Athanasius Kircher’s Cabala Saracenica: European Reception of the Islamic Science of Letters and Divine Names

Abstract This article introduces a significant case regarding the European reception of ʿilm al-ḥurūf wa-l-asmāʾ (the science of letters and divine names) in the Oedipus Aegyptiacus by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Classis V in Tomus II .1, Caps. I-X , and Classis VII , Cap. VI in Tomus II .2 contain Kircher’s most comprehensive engagement with the science of letters, referred to as the Cabala Saracenica in juxtaposition with the Cabala Hebraica . In addition to identifying crucial sources that influenced Kircher’s understanding of the science of letters, this article demonstrates how “Cabala” serves as a comparative tool in Kircher’s construction of a universal language for the Church. It encapsulates his approach to sacred oriental philology, revealing the Hermetic and Kabbalistic erudition absorbed by their native users. This exposure aims to demonstrate that wisdom ultimately reveals the truth of Christian doctrine.