''Semiphoras and Schemhamphorash'' (''Semiphoras und Schemhamphoras'') is the title of an occult or magic text of Jewish provenance, published in German by in 1686. It was based on the earlier Latin text, ''Liber Semiphoras'' (aka Semamphoras, Semyforas) attributed to

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

, which Luppius augmented heavily with passages from

Agrippa Agrippa may refer to: People Antiquity * Agrippa (mythology), semi-mythological king of Alba Longa * Agrippa (astronomer), Greek astronomer from the late 1st century * Agrippa the Skeptic, Skeptic philosopher at the end of the 1st century * Ag ...

's '' De occulta philosophia'' and other sources.

Sources used

It is heavily indebted to Sepher ha-Razim through its Latin versions, ''Liber Sepher Razielis idest Liber Secretorum seu Liber Salomonis'', and seemingly replaced the more explicitly magical text ''Liber magice'' in the

Alphonsine Alphonsine (pseudonym for Jeanne Benoit) (c. 1829 – 10 July 1883) was a French actress. She made her theatrical debut at the Gymnase-Enfantin, an entertainment venue formerly located near the Passage de l'Opéra (Galerie du Baromètre, leading ...

''Razielis''. This book was attested in 1260 by

Roger Bacon Roger Bacon (; or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the Scholastic accolades, scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English polymath, philosopher, scientist, theologian and Franciscans, Franciscan friar who placed co ...

, and mentioned by the Latin ''Liber Razielis'' (ms VRL 1300 2nd half of 14th ce, 36v).

Manuscripts

Manuscripts include Kassel, Univ. Bibl., 4° astron (dated 1346, L.1.f.20), Halle ULB 14-B-36, fols. 244-249 (especially fol. 246r – late 15th ce hand), 346, and 377v (16th ce hand). Also CLM 51 (1487, fols. 120v-123v), Archivio di Stato di Venezia Sant'Uffizio, b.93 titled ''Occultissimorum Liber'' (early 17th ce, pp. 1-44), Cornell 4600 Bd. ms. 150 pp. 1-4. British Library Sloane ms. 3846 in English (1564, fol. 155r-v), Sloane ms. 3826, and Sloane ms. 3318 (17th ce, fols. 119v-120r).

Availability of the German and English translations

E.M. Butler noted that the German translation appeared in J. C. Horst, ''Zauberbibliothek'' (Mainz, 1821-6, 6 vols. vol 3. and 4). The German text was later published by

Johann Scheible ''Das Kloster'' ("The Cloister"; full title ''Das Kloster. Weltlich und geistlich. Meist aus der ältern deutschen Volks-, Wunder-, Curiositäten-, und vorzugsweise komischen Literatur'' "The Cloister. Profane and sacred. Mostly from older German P ...

in his ''

Das Kloster ''Das Kloster'' ("The Cloister"; full title ''Das Kloster. Weltlich und geistlich. Meist aus der ältern deutschen Volks-, Wunder-, Curiositäten-, und vorzugsweise komischen Literatur'' "The Cloister. Profane and sacred. Mostly from older German P ...

'', (Stuttgart and Leipzig, 1846. 12 vols. Vol. 3), and later included in his edition of the so-called ''Das sechste und siebente Buch Mosis'', Achtente, sehr vermehrte Auflage, New York: Wm. Radde, 1865. An English translation based on Luppius is included in ''

Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses The ''Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses'' is an 18th- or 19th-century magical text allegedly written by Moses, and passed down as hidden (or lost) books of the Hebrew Bible. Self-described as "the wonderful arts of the old Hebrews, taken fr ...

'' Peterson 2008 pp. 141-168.

Appearances in lists of grimoires

The title was also mentioned among

grimoire A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divin ...

s by authors such as

Johannes Hartlieb Johannes Hartlieb (c. 1410Hartlieb's year of birth is unknown; his existence is first attested as the author of ''Kunst der Gedächtnüß'', written during 1430–32, and an estimate of his year of birth as either "c. 1400" or "c. 1410" can be ...

Meaning of the title

The title seems to be a Latinization of the

Kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

term

Shem HaMephorash ''Shem HaMephorash'' ( ''Šēm hamMəfōrāš'', also ''Shem ha-Mephorash''), meaning "the explicit name", was originally a Tannaitic term for the Tetragrammaton. In Kabbalah, it may refer to a name of God composed of either 4, 12, 22, 42, or 72 ...

, meaning "the explicit name" of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, as opposed to the many descriptive names such as "the Almighty."

Parallels to the ''Liber Salomonis''

"The Seven Semiphoras of Adam" and "The Seven Semiphoras of Moses" closely match book 7 of the ''

Liber Salomonis ''Sefer Raziel HaMalakh'' (, "the book of Raziel the angel") is a grimoire of Practical Kabbalah from the Middle Ages written primarily in Hebrew and Aramaic. ''Liber Razielis Archangeli'', its 13th-century Latin translation produced under Alfon ...

''.

Impact

Trithemius mentions it as one of his sources for his ''Steganographia''. It was also drawn on heavily by Agrippa in his book ''On Occult Philosophy'' on which see the new edition by V. Perrone Compagni. Agrippa, Heinrich, ''De occulta philosophia Libri Tres'', Köln, 1533. See abundant footnotes in critical edition by V. Perrone Compagni. Leiden. Leiden and London: Brill, 1992, starting on p. 129 ''et passim''.

References

External links

* LUPPIUS, Andreas
Semiphoras und Schemhamphoras - Salomonis Regis
1686. * HORST, Georg Conrad
Zauber-Bibliothek: oder, Von Zauberei, Theurgie und Mantik ..., Volume 4
* GRAVEWORM
Semiphoras and Schemhamphoras
(english translation) * EAGLE SPIRIT MINISTRY
Semiphoras and Schemhamphoras
(another english translation) 1686 non-fiction books Jewish grimoires Kabbalah texts {{occult-book-stub