PEREIRA, Benito

by Benito Pereira

£3,250 · Offered by Sokol Books

Scarce edition of this fascinating and successful treatise on magic, dreams and divination, and superstition, first printed in 1591. Benito Pereyra, SJ (1530-1610) was a major Spanish theologian, philosopher and exegete, and an influential professor at the Collegium Romanum. Inspired by his lectures, his numerous works, on subjects including psychology and mathematics, played an important role in the formation of the principles of Jesuit science . His metaphysics and psychology in particular had a significant impact on Protestant Germany and Holland (Lamanna, Benet Perera , 273). Based on ancient and modern sources, including Ficino, it groups together texts Pereyra had published as part of previous works: a chapter on alchemy from De principiis , and two on dreams and astrology from his commentaries to the Book of Daniel and Genesis (Bulm, Benedictus , 293). Pereyra begins the first book by distinguishing natural magic, based on the concealed and evident properties of things, from magic devoid of reason and truth, false and damaging, connected with demons, fraud and maleficia , a danger to society. He proceeds with a study of demonic powers, with the assistance of magicians, the nature of miracles, as well as astrology, the kabbalah, necromancy and alchemy, with a conclusion on the origins of magic. The famous psychologist C.G. Jung devoted a long footnote in his Psychology and Religion to Pereyra s excellent tract about dreams, the second part of De Magia . Pereyra identifi

• Binding: Hardcover

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