philosophical and theological concept that the human soul survives the death of the body, a central theme in Platonic and Christian metaphysics.

29 books · 495 mentions

Incarnation

The theological doctrine that the second person of the Trinity took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, central to Christian metaphysics and Kabbalistic interpretations of the Logos.

25 books · 499 mentions

Indies

A historical term used to refer to the lands of South and Southeast Asia, and later the Americas, often associated with exotic materials and spices in early modern texts.

25 books · 313 mentions

Irenaeus

A 2nd-century Bishop of Lugdunum and Church Father whose work 'Adversus Haereses' is a primary source for understanding early Gnosticism. His theology emphasized the 'recapitulation' of all things in Christ and the defense of apostolic tradition.

22 books · 529 mentions

Ishmael

The first son of Abraham in Abrahamic tradition, often discussed in early modern mystical texts regarding the genealogy of nations and spiritual archetypes.

19 books · 483 mentions

Imagination

In early modern psychology, the faculty of the soul that mediates between the senses and the intellect, often credited with creative and magical powers.

17 books · 293 mentions

Incorporeality

The state or quality of being without a physical body or material substance, a central theme in Neoplatonic and Hermetic discussions regarding the soul and the divine.

17 books · 155 mentions

Induction

A logical method of reasoning from specific observations to general principles, foundational to the development of the scientific method in natural philosophy.

15 books · 348 mentions

Iceland

A Nordic island nation in the North Atlantic, often cited in early modern natural philosophy and geographical texts for its volcanic activity and unique geological features.

15 books · 263 mentions

Incorporeal Substance

A metaphysical entity that lacks physical form or extension, such as the soul or the intellect, central to Neoplatonic and Cartesian debates on reality.

15 books · 260 mentions

Innate heat

A physiological concept in Galenic and Aristotelian medicine referring to the vital heat produced by the heart that sustains life and digestion.

14 books · 391 mentions

Isidore

An influential encyclopedist and Archbishop of Seville whose Etymologiae served as a primary source of knowledge for the Middle Ages and early modern period.

14 books · 234 mentions

Innate Ideas

13 books · 321 mentions

Isidore of Seville

A 7th-century scholar and Archbishop of Seville whose encyclopedic work, the Etymologiae, preserved much of classical knowledge for the Middle Ages.

13 books · 197 mentions

Incorruptibility

The theological and alchemical state of being exempt from decay or dissolution, often associated with the glorified body or the 'Philosopher's Stone'.

13 books · 184 mentions

Intellect

In the Platonic and Aristotelian traditions, the highest faculty of the human soul or a cosmic principle (Nous) capable of direct apprehension of eternal truths and forms.

13 books · 114 mentions

Isocrates

An ancient Greek rhetorician and educator whose works on political theory and ethics influenced Renaissance humanism and the development of classical education.

12 books · 218 mentions

Image of God

The theological concept that humans are created in the likeness of the divine, serving as a foundation for Christian anthropology and mystical theories of the soul's return to God.

12 books · 145 mentions

Inner Man

12 books · 142 mentions

Ithaca

The Greek island kingdom of Odysseus, frequently used in Renaissance literature as a symbol of the ultimate goal of a spiritual or intellectual journey.

11 books · 194 mentions

Ionia

An ancient region on the central coast of western Asia Minor, celebrated as the birthplace of Greek philosophy and the Ionian school of natural inquiry.

11 books · 185 mentions

Imbibition

An alchemical operation involving the gradual saturation of a solid substance with a liquid, symbolizing the nourishment and maturation of the philosophical stone.

11 books · 172 mentions

Intelligences

Non-material celestial beings or spirits believed in medieval and Renaissance cosmology to govern the movement of the planetary spheres.

11 books · 144 mentions

Impassibility

A theological and philosophical attribute describing a being that is incapable of suffering or being affected by external agents. In Neoplatonism and Christian theology, it is often ascribed to the divine nature or the purified soul.

10 books · 151 mentions

Illyria

An ancient region in the western Balkans that appeared in classical and Renaissance texts as a land of diverse tribes and a frontier of the Roman Empire. In the history of ideas, it is often mentioned in geographical surveys and accounts of the migration of ancient wisdom.

10 books · 137 mentions

Immortality

The concept of eternal life or the survival of the soul after death, a central theme in Platonic philosophy and Renaissance theological disputations.

10 books · 77 mentions

Impetus

9 books · 344 mentions

Inceration

9 books · 224 mentions

Intelligible world

In Neoplatonism, the realm of pure forms or ideas accessible only by the intellect, distinct from the sensible or material world.

9 books · 187 mentions

Isaac Hollandus

One of two legendary Dutch alchemists whose influential writings on the philosopher's stone and metallic transmutation circulated widely in the 17th century. Their works were highly regarded by Paracelsians and later chemists like Robert Boyle.

9 books · 182 mentions

Initiation

9 books · 123 mentions

Imperial Privilege

9 books · 116 mentions

Immanuel Kant

A central figure in modern philosophy who synthesized rationalism and empiricism, fundamentally altering the course of metaphysics and epistemology. His critical philosophy established the limits of human understanding and the conditions of possible experience.

9 books · 105 mentions

Incommensurability

A mathematical and philosophical concept referring to the lack of a common measure between two quantities, which challenged Pythagorean and early modern natural philosophy.

9 books · 88 mentions

Ineffability

The philosophical and mystical concept that certain truths or divine experiences are beyond the capacity of language to express. It is a central theme in apophatic theology and the writings of Christian mystics.

8 books · 204 mentions

Incantations

8 books · 128 mentions

Icosahedron

One of the five Platonic solids, associated with the element of water in the Timaean and Keplerian cosmological systems.

8 books · 114 mentions

Isaac Casaubon

A renowned classical scholar and philologist who famously redated the Hermetic Corpus to the post-Christian era in 1614, fundamentally challenging its perceived antiquity. His work dealt a significant blow to the authority of Hermes Trismegistus in Western thought.

8 books · 111 mentions

Indian Sea

8 books · 103 mentions

Internal Sense

7 books · 403 mentions

Intelligible species

A scholastic and Neoplatonic concept referring to the abstract form or mental representation by which the human intellect understands universal truths and essences.

7 books · 155 mentions

Incombustible Oil

7 books · 140 mentions

Intellect (Nous)

In Neoplatonism and Hermeticism, the divine mind or first emanation from the One, representing the realm of eternal forms and the highest faculty of human understanding. It serves as the intermediary between the absolute unity of the One and the multiplicity of the Soul.

7 books · 132 mentions

Inertia

7 books · 124 mentions

Inner Man vs. Outer Man

7 books · 119 mentions

Ineffable

7 books · 116 mentions

Israel

7 books · 114 mentions

Indivisibility

7 books · 99 mentions

Indulgences

7 books · 99 mentions