The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume I

Name: The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume I
Author: Attributed to Abraham the Jew

Book of Hieroglyphic Figures

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The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume IGood and Evil Angels · Manuscript 53r · Scan 133

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Good and Evil Angels · Manuscript 53r · Scan 133

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French

Ms. 53r

choses d'ici-bas, qu'ils ont appelés origine, et d'autres certaines vertus occultes, et esprits invisibles, destinés à conduire et disposer les choses sensibles et matérielles, qu'ils ont prétendu être corporels, et comme sans corps, et conséquemment mortels et matériels. Mais ils se sont trompés dans leur opinion en confondant cette espèce intellectuelle avec l'esprit universel dont nous avons parlé, ce qui ne se peut faire parce qu'ils sentaient la lie des qualités élémentaires, corruptibles et mortelles.

Or Dieu a créé tous ces ministres de la source du néant comme toutes les choses créées qui tombent sous la vue. Nos docteurs et théologiens suivent ces trois divisions des anges et en partagent encore chaque ordre en trois qu'ils appellent hiérarchie ou chœurs et leur attribuent à tous différents emplois dont il est à propos de se taire ici. Pour expliquer ce qu'en disent les théologiens hébreux, ils appellent les premiers de ces anges, anges de toute sainteté; Dieu se sert d'eux pour donner la première existence des choses à toutes choses; il se sert des seconds pour faire sortir toutes les idées de formes répandues dans le chaos ou les limbes; des troisièmes pour imprimer les formes à tout ce qui doit être créé; des quatrièmes pour leur donner

The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume I: Good and Evil Angels

Ms. 53r

things below, whom they called ‘origin’, and others certain occult powers and invisible spirits destined to direct and arrange sensible, material things. They claimed these to be corporeal and as though bodiless, and consequently mortal and material. But they erred in their opinion by confusing this intellectual kind with the universal spirit of which we have spoken. This cannot be done, because they sensed the dregs of elemental, corruptible and mortal qualities.

Now God created all these ministers from the source of nothingness, like every created thing that falls within sight. Our teachers and theologians follow these three divisions of angels and further divide each order into three, which they call hierarchies or choirs. They attribute different offices to all of them, about which it is fitting to remain silent here. To explain what Hebrew theologians say of them: they call the first of these angels angels of all holiness. God uses them to give all things their first existence; the second to bring forth all the ideas of forms scattered throughout chaos or limbo; the third to impress forms upon everything to be created; and the fourth to give them

About This Reading Edition

The first manuscript in the Manly Palmer Hall collection at the Getty Research Institute: the Book of Hieroglyphic Figures, presented in French and English with 463 explanatory notes, 13 manuscript plates, 25 source details, an introduction, chapter outline, glossary, bibliography, and register of readings.

Historical Text and Translation

Book of Hieroglyphic Figures (Livre des figures hiéroglyphiques), attributed in the witness to Abraham the Jew. Getty Research Institute, Manly Palmer Hall collection of alchemical manuscripts, accession 950053, Box 1, Hogart manuscript 3; French witness catalogued circa 1800. Manly Palmer Hall is the collector, not the author.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

The circa 1800 source manuscript is public domain. The supplied 2026 French reading transcription, English translation, introduction, notes, outline, glossary, register, and editorial arrangement are published with the site owner’s authorization. Source photographs are credited to the Getty Research Institute and Internet Archive in the supplied edition.