Results for “religious history”

Key of Solomon

The Key of Solomon is a transmitted family of magical texts concerning preparation, ritual, and ceremonial instruments. It should be distinguished from the five-part Lesser Key of Solomon.

Temptation of Jesus

The temptation of Jesus is an encounter with Satan in the wilderness narrated by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Its differing forms connect hunger, divine sonship, scriptural argument, worldly rule, and worship.

Mastema

Mastema is a leader of harmful spirits in the Book of Jubilees. His appearances in the stories of Noah, Abraham, and Moses connect temptation, accusation, and hostility with a power that remains subject to divine limits.

The Satanic Bible

Anton LaVey’s 1969 book of Satanic philosophy and ritual, foundational to the Church of Satan.

Gnostic Mass

The central public liturgy of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, written by Aleister Crowley as Liber XV.

Kenneth Grant

A British occult writer associated with the Typhonian current, Thelema, and the work of Austin Osman Spare.

Order of Nine Angles (O9A)

Azazel

Azazel is a figure associated with the Day of Atonement in Leviticus, a rebellious Watcher in 1 Enoch, and a demonological and occult figure in later traditions. This article traces the development of Azazel from ancient Jewish texts through later demonology and modern Satanic interpretations.

Cimejes

A mounted Goetic marquis associated with grammar, rhetoric, logic, and hidden treasure.

Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis

A modern Rosicrucian organization, usually called AMORC, that teaches through lessons and local study groups.

Ars Almadel

An angelic art in the Lemegeton, using a wax tablet, candles, and a hierarchy of heavenly altitudes.

Gospel of Judas

An early Christian revelation dialogue preserved in Coptic, known from the manuscript called Codex Tchacos.

Samael

Samael appears in Jewish interpretive literature in roles that vary between texts. His relationship with Satan, the serpent, and other figures should be described source by source.

Bael

Bael is a ranked spirit in early modern magical catalogues. The Goetic figure should be distinguished from the wider use of the ancient title Baal.

Dictionnaire infernal

Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire infernal gathered supernatural traditions in a dictionary format. Its 1863 entries and illustrations remain influential in modern depictions of spirits.

Picatrix

Picatrix is the Latin title associated with an influential Arabic work of astral magic. Its cosmological and ritual framework differs from a catalogue of Goetic spirits.

Satan in Job

Job 1–2 presents Satan in a heavenly assembly and in a dispute about Job’s righteousness. The passage should be read before later accounts of Satan’s origins are supplied.

Revelation and the dragon

Revelation 12 identifies its dragon with the Devil and Satan. The chapter’s imagery should be read in its apocalyptic narrative before being used to interpret other passages.

Book of Giants

The Book of Giants names a fragmentary Jewish Enochic work represented at Qumran and a related Manichaean adaptation. Its surviving witnesses concern the offspring of the Watchers, ominous dreams, Enoch, and impending judgment.

Malleus Maleficarum

The Malleus Maleficarum is a Latin treatise associated with the inquisitor Heinrich Kramer. It combined demonological argument with proposals for prosecuting alleged witches. Its allegations, treatment of women, and influence require critical historical reading.