JOURNAL ARTICLE

Written in the Stars? Alphabets and Angels in Early Modern Europe.

  • Published In: Journal of the History of Ideas, 2025, v. 86, n. 3. P. 473 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Macfarlane, Kirsten 3 of 3

Abstract

This article reconstructs the early modern growth of interest in Brillenbuchstaben , the mysterious characters commonly found in medieval Jewish kabbalistic manuscripts. It charts the confused process by which these characters were granted authority among learned Christians as alphabets derived from the stars and authored by the angels themselves. It argues that by the mid-seventeenth century, these ideas had become mainstream enough to pose serious threats (in the eyes of at least one respected theologian) to the traditional Christian understanding of angels. It concludes with reflections on the significance of these findings for the history of knowledge in early modern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of the History of Ideas. 2025/07, Vol. 86, Issue 3, p473
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0022-5037
  • DOI:10.1353/jhi.2025.a966903
  • Accession Number:187213923
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Journal of the History of Ideas is the property of University of Pennsylvania Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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