Storytime: Reading the Solomonic Hygromanteia, Part II
We read through Solomon's magical recipe book in BL MS Harleianus 5596. This is spirit-summoning as metier.
Podcast Episodes Themed "Demonology"
Storytime: Reading the Solomonic Hygromanteia, Part I
In a two-part episode, we explore the family of Solomonic addressative texts known as the Hygromanteia. In Part I we look at the range of MSS and scholarship and the Solomonic tradition which provides the context for this extraordinary manual for angelic and demonic manipulation.
Storytime: Reading the Book of Wisdom of Apollonios of Tyana
We explore the East Roman folk-astrological and angel-magic traditions through the book known as The Book of Wisdom and of the Science of Talismans of Apollonios of Tyana. Featuring a cameo appearance from Adam, the father of mankind.
Episode 217: Three Ancient Sages: On East Roman Magical Books
Looking through the lens provided by three central figures of the western esoteric tradition -- Hermes Trismegistus, Apollonios of Tyana, and King Solomon -- we discuss three important East Roman magical books whose influence echoes from the end of late antiquity until the present day.
Episode 165: Joel Kalvesmaki on Evagrius of Pontus, the ‘Gnostic Trilogy’, and the Origenist Controversy
Part I of a discussion of Evagrius of Pontus – ascetic, philosopher, developer of Origen's thought, and mystical writer – with Joel Kalvesmaki. In this episode we cover the life and work of the great sage, in particular his ‘gnostic trilogy’, and discuss the ‘Second Origenist Controversy’ which would decide the fate of his opinions vis à vis Orthodoxy in the sixth century.
Episode 163: Father Sergey Trostyanskiy on the Cappadocian Fathers, Part II
In Part II with Father Sergey, we explore the Platonist ‘mystical’ themes, esoteric imagery of divine darkness, and the limits of human knowledge in the Cappadocians. Христос воскрес!
Storytime: Reading Zosimus of Panopolis’ The Final Accounting
In this, our last Zosimus Storytime episode, we discuss the ‘Final Accounting’ or ‘Final Quittance’, a work in which Zosimus lays out for Theosebia the most recondite and hardcore spiritual practice to be found in his oeuvre. Part Hermetic, part demonic, all alchemical.
Episode 158: Bink Hallum on the Extended Zosimus
We further explore the thought of Zosimus of Panopolis with Dr Bink Hallum, whose PhD research centred on the Arabic Zosimean corpus. We cover the basic (if confusing) textual situation, and then discuss astral influences, daimones and demons, mysterious talismans, Enochic ideas, and much more.
Episode 151: The Testament of Solomon and the Solomonic Tradition, Part II
We explore the astral-demonic lore, the angelic medicine, and the many legendary stories recorded in the Testament of Solomon, and some of the manifold traditions which flow out from this legendary corpus. Come for the Testament, stay for the Pentagram!
Episode 150: The Testament of Solomon and the Solomonic Tradition, Part I
We want to discuss the Testament of Solomon, an extraordinary demonological, angelogical, astrological, magical work from late antiquity. But we realise that, to get there, we need to spend some time exploring the earlier reaches of the ‘Solomonic tradition’. So we do. Come for the building of the First Temple, stay for the cloud upon the sanctuary.
Daniel Waller Bowls On
We explore a few minority cases among the incantation bowls: the aggressive use of a bowl to curse an enemy, and the iconography (mostly demonic) which we find in some bowls. Come for the demons, stay for the demonic chickens.
Episode 147: Daniel James Waller on the Jewish Incantation-Bowls
We dive more deeply into the enigmatic corpus of late-antique Jewish ‘incantation bowls’ from Mesopotamia with the help of researcher Daniel Waller. We discuss the bowls as material objects, functional technology, and their place in late-antique Jewish culture.
Jesus the Magician? Interrogating Ancient and Modern Discourses of Ritual Power in the Gospels
We explore the evidence in the New Testament for accusations that Jesus was a magus or a sorcerer. Turns out there's quite a lot of them. What we are to make of these accusations, that's the question. We discuss ancient critics, Gospel apologists, and modern scholars.
