Wikipedia's first sentence called it “known as the aim of the sage”. Today it says “a 400-page arabic book of magic and astrology”.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Picatrix or Ghâyat al-Hakîm fi'l-sihr is also known as The Aim of the Sage .1It has been attributed to al-Majriti an Andalusian Mathematician .2Originally written in Arabic , a Latin translation appeared in 1256 from the court of Alphonso X of Castile of Castille . The book had a major influence on West European magical thinking from Marsilio Ficino and Thomas Campanella to Ivan Chtcheglov .3 The edition in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman , Richard Napier , Elias Ashmole and William Lilly . A translation of the first two books appeared in English in 20024
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17671598.
The opening as it stood in 2010 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Picatrix is the name used today, and historically in Christian Europe , for a grimoire originally written in Arabic entitled غاية الحكيم Ġāyat al- Ḥakīm , which most scholars assume was written in the middle of the 11th century, though a supported argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has been made.The Arabic title has been translated as "The Aim of the Sage" or "The Goal of The Wise".The original Arabic work was translated into Spanish and then into Latin during the 13th century.The name "Picatrix" is also sometimes used to refer to the author.Picatrix is a composite work that synthesizes older works on magic and astrology .One of the most influential interpretations suggests it is to be regarded as a "handbook of talismanic magic".Another researcher summarizes it as "the most thorough exposition of celestial magic in Arabic", indicating the sources for the work as "Arabic texts on Hermeticism , Sabianism , Ismailism , astrology , alchemy and magic produced in the Near East in the ninth and tenth centuries A.D." According to Eugenio Garin "In reality the Latin version of the Picatrix is as indispensable as the Corpus Hermeticum or the writings of Albumasar for understanding a conspicuous part of the production of the Renaissance, including the figurative arts." It has significantly influenced West European magical thinking from Marsilio Ficino in the 1400s, to Thomas Campanella in the 1600s. The manuscript in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman , Richard Napier , Elias Ashmole and William Lilly . According to the prologue of the Latin translation, Picatrix was translated into Spanish from the Arabic by order of Alphonso X of Castile at some time between 1256 and 1258 .The Latin version was produced sometime later, based on translation of the Spanish manuscripts.It has been attributed to Maslama ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (an Andalusian mathematician ), but many have called this attribution into question.Consequently, the author is sometimes indicated as "Pseudo-Majriti".However the Arabic translated as "goal" ( ghaya , pl. ghayat ) also suggests the sense of "utmost limit" or "boundary".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 363030301.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Picatrix is the name used today, and historically in Christian Europe, for a 400-page book of occult magic and astrology originally written in Arabic under the title غاية الحكيم Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm , which most scholars assume was originally written in the middle of the 11th century, though a supported argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has been made.The Arabic title translates as "The Aim of the Sage" or "The Goal of The Wise".The Arabic work was translated into Spanish and then into Latin during the 13th century, at which time it got the Latin title Picatrix .The book's title Picatrix is also sometimes used to refer to the book's author. Picatrix is a composite work that synthesizes older works on magic and astrology . One of the most influential interpretations suggests it is to be regarded as a "handbook of talismanic magic". Another researcher summarizes it as "the most thorough exposition of celestial magic in Arabic", indicating the sources for the work as "Arabic texts on Hermeticism , Sabianism , Ismailism , astrology , alchemy and magic produced in the Near East in the ninth and tenth centuries A.D." According to Eugenio Garin "In reality the Latin version of the Picatrix is as indispensable as the Corpus Hermeticum or the writings of Albumasar for understanding a conspicuous part of the production of the Renaissance, including the figurative arts." It has significantly influenced West European esotericism from Marsilio Ficino in the 15th century, to Thomas Campanella in the 17th century. The manuscript in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman , Richard Napier , Elias Ashmole and William Lilly . According to the prologue of the Latin translation, Picatrix was translated into Spanish from the Arabic by order of Alphonso X of Castile at some time between 1256 and 1258. The Latin version was produced sometime later, based on translation of the Spanish manuscripts. It has been attributed to Maslama ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (an Andalusian mathematician ), but many have called this attribution into question. Consequently, the author is sometimes indicated as "Pseudo-Majriti". However the Arabic translated as "goal" ( ghaya , pl. ghayat ) also suggests the sense of "utmost limit" or "boundary".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 643787981.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Book of magic and astrology Pages from a 14th century version of the manuscript. Picatrix is the name used today, for a 400-page book of magic and astrology originally written in Arabic under the title غاية الحكيم Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm , which most scholars assume was originally written in the middle of the 11th century, though an argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has been made. The Arabic title translates as The Aim of the Sage or The Goal of The Wise . The Arabic work was translated into Spanish and then into Latin during the 13th century, at which time it got the Latin title Picatrix . The book's title Picatrix is also sometimes used to refer to the book's author. Picatrix is a composite work that synthesizes older works on magic and astrology . One of the most influential interpretations suggests it is to be regarded as a "handbook of talismanic magic". Another researcher summarizes it as "the most thorough exposition of celestial magic in Arabic", indicating the sources for the work as "Arabic texts on Hermeticism , Sabianism , Ismailism , astrology , alchemy and magic produced in the Near East in the ninth and tenth centuries A.D." Eugenio Garin declares, "In reality the Latin version of the Picatrix is as indispensable as the Corpus Hermeticum or the writings of Albumasar for understanding a conspicuous part of the production of the Renaissance, including the figurative arts." It has significantly influenced West European esotericism from Marsilio Ficino in the 15th century, to Thomas Campanella in the 17th century. The manuscript in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman , Richard Napier , Elias Ashmole and William Lilly . According to the prologue of the Latin translation, Picatrix was translated into Spanish from the Arabic by order of Alphonso X of Castile at some time between 1256 and 1258. The Latin version was produced sometime later, based on translation of the Spanish manuscripts. It has been attributed to Maslama ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (an Andalusian mathematician ), but many have called this attribution into question. Consequently, the author is sometimes indicated as "Pseudo-Majriti". However the Arabic translated as "goal" ( ghaya , pl. ghayat ) also suggests the sense of "utmost limit" or "boundary".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964169879.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Medieval book on magic and astrology Pages from a 14th century version of the manuscript. Picatrix is the Latin name used today for a 400-page book of magic and astrology originally written in Arabic under the title Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm ( ), which most scholars assume was originally written in the middle of the 11th century, though an argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has been made. The Arabic title translates as The Aim of the Sage or The Goal of The Wise . The Arabic work was translated into Spanish and then into Latin during the 13th century, at which time it got the Latin title Picatrix . The book's title Picatrix is also sometimes used to refer to the book's author. Picatrix is a composite work that synthesizes older works on magic and astrology . One of the most influential interpretations suggests it is to be regarded as a "handbook of talismanic magic". Another researcher summarizes it as "the most thorough exposition of celestial magic in Arabic", indicating the sources for the work as "Arabic texts on Hermeticism , Sabianism , Ismailism , astrology , alchemy and magic produced in the Near East in the ninth and tenth centuries A.D." Eugenio Garin declares, "In reality the Latin version of the Picatrix is as indispensable as the Corpus Hermeticum or the writings of Albumasar for understanding a conspicuous part of the production of the Renaissance, including the figurative arts." It has significantly influenced West European esotericism from Marsilio Ficino in the 15th century, to Thomas Campanella in the 17th century. The manuscript in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman , Richard Napier , Elias Ashmole and William Lilly . According to the prologue of the Latin translation, Picatrix was translated into Spanish from the Arabic by order of Alphonso X of Castile at some time between 1256 and 1258. The Latin version was produced sometime later, based on translation of the Spanish manuscripts. It has been attributed to Maslama ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (an Andalusian mathematician ), but many have called this attribution into question. Consequently, the author is sometimes indicated as "Pseudo-Majriti". However the Arabic translated as "goal" ( ghaya , pl. ghayat ) also suggests the sense of "utmost limit" or "boundary".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1146556370.
The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Medieval book on magic and astrology Title of a 1612 Ghayat al-Hakim manuscript (Istanbul, Hagia Sophia 2443 ).Picatrix ( Arabic : غاية الحكيم , romanized : Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm or Ghayat al-hakim wa-ahaqq al-natijatayn bi-altaqdim lit. ' The Aim of the Sage ' or ' The Goal of The Wise ' ) is a 400-page Arabic book of magic and astrology, which most scholars assume was originally written in the middle of the 11th century, though an argument for composition in the first half of the 10th century has been made. The work was translated into Spanish and then into Latin during the 13th century, at which time it got the Latin title Picatrix . The title Picatrix is also sometimes used to refer to the book's author. Picatrix is a composite work that synthesizes older works on magic and astrology . One of the most influential interpretations suggests it is to be regarded as a "handbook of talismanic magic". Another researcher summarizes it as "the most thorough exposition of celestial magic in Arabic", indicating the sources for the work as "Arabic texts on Hermeticism , Sabianism , Ismailism , astrology , alchemy and magic produced in the Near East in the ninth and tenth centuries A.D." Eugenio Garin declares, "In reality the Latin version of the Picatrix is as indispensable as the Corpus Hermeticum or the writings of Albumasar for understanding a conspicuous part of the production of the Renaissance, including the figurative arts." It has significantly influenced West European esotericism from Marsilio Ficino in the 15th century, to Thomas Campanella in the 17th century. The manuscript in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman , Richard Napier , Elias Ashmole and William Lilly . According to the prologue of the Latin translation, Picatrix was translated into Spanish from the Arabic by order of Alphonso X of Castile at some time between 1256 and 1258. The Latin version was produced sometime later, based on translation of the Spanish manuscripts. It has been attributed to Maslama ibn Ahmad al-Majriti (an Andalusian mathematician ), but many have called this attribution into question. Consequently, the author is sometimes indicated as "Pseudo-Majriti". The Spanish and Latin versions were the only ones known to Western scholars until Wilhelm Printz discovered an Arabic version in or around 1920.There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).Picatrix: A medieval treatise on astral magic: based on Latin Edition by David Pingree .The Pennsylvania University Press. p. preface.
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “known as the aim of the sage”. Today it says “a 400-page arabic book of magic and astrology”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
known as the aim of the sage
Now
a 400-page arabic book of magic and astrology
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