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<p>This article deals with the ways evil was conceptualized in the works of Cornelius Agrippa, the most important German representative of the Renaissance humanist current often labelled as Hermetic Neoplatonism. In a heterodox fashion of blending various Christian and non-Christian concepts developed by Marsilio Ficino, Agrippa attempted to further Christianize some aspects of Hermetic and Neoplatonic theology, cosmology and anthropology. This entailed a new interpretation of pagan deities and demons, which Renaissance Neoplatonists in general sought to disconnect from the exclusive domain of evil. A significant aspect of Agrippa’s syncretistic attempt was his interpretation of the origin and locus of evil, which, as I argue, reveals a tense coexistence of the classical Thomist concept of <italic>privatio boni</italic> and anthropological dualism of possibly Gnostic provenance.</p>
</abstract>

This article deals with the ways evil was conceptualized in the works of Cornelius Agrippa, the most important German representative of the Renaissance humanist current often labelled as Hermetic Neoplatonism. In a heterodox fashion of blending various Christian and non-Christian concepts developed by Marsilio Ficino, Agrippa attempted to further Christianize some aspects of Hermetic and Neoplatonic theology, cosmology and anthropology. This entailed a new interpretation of pagan deities and demons, which Renaissance Neoplatonists in general sought to disconnect from the exclusive domain of evil. A significant aspect of Agrippa’s syncretistic attempt was his interpretation of the origin and locus of evil, which, as I argue, reveals a tense coexistence of the classical Thomist concept of privatio boni and anthropological dualism of possibly Gnostic provenance.

<italic>Daemones Boni et Mali</italic>: The Locus of Evil in Renaissance Hermetic Neoplatonism

Review of Ecumenical Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

: The Locus of Evil in Renaissance Hermetic Neoplatonism

This article deals with the ways evil was conceptualized in the works of Cornelius Agrippa, the most important German representative of the Renaissance...

Daemones Boni et Mali: The Locus of Evil in Renaissance Hermetic Neoplatonism

Published Online: Jul 18, 2024

Page range: 53 - 70

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2024-0005

Keywords
Cornelius Agrippa, Marsilio Ficino, Evil, Body, Soul, Anthropological Dualism

© 2024 Noel Putnik, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Daemones Boni et Mali: The Locus of Evil in Renaissance Hermetic Neoplatonism

Published Online: Jul 18, 2024

Page range: 53 - 70

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ress-2024-0005

KeywordsCornelius Agrippa, Marsilio Ficino, Evil, Body, Soul, Anthropological Dualism

© 2024 Noel Putnik, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Cornelius Agrippa, Marsilio Ficino, Evil, Body, Soul, Anthropological Dualism