''Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition'' is a

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

book by British historian

Frances A. Yates Dame Frances Amelia Yates (28 November 1899 – 29 September 1981) was an English historian of the Renaissance, who wrote books on esoteric history. After attaining an MA in French at University College London, she began to publish her resear ...

. The book delves into the history of

Hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

and its influence upon Renaissance philosophy and

Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (; ; la, Iordanus Brunus Nolanus; born Filippo Bruno, January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, poet, cosmological theorist, and Hermetic occultist. He is known for his cosmolo ...

. With the publication of ''Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition'', Yates transformed

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians hav ...

. In it, she revealed the hermeticism with which the Renaissance was imbued, and the revived interest in mysticism, magic and

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Judaism, Jewish and Early Christianity, early Christian sects. These ...

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English has ...

that survived the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. In the face of longstanding conventional interpretations, Yates suggested that the itinerant Catholic priest Giordano Bruno was

burned at the stake Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment ...

in 1600 for espousing the Hermetic tradition rather than his affirmation of heliocentricity.

Reception

The book is cited by the bestselling British author

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''Th ...

, as a central inspiration for his own writing. Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters, the editors of the book ''Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History'' stated in the 2001 second edition of their collection of historical documents on the witchcraft hysteria that "this classic work

BHT BHT may refer to: * Berliner Hochschule für Technik, is the second largest University of Applied Sciences in Berlin * Black hairy tongue * Blue Hill Troupe, a New York City-based musical theatre company * Boğaziçi Hava Taşımacılığı, a f ...

remains" among the best of its kind on the subject.

References

{{Reflist 1964 non-fiction books Giordano Bruno Philosophy books Renaissance philosophy Medieval philosophical literature Renaissance humanism Academic studies of ritual and magic

Reception

See also

References