Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (BPH) or The Ritman Library is a private Dutch

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

founded by

Joost Ritman Joost R. Ritman (born 1941, Amsterdam) is a businessman from the Netherlands. Ritman made his fortune with his family company De Ster, selling plastic tableware to airlines. He is the founder of the library Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in A ...

located in the Huis met de Hoofden (House with the Heads) at Keizersgracht 123, in the center of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica brings together manuscripts and printed works in the field of Hermeticism, more specifically the 'Christian-Hermetic' tradition. The Embassy of the Free Mind is a museum, library, and intellectual platform inspired by the collection.

The library

The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica was founded in 1957 by Joost R. Ritman and opened to the public in 1984. The library is now supported by a foundation and is a public institution. The Bibliotheca co-operates with international libraries and organizations, such as the Russian Rudomino Library for Foreign Literature in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, the

Herzog August Bibliothek The Herzog August Library (german: link=no, Herzog August Bibliothek — "HAB"), in Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, known also as ''Bibliotheca Augusta'', is a library of international importance for its collection from the Middle Ages and ear ...

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest ...

, the

Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana The Laurentian Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana or BML) is a historic library in Florence, Italy, containing more than 11,000 manuscripts and 4,500 early printed books. Built in a cloister of the Medicean Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, and the

Biblioteca Marciana The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark ( it, italic=no, Biblioteca Marciana, but in historical documents commonly referred to as ) is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositori ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. To date, the library holds more than 23,000 volumes on

hermetica The ''Hermetica'' are texts attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. These texts may vary widely in content and purpose, but are usually subd ...

Rosicrucianism Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking it ...

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim wo ...

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

, gnosis,

esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...

and

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

, and has great scientific, artistic, and cultural value. Other areas of the collection are

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality ...

Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

anthroposophy Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Follower ...

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

pansophy Pansophism, in older usage often pansophy, is a concept in the educational system of universal knowledge proposed by John Amos Comenius, a Czech educator. " omenius'ssecond great interest was in furthering the Baconian attempt at the organization o ...

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and the Grail. The entire Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica collection consists of around 28,000 books, including around 7,500 books printed before 1800, 70

incunables In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pr ...

, 700 post-1550 manuscripts, and 25 manuscripts written before 1550. The remaining books are post 1800. Many items in the library are one of a kind. Among the treasures of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica are the ''

Corpus Hermeticum The is a collection of 17 Greek writings whose authorship is traditionally attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The treatises were or ...

'' published in 1471, the first illustrated edition of Dante's '' La Divina Commedia'' from 1481, and

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

's ''

De Officiis ''De Officiis'' (''On Duties'' or ''On Obligations'') is a political and ethical treatise by the Roman orator, philosopher, and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero written in 44 BC. The treatise is divided into three books, in which Cicero expounds h ...

'' printed in 1465.

Past

The founder of the library, Joost R. Ritman (1941), was an Amsterdam businessman with a deep interest in spirituality. He began collecting rare books at a young age, after his mother had presented him with a copy of a seventeenth-century edition of “The Aurora”, a work by Jacob Böhme, one of the authors who are a lasting source of inspiration to him. When he conceived the plan to turn his private collection of books into a library, his vision was to bring together under one roof manuscripts and printed works in the field of the Hermetic tradition, and to show the interrelatedness between the various collecting areas and their relevance for the present day. Following a difficult year in the shadow of the financial crisis and cuts, The Ritman Library reopened its doors on December 16, 2011. In 2016, Ritman purchased and donated a national monument, the Huis met de Hoofden (House with the Heads) located at Keizersgracht 123 to house the BPH collection and make possible supporting programs – including exhibition spaces, a research institute, and seminar rooms. In 2016 a major digitization project was begun and by Spring of 2017 over 2000 of the rarest works were made available on-line. Following a ceremonial grand opening of the museum by the Ritman family and author Dan Brown, the Embassy of the Free Mind opened its doors to the public in 2017.

