Magical Treatise of Solomon

The Magical Treatise of Solomon, also known as the Hygromanteia (Greek: Ὑγρομαντεία) or Solomonikê (Greek: Σολομωνική), is a collection of late Byzantine grimoires. A pseudepigraphon, the book was written in medieval Greek and purports to contain Solomon's instructions to his son Rehoboam on various magical techniques and tools. It includes guides on how to summon and control spirits and their powers, instructions on the selection of charms and the magical uses of herbs, as well as different means of divination and astrological beliefs. The Magical Treatise survives in fragments from a number of manuscripts dating from the 15th century CE. The book has been important for the history of European magic, serving as a link between the earlier Greek magical practices and the later grimoires of Western Europe. During the early modern period, the book began to be translated in Latin, becoming the source for future European grimoires, most notably the Key of Solomon.

History

Composition

The oldest preserved manuscripts of the Magical Treatise date from the 14th century, and the majority from the 15th century CE. Torijano (2002) asserts that the text originates from the early Byzantine period and it might have been composed in Italy, as the Greek text appears to be particularly well-composed and it shows some Italian influence. He further suggests that, due to the lack of obvious signs of Christianization in the text, the work preserves much older material that could go as far back as the early centuries of the common era; a theory that is either accepted or at least regarded as plausible. Marathakis (2011) writes that if, according to Torijano, the text was first composed in Italy, it would have been some time between the 6th and 11th centuries, when parts of Italy were under Byzantine rule. Nevertheless, Marathakis finds it more probable that the work was in fact composed in Venetian-ruled Crete some time between the 13th or 14th centuries. McCown argued that the book was known to Byzantine scholars prior to the 13th century based on Niketas Choniates' reference of a certain "Solomonic book", which allowed sorcerers to summon demons in legions.