Manuscript "Mafte'ah Shlomo" – Facsimile
Facsimile of the manuscript of Mafte'ah Shlomo, Hermann Gollancz [editor].
Mafte'ah Shlomo deals with practical kabbala:
Incantations, amulets and various names. The book's source is in Latin, thereafter it was translated into Hebrew. It is attributed to King Solomon.
Good condition.
The discovery of a Hebrew text in the library of Samuel H. Gollancz was published by his son Hermann Gollancz in 1903
, who also published a facsimile edition in 1914.
Gollancz' manuscript had been copied in Amsterdam, in Sephardic
An edition of the Latin manuscripts of the British Library was published by S. L. MacGregor Mathers in 1889. L. W. de Laurence in 1914 published "The Greater Key of Solomon",
The Key of Solomon is divided into two books. It describes the necessary drawings to prepare each "experiment" or, in more modern language, magical operations.
Before any of these operations (termed "experiments") are performed, the operator must confess his sins and purge himself of evil, invoking the protection of God.
Elaborate preparations are necessary, and each of the numerous items used in the operator's "experiments" must be constructed of the appropriate materials obtained in the prescribed manner, at the appropriate astrological time, marked with a specific set of magical symbols, and blessed with its own specific words. All substances needed for the magic drawings and amulets are detailed, as well as the means to purify and prepare them. Many of the symbols incorporate the Transitus Fluvii occult alphabet.
Introduction
According to the mythical history of the document, as recorded in its introduction, Solomon wrote the book for his son Rehoboam, and commanded him to hide the book in his sepulchre upon his death. After many years the book was discovered by a group of Babylonian philosophers repairing Solomon's tomb. None could interpret the text, until one of them, Iohé Grevis, suggested that they should ask the Lord for understanding. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and extracted a promise that he would keep the text
hidden from the unworthy and the wicked, after which he was able to read it plainly. Iohé Grevis then placed a spell on the book that the unworthy, the unwise or those who did not fear God would not attain the desired effect from any of the workings contained in the book.
Reprinted in Jerusalem
In a limited number of copies