Present

The “House with the Heads” currently houses four major institutions that are linked to one another: a library, museum, research institute and academy. The library and research institute work together to develop content that flows into the exhibitions of the museum, the courses offered in the academy, and the publications of the research institute. The central institution is the library and the content for the other institutions grows out of the books and manuscripts held within it. The building Huis met de Hoofden is currently undergoing a major renovation to create more space for its programs. In 2022 a new reading room was established on the second floor of the building. This room contains a selection of the most important secondary research literature for students, researchers and the public. There are further stacks of research literature in the basement of the building that can be accessed on request. The core collection of rare historic books, manuscripts, and

can also be viewed on request or studied by booking a rare book tour with experts who work for the research institute.

Future

The library is currently focusing on reshaping the once privately funded library into a self-sustaining and public institution. The originally private library therefore acquired the status of a Public Benefit Institution (ANBI). With the rehousing to the Keizersgracht 123 in 2017, a new era begins in which the library will be passed on to a new generation and made accessible to a broader audience.

Digitizing the collection

In June 2016 it was announced that author Dan Brown, who did research in the library for some of his books, was donating €300,000. This money was to be used to digitize the library's core collection of 4,600 early printed books and 300 older manuscripts. These were to be available online in spring 2017. The

Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds was founded by Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands in London in 1940 during World War II in order to buy war material for the British and Dutch Governments. It continued after the war as Stichting Prins Bernhard Cult ...

was donating €15,000.

UNESCO Recognition

In November of 2022 the BPH collection housed at the Embassy of the Free Mind as well as the state owned portion located at the Allard Pierson Museum was granted special 'Memory of the World' status by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

Nederlandse.

Publications (selection)

