Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy

[Chalde]ans, then the Phoenicians, and lastly the Egyptian Priests, attained Astrology and Divine knowledge.

Without doubt, Hermes Trismegistus A legendary Hellenistic figure portrayed as a combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, credited with writing the foundational texts of Hermeticism., that divine Magician and Philosopher who (as some say) lived long before Noah, attained great Divine knowledge of the Creator through the study of Magic and Astrology; as his writings, which remain with us to this day, testify.

The third kind of Magic contains the entire Philosophy of Nature; it brings to light the innermost virtues In early modern science, "virtues" refers to the inherent powers, properties, or medicinal "essence" of a substance. and extracts them out of Nature's hidden bosom for human use. These are the "virtues hidden in the very center of the center," original: Virtutes in centro centri latentes according to the Chemists A term often used interchangeably with Alchemists in this period.. Of this sort were Albertus Albertus Magnus (c. 1200–1280), a friar and philosopher known for his work in the natural sciences., Arnold of Villanova, Raymond Ramon Llull (c. 1232–1316), a Majorcan philosopher and polymath., Bacon Roger Bacon (c. 1219–1292), an English philosopher and friar who emphasized the study of nature through empiricism., and others, etc.

The Magic these men professed is defined in this way: "Magic is the connection, made by a wise man, of natural active agents with passive subjects that correspond to them, so that works may be produced which cause wonder in those who are ignorant of the causes." original: Magia est connexio a viro sapiente agentium per naturam cum patientibus sibi, congruenter respondentibus, ut inde opera prodeant, non sine eorum admiratione qui causam ignorant. Magic is the connection of natural agents and patients In the physics of the time, an "agent" is the force that acts, and a "patient" is the matter that receives the action., answerable each to the other, wrought by a wise man to bring forth such effects as are wonderful to those who do not know their causes.

In all these matters, Zoroaster was well-learned, especially in the first and the highest branch. For in his Oracles, he confesses God to be the first and the highest; he believes in the Trinity, which he would not investigate by any natural knowledge; he speaks of Angels and of Paradise; he approves the immortality of the soul, and teaches Truth, Faith, Hope, and Love, while discussing the abstinence and charity of the Magi The priestly caste of ancient Persia, from which the word "magic" is derived..