The Sworn Book of Honorius, or Liber Juratus Honorii, is a medieval magical work attributed to Honorius of Thebes. Its prologue presents the book as a means of preserving secret knowledge during persecution. The attribution and narrative belong to the work's literary claim to authority.[1]
Divine vision and sacred names#
One of the work's central aims is a vision of the divine. Elaborate prayers, sacred names, observances, and the Seal of God form part of its preparation. Other sections concern angels and spirits, placing several kinds of operation within a larger sacred framework.[1]
The book's language often resembles devotion, even as the intended effects place it in the history of ritual magic. The Ars Notoria offers related prayers and a comparable concern with extraordinary knowledge. Their relationship can be studied through actual phrases and manuscript transmission, rather than through the broad label “Solomonic.”[2]
Honorius is not a single grimoire#
The Sworn Book should be distinguished from the later Grimoire of Pope Honorius. The two titles have encouraged confusion, but the named authorities, textual histories, and contents differ. A source referring only to “Honorius” may therefore require more precise identification.
Peterson's edition compares Latin and English witnesses and supplies a manuscript-based view of the work. Its seals and sacred names are best read in that context. Isolating a diagram from the prayers and observances can obscure the religious understanding through which the text expects it to function.
See also#
References
- Liber Juratus Honorii, Joseph H. Peterson edition (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
- Ars Notoria, Joseph H. Peterson edition · Related prayer tradition for textual comparison. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