* ''De klassieke erfenis der Rozenkruisers, catalogus bij een tentoonstelling in de Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica''. (Hermesreeks 1), vi, 31, pp. * F. van Lamoen, ''Abraham Willemsz van Beyerland. Jacob Böhme en het Nederlandse hermetisme in de 17e eeuw.'' (Hermesreeks 2), 40 pp. * C. Gilly, ''Johann Valentin Andreae. Die Manifeste der Rosenkreuzerbruderschaft 1586-1986.'' (Hermesreeks 3), 114 pp. (2nd ed. 1986). * ''De Hermetische Gnosis. Catalogus van een tentoonstelling in de Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica''. Compiled by F. van Lamoen.(Hermesreeks 4), 88 pp. (2nd ed. 1990). * ''Choix des sources de l'ésotérisme occidental.'' (Hermesreeks 5), 8 pp.* H.M.E. de Jong, ''Les symboles spirituels de l'alchimie. Exposition à l'occasion du Festival International de l'Esotérisme.'' (Hermesreeks 6), 143 pp. * C. Gilly (red.), ''Das Erbe des Christian Rosenkreuz. Johann Valentin Andreae 1586-1986 und die Manifeste der Rosenkreuzerbruderschaft 1614-1616.'' 228 pp. * F. van Lamoen, ''The Hermetic gnosis. Catalogue of an exhibition at the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica.'' (Hermesreeks 7), 88 pp. * F. Secret, ''Kabbale et philosophie hermétique. Exposition à l'occasion du Festival International de l'Esotérisme.'' (Hermesreeks 8), 119 pp. * ''Corpus Hermeticum''. Introduction and translation by R. van den Broek en G. Quispel. Amsterdam; In de Pelikaan, 1990. (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 2). 206 pp. (5th ed. 2003). * F. van Lamoen, ''Hermes Trismegistus. Pater philosophorum. Tekstgeschiedenis van het Corpus Hermeticum.'' (Hermesreeks 9), 152 pp. (2nd ed. 1990). * F. Secret, ''Kabbala en hermetische filosofie. Tentoonstelling in de Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica.'' (Hermesreeks 10), 147 pp. Translation of ''Kabbale et philosophie hermétique.'' * lso available as e-book:F. van Lamoen, ''La Gnose hermétique. Exposition à l'occasion du Festival International de l'Esotérisme.'' (Hermesreeks 11), 87 pp. Translation of ''De hermetische gnosis'' * Johannes Amos Comenius. ''Via Lucis. De weg van het licht.'' Translated by J.M. Schadd and R.M. Bouthoorn. (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 3). 183 pp. * J. Bouman, ''Splendor solis. Een 16e-eeuwse alchemistische traditie verbeeld in 1992.'' (Hermesreeks 12), 8 pp. * C. Gilly, ''500 Years of Gnosis in Europe. Exhibition of printed books and manuscripts from the gnostic tradition.'' (Hermesreeks 13), 312 pp. * C. Gilly, ''Paracelsus in der Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica. Ausstellung zum 500. Geburtsjahr des Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim, Paracelsus genannt.'' (Hermesreeks 14), 85 pp. * C. Gilly, ''Adam Haslmayr. Der erste Verkünder der Manifeste der Rosenkreuzer.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 5). 296 pp. Index. * lso available as e-book: A. McLean, ''The Silent language. The symbols of hermetic philosophy.'' (Hermesreeks 15), 92 pp. * C. Gilly, ''Cimelia Rhodostaurotica. Die Rosenkreuzer im Spiegel der zwischen 1610 und 1660 entstandenen Handschriften und Drucke.'' (Hermesreeks 16), xii, 191 pp. (2nd rev. ed. 1995) * S. Gentile en C. Gilly, ''Marsilio Ficino e il ritorno di Ermete Trismegisto/Marsilio Ficino and the Return of Hermes Trismegistus.'' Firenze: Centro Di, 1999. 326 pp. (2nd rev. ed. 2001) * ''Magia, alchimia, scienza dal '400 al '700. L'influsso di Ermete Trismegisto/Magic, Alchemy, and Science 15th-18th centuries.'' The Influence of Hermes Trismegistus. Red. C. Gilly en C. van Heertum. Florence: Centro Di, 2002. Vol. 1 (essays). 588 pp. Illus. * ''Asclepius. De volkomen openbaring van Hermes Trismegistus.'' Translated by G. Quispel. (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 6). 306 pp. * J. Bouman en C. van Heertum, ''Niet voor geleerden: Handschriften in de volkstaal uit de hermetische traditie'.'' Catalogue of an exhibition in the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (Hermesreeks 17-1), 15 pp. ''Not for scholars. Manuscripts in the vernacular from the hermetic tradition.''(Hermesreeks 17-2), 15pp. * ''From Poimandres to Jacob Böhme: Gnosis, Hermetism and the Christian Tradition.'' Red. R. van den Broek en C. van Heertum. (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 4). 432 pp. Index, illus. * ''Rosenkreuz als europäisches Phänomen im 17. Jahrhundert.'' Red. F. Niewöhner en C. Gilly. (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 7). 