Of the Virtue of Writing, and of Making Magical Books
Perrone Compagni — Table of Comparison
1533 edition (1:61): new
This chapter, mae appetitu ac passionibus voluntatis (“Of the Virtue of Writing, and of Making Magical Books”), occupies a significant place in Agrippa's systematic exposition of occult philosophy. In the 1533 Cologne printed edition (De occulta philosophia libri tres, sigla K in Perrone Compagni's critical apparatus), the text represents Agrippa's mature formulation of the ideas it addresses, the product of over two decades of reading, travel, and revision since the composition of the Würzburg draft.
According to Perrone Compagni's table of comparison, this chapter is entirely new in the 1533 edition: it has no antecedent in the Würzburg draft (W). Its presence marks one of the conceptual expansions that distinguish K from W — the addition of material reflecting Agrippa's subsequent reading and intellectual development.
The absence of this chapter from the Würzburg draft invites reflection on what prompted its insertion in the mature edition. Agrippa's intellectual biography between 1510 and 1530 — including his engagement with Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, Hermetism, and scholastic natural philosophy — provides the context for understanding such additions. The partial edition A (sigla A in Perrone Compagni) may offer clues about when the material was composed.
Scholarly Perspectives
The chapter on magical books and writing extends the language-theory of I:60 into the domain of inscribed signs. Miles (2008) notes that the apparent endorsement of inherently powerful written characters sits in tension with deeper passages in Book III that deny intrinsic power to all linguistic signs. Lehrich (2003) interprets the written magical book as a kind of material analogue of Scripture: just as the Bible embodies the Word of God in text, the magical book attempts to embody divine virtues in specially prepared physical form.