www.GetPedia.com Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets Nye Abraham, The Jew: (Alchemist and magician, circa, 1400). work this consisting of some account of Abraham's youth and early Comparatively few biographical facts are forthcoming concerning travels in search of wisdom, along with advice to the young man this German Jew, who was at once alchemist, magician and aspiring to become skilled in occult arts. The second part, on the philosopher; and these few facts are mostly derived from a very other hand, is base on the documents which the Egyptian sage curious manuscript, now domiciled in the Archives of the handed the Jew, or at least on the confidences wherewith the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, Paris, an institution rich in occult former favoured the latter; and it may be fairly accurately defined documents. This manuscript is couched throughout in French, but as dealing with the first principles of magic in general, the titles of purports to be literally translated from Hebrew, and the style of the some of the more important chapter being as follows: " How Many, handwriting indicates that the scribe lived at the beginning of the and what are the Classe of Veritable Magic ? " - What we Ought to eighteenth century, or possibly somewhat earlier. Take int Consideration before the Undertaking of the Operation, " Concerning the Convocation of the Spirits, " and " I what Manner A distinct illiteracy characterises the French script, the we ought to Carry out the Operations. punctuation being inaccurate, indeed frequently conspicuous by its absence, but an actual description of the document must be Passing to the third and last part, this likewise is most derived waived till later. Abraham was probably a native of Mayence, straight from Abra-Melin; and here the author eschewing having come thence after the exile of the Jews from Spain, and theoretical matter as far as possible, gives information about the appears to have been born in 1362. We find that his father, Simon actual practice of magic. In the first place he tells how " To by name, was something of a seer and magician, and that the boy procure divers Visions, - How one may retain the Familiar Spirits, accordingly commenced his occult studies under the parental bound or free in whatsoever form, " and how " To excite Tempests, guidance, while at a later date he studied under one, Moses, whom while in one chapter he treats of raising the dead, anoth he devotes he himself describes as " indeed a good man, but entirely ignorant to the topic of transforming oneself into " dive shapes and forms, " of The True Mystery, and of The Veritable Magic." and in further pages he descants o flying in the air, on demolishing buildings, on discovering thefts, and on walking under the water. Leaving this preceptor, Abraham decided to glean knowledge by Then he dilates o the Thaumaturgic healing of leprosy, dropsy, travelling, and along with a friend called Samuel, a Bohemian, by paralysis and various more common ailments such as fever and se birth, he wandered through Austria and Hungary into Greece, and sickness, while he offers intelligence on - How to be b loved by a thence penetrated to Constantinople, where he remained fully two Woman, " and this he supplements by direction for commanding years. He is found next in Arabia, in those days a veritable centre the favour of popes, emperors, and oth influential people. of mystic learning; and from Arabia he went to Palestine, whence betimes he proceeded to Egypt. Here he had the good fortune to Finally, he reverts to the question summoning visions, and his make the acquaintance of Abra Melin, the famous Egyptian penultimate chapter is titled, " How to cause Armed Men to philosopher, who, besides entrusting to him certain documents, Appear, " while the concluding pages treat of evoking " Comedies, confided in him by word of mouth a number of invaluable secrets; Opera and all kinds of Music and Dances." It is by employing and armed thus, Abraham left Egypt for Europe, where eventually Kabalistic squares of letters that a these things are to be achieved, he settled in Germany, some say at Wurzburg, but better or at least, almost all them, and lack of space makes it impossible authorities posit Frankfurt. to deal with the many different signs of this sort, whose use he counsels. Soon he was deep in alchemistic researches, but these did not prevent him from espousing a wife, who appears to have been his It should be said, in justice to the author that he manifests little cousin Matilde Stein; and by her he had three daughters and also selfishness, and seems to have striven after success in his craft two sons, the elder named Joseph and the