406 pp. Index, illus. * Gilles Quispel. ''Valentinus de gnosticus en zijn Evangelie der Waarheid'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 8). 147 pp. Illus. * lso available as e-book:Antonin Gadal. ''De triomf van de universele gnosis.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 9). 232 pp. Illus. (reprinted 2006) * Gilles Quispel. ''Het Evangelie van Thomas.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 10). 380 pp. Illus. (3rd rev. ed. 2005) * Johannes van Oort en Gilles Quispel. ''De Keulse Mani-Codex.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 11). 248 pp. Illus., index. * Theodor Harmsen. ''Drink uit deze bron'. Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, geïnspireerd humanist en toegewijd tekstbezorger.'' (Hermesreeks 18-1), 64 pp. Drink from this fountain'. Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, inspired humanist and dedicated editor.'' (Hermesreeks 18-2), 64 pp. * Martine Meuwese (ed.), ''King Arthur in the Netherlands.'' (Hermesreeks 19), 71 pp., illus. (2nd ed. 2005) * Cis van Heertum. ''Philosophia symbolica. Johann Reuchlin and the Kabbalah.'' (Hermesreeks 20), 107 pp. * lso available as e-book:Antonin Gadal. ''Le Triomphe de la Gnose universelle.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 12). 232 pp. Illus. * lso available as e-book:Antonin Gadal. ''Der Triumph der Universellen Gnosis.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 12). 232. pp. Illus. * lso available as e-book:Antonin Gadal. ''El Triunfo de la Gnosis Universal.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 14). 232 pp. Illus. * Roelof van den Broek, ''Hermes Trismegistus. Inleiding, teksten, commentaren.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 15), 366 pp. * ''Jacob Böhmes Weg in die Welt. Zur Geschichte der Handschriftensammlung, Übersetzungen und Editionen van Abhraham Willemszoon van Beyerland.'' Red. Theodor Harmsen (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 16), 450 pp. illus. * ''Libertas philosophandi. Spinoza als gids voor een vrije wereld.'' Red. Cis van Heertum (Asclepiusreeks 1), 336 pp. (3rd rev. ed 2009) * Theodor Harmsen: ''Der magische Schriftsteller Gustav Meyrink, seine Freunde und sein Werk. Beleuchtet anhand eines Rundgangs durch die Meyrink-Sammlung der Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam, unter Verwendung weiterer Sammlungen''. Amsterdam, In de Pelikaan, 2009 * ''Puti germes. Obzor vystavok vo Florencii, Benecii i Amsterdame, a teperʹ - v Moskve''. (Vert. Anna Moščevitina). Amsterdam, In de Pelikaan, 2008. * lso available as e-book:Helen Wüstefeld & Anne Korteweg. Sleutel tot licht. ''Getijdenboeken in de Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica.'' (Asclepiusreeks 2), 155 pp., illus. * lso available as e-book:Roelof van den Broek, ''Gnosis in de Oudheid.'' (Pimander. Texts and Studies published by the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica 18), 532 pp. Illus. With an index. * lso available as e-book:Cis van Heertum, ''Alchemie aan de Amstel. Over hermetische geneeskunde , Alchemy on the Amstel. On Hermetic medicine'' (Hermesreeks 23). 66; 66 pp., illus. * lso available as e-bookJosé Bouman & Cis van Heertum, ''A curious Tsar: Peter the Great and discovering nature's secrets in Amsterdam'' (Hermesreeks 24), 59 pp., illus. * lso available as e-book:José Bouman & Cis van Heertum, ''Beauty as the Imprint of the Cosmos'' (Hermesreeks 25), 68 pp., illus. * lso available as e-book:José Bouman & Cis van Heertum, ''Schoonheid als de afdruk van de kosmos'' (Hermesreeks 26), 68 pp., illus. * F.A. Janssen et al.: ''Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica. J.R. Ritman Library, Amsterdam''. Amsterdam, 1997. Geen ISBN. * Margaret Lane Ford: ''Christ, Plato, Hermes Trismegistus. The dawn of printing. Catalogue of the incunabula in the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica''. Amsterdam, In de Pelikaan, 1990. 2 vols. * (Ed.), Heertum Cis van, and Cis van Heertum. ''Divine Wisdom, Divine Nature: The Message of the Rosicrucian Manifestoes in the Visual Language of the Seventeenth Century''. Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, 2017. * Bouman, José. Heertum, Cis. Koch, Natalie. Andrews, Corey. ''The Rosicrucian Revolution: Tradition and Renewal''. Amsterdam: In de Pelikaan, 2022.

References

External links

Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica

Youtube Channel of The Ritman Library

Feature documentary film
{{Authority control Private libraries Hermeticism Libraries in Amsterdam Buildings and structures in Amsterdam