The Magical Oracles

in Plethon’s time. Perhaps it was because Proclus was so closely associated with theurgy, which was not so important for Plethon.

This brings us to the end of the Golden Chain along which Plethon traced his philosophical lineage. It is his version of the ancient theology or perennial philosophy.

Another important source for Plethon’s theology—and also for other Neoplatonists— was the Magical Oracles, which were inspired (or channeled) verses treated almost as sacred scripture; it has been called the “Bible of the Neoplatonists.” 64 Nowadays they are most commonly known as the Chaldean Oracles, but Plethon attributed them to the Zoroastrian Magi and therefore called them the Magical Oracles (Μαγικὰ Λόγια, Magika Logia).65 There is nothing particularly “Chaldean” (Babylonian) about them, except that Neoplatonists attributed them to Julian the Chaldean and his son Julian the Theurgist (second century CE). They were not called “Chaldean Oracles” before Ficino did so in his fifteen-century Latin translation, but that name spread in Christian circles; the Pagan Neoplatonists usually called them simply “the oracles” (τὰ λόγια, ta logia).

Today the oracles survive only in fragments; the biggest is a dozen lines long, but many are only a word or two. Plethon’s text includes thirty-six distinct oracles comprising a total of sixty lines. Most of these had been collected already in the eleventh century CE by Michael Psellos, a Byzantine scholar, who was Christian but accused of Paganism for his interest in Platonism. Plethon did not include six of the oracles that Psellos listed, perhaps because they were too magical for his taste, and he corrected the text of several others.

The Magical Oracles are quite obscure and they must be interpreted allegorically and symbolically to discern their meaning, which is why most of the Neoplatonists wrote commentaries on them; Plethon wrote two. The longer Commentary on the Magical Oracles of the Magi of Zoroaster presents the text of the oracles and discusses them line by line (see appendix C). Since the oracles have been recovered from many different sources, their original order is unknown, but Plethon arranges them systematically, beginning with those dealing with the human soul and ascending the scale of being

64. Majercik, Chaldean Oracles, 2. 65. Plethon, Commentary, epilogue.

up to the first principle. The shorter Brief Explanation of the More Obscure Passages in the Oracles provides an abbreviated summary of their meaning, but proceeding in the opposite order.66

The Magical Oracles influenced Plethon’s philosophy and theology, and so I will quote them and discuss his interpretation at the appropriate places in later chapters. Although not named in his Golden Chain, they are implicit in two essential links: Zoroaster and his Magi.

66. An English translation of Plethon’s oracle text and the Brief Explanation can be found in Woodhouse,

Plethon, 51–54. I have provided a translation of the Commentary, including my translations of the oracles in appendix C.

Body, Mind & Spirit / Paganism

A Complete Translation of the Surviving Contents of Plethon’s Renaissance-Era Book of Laws

George Gemistos (c. 1355–1452), who called himself “Plethon,” helped trigger the Renaissance by reawakening an interest in Platonism, but his secret book on its Neopagan theology was burned after his death. Only sixteen chapters of Plethon’s Book of Laws escaped the flames and, for the first time ever, they have been translated into English in their entirety. Through translations and commentary by John Opsopaus, PhD, you can immerse yourself in Plethon’s complete system of theology and religious practice focused on the Hellenic pantheon and deeply rooted in ancient Greek Paganism. This impressive guide features rituals, prayers, invocations, and hymns for daily and holiday use along with Plethon’s complete sacred calendar. Featuring instructions from the Book of Laws on conducting ceremonies, rites, and more, The Secret Texts of Hellenic Polytheism enhances your spiritual practice and understanding of Neoplatonic philosophy.

John Opsopaus, PhD, has practiced magic since the 1960s and his writing has been published in various magical and Neopagan magazines. He frequently presents workshops on Hellenic magic, Neopaganism, Pythagorean theurgy, and spiritual practices. John is a retired university professor with more than forty-five years of experience reading ancient Greek and Latin. He is also the author of Oracles of Apollo. John lives in Tennessee and can be found online at www.Opsopaus.com.

“John Opsopaus has reached into the fire and retrieved Plethon’s work for us to study. Moreover, he does so with a deep knowledge of the Pagan philosophy of the Hellenistic world, explaining Plethon’s ideas and framing them understandably for us to use.”

—Brandy Williams, author of Practical Magic for Beginners

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