younger Lamech. with a view to using for the benefit of mankind in general. His writings are besides, a firm belief in that higher self existing in He took great pains to instruct both of them in occul affairs, while, man, and a keen desire to develop it. on each of his three daughters, he settled a dowry of a hundred thousand golden florins. This considerable sum, together with Abraxas: (or Abracax). The Basilidian (q.v., ) sect Gnostics, of the other vast wealth, he claim to have gained by travelling as an second century, claimed Abraxas as the supreme god, and said alchemist; and whateve the truth of this statement, he certainly that Jesus Christ was only a phantom sent to earth by him. They won great fame being summoned to perform acts of magic before believed that his name contained great mysteries, as it was man rich and influential people, notably the Emperor Sigismun of composed of the se Greek letters which form the number 363, Germanv, the Bishop of Wurzburg, King Henry VI. of England, the which is also number of days in a year. Abraxas, they thought, Duke of Bavaria, and Pope John XXIII under his command 365 gods, to whom they attrib 365 virtues, one for each day. The older Mythology placed him among the number The remainder of Abraham's career is shrouded in mystery while of Egyptian gods, demonologists have described him a - a demon, even the date of his death is uncertain, but it i commonly supposed with head of a king and with serpents forming his feet. to have occurred about 1460. The curious manuscript cited above, Represented on ancient amulets, with a whip in his. It is from his and from which the foregoing facts have been culled, is entitled name that the mystic word, Abracad (q.v.) is taken. The Book the, Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech. The volume was translated Adepts: Adepts are men who after stern self-denial and by means around 1899 by one of the founders of the modern British Golden of consistent self-development, have fitted themselves to assist in Dawn, and long time Imperator of its Paris Lodge, MacGregor the ruling of the world. The means by which this position is (Samuel Liddell) Mathers. attained is said to be long and arduous, but in the end the Successful one has fulfilled the purpose for which he was created This title, however, is rather misleading, and not strictly accurate, and transcends his fellows. The activities of Adepts are for Abra-Melin ha absolutely no hand in the opening part of the multifarious, being concerned with the direction and guidance of - 1 - Nye Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets the activities of the rest of mankind. Their knowledge, like their powers, say Theosophists, far exceeds that of man, and they can Agathodemon: A good demon, worshipped by the Egyptians under control forces both in the spiritual and the physical realm, and are the shape of a serpent with a human head. The dragons or flying said to be able to prolong their lives for centuries. serpents venerated by the ancients were also called Agathodemons, or good genies. They are also known as the Great White Brotherhood, Great Hermetic Order, Rishis, Rahats, or Mahatmas. Those who Agla: A kabalistic word used by the rabbis for the exorcisms of the earnestly desire to work for the betterment of the world may evil spirit. It is made up of the initial letters of the Hebrew words, become apprentices or chelas to Adepts, in which case the latter Athah gabor leolam, Ado-nai, meaning, " Thou art powerful and are known as " masters, " but the apprentice must first have eternal, Lord." Not only among the Jews was this word employed, practised self-denial and self-development in order to become but among the more superstitious Christians it was a favourite sufficiently worthy. The master imparts teaching and wisdom weapon with which to combat the evil one, even so late as the otherwise unattainable, and helps the apprentice by communion sixteenth century. It is also to be found in many books on magic, and inspiration. Madame Blavatsky (q.v.) alleged that she was the notablv in the Enchiridion of Pope Leo III. apprentice of these masters, and claimed that they dwelt in the Tibetan Mountains. The term Adept was also employed by Agrippa von Nettesheim, Henry Cornelius (1486-1535): Cornelius mediaeval magicians and alchemists to denote a master of their Agrippa - A German soldier and physician, and an adept in sciences. alchemy, astrology and magic. He was born at Cologne on the 14th of September, 1486, and educated at the University of Cologne. Adhab-Algal: The Mohammedan purgatory, where the wicked are While still a youth he served under Maximilian 1. of Germany. In tormented by the dark angels Munkir and Nekir.