Robert Turner

Arbatel: On the Magic of the Ancients

The Arbatel De Magia Veterum (Arbatel: On the Magic of the Ancients) was a Latin grimoire of renaissance ceremonial magic published in 1575 in Switzerland. It mainly focuses on the relationship between humanity, celestial hierarchies, and the positive relationship between the two. A. E. Waite writes that the book is devoid of black magic and without any connection to the Greater or Lesser Keys of Solomon. Unlike other grimoires, the Arbatel exhorts the magus to remain active in their community (instead of isolating themselves), favoring kindness, charity, and honesty over remote and obscure rituals. The book has a Christian nature, with many quotes from the Bible being used throughout. This translation by Robert Turner remains the most popular version in the English-speaking world.