The book of the Wise Men

Eliphas Levi is the pseudonym of Alphonse-Louis Constant (1810-1875), a French ecclesiastic and a leading figure in occultism.

In this book, one of Levi’s last writings, he formulates his convictions in a clear and accessible way. His literary range is on display as he presents himself in a series of short, rich fictional dialogues with representatives of “all the religious and philosophical polemics of the present day”: a reactionary Catholic apologist, a priest, a philosopher, a pantheist, a Jew, a Protestant, a doctor, a scientist, a spiritualist and finally an esotericist like himself.

He highlights his differences and often surprising agreements with each of these worldviews. In the second half of the book, Lévi formulates his doctrine in a series of short, topical chapters with enumerated aphorisms. These touch on religion, morality, nature, (animal) magnetism, death, Satan, occultism, faith, science and other subjects.

Éliphas Lévi Zahed (1810-1875), a French esotericist and writer, began his career in the Catholic Church but later became a ceremonial magician. He gained recognition for his original thinking and writings on magic, Kabbalah, alchemy, and occultism. Using the pen name Éliphas Lévi, he left the Grand Orient de France due to the loss of the original meanings of its symbols and rituals. Influenced by authors like Joseph de Maistre and Paracelsus, Levi’s works attracted attention in Paris and London among esotericists and artists inspired by romantic or symbolist ideas.