Theosophical Society, 

Esoteric Timeline
Theosophy in the Context of Esoteric History
13th century BCE? Zarathushtra founds
Zoroastrianism, the religion of the 
Magi;
Moses founds Judaism;
mythical date of
Hermes Trismegistus.
 
10th century BCESolomon, son of David,
King of Israel flourished
4? BCE-33 CE Jesus founds Christianity
1st century CE Apollonius of Tyana flourished
1st to 3rd CE (?) Testament of
Solomon composed 
100-300 CEcomposition of Corpus Hermetica
204-270 CEPlotinus, Neoplatonic
philosopher and mystic (born in 
233-305 CEPorphyry, Neoplatonic
philosopher and mystic (born in 
250-325 CEIamblicus, Neoplatonic
philosopher (was born in 
Coele-Syria)
411-485 Proclus, Neoplatonic
philosopher (born at 
500 CE (circa) Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
flourished, probably a 
native of 
6th CE Sefer Yetzirah
edited
 
10th CE Sword of Moses composed
 
1004-1007 (?) al-Majriti, author of Picatrix, dies 
1054 
1175?-1235 Michael Scot (Scottish)
 
1220?-1292 Roger Bacon (English)
 
1227 Pope Honorius III dies 
1232 Ramon Llull born (
 
1240 Abraham Abulafia, Sicilian Kabbalist, founder of ecstatic Kabbala, 
born in Saragosa 
1248 Joseph Gikatilla, Spanish Sephardic Kabbalist, born 
1250? Liber Juratus
(Sworn Book of Honorius) compiled by Honorius of 
 
1259 Peter de Abano [Pietro
d'Abano], Italian physician and philosopher 
born. Professor of medicine in 
1266 John Duns Scotus, Scottish
scholastic philosopher and thrologian, born 
1274 Ramon Llull's vision on 
1280? Sefer Ha-Zohar
written by Moses de León but attributed to Simon ben Yohai 
1292? Abraham Abulafia dies 
1308 John Duns Scotus dies 
1314 Jacques de Molay, last Grand Master
of the Knights Templar, burned at 
the stake in 
1316? Ramon Llull dies 
1316 Peter de Abano dies
 
1323 Joseph Gikatilla dies
 
1433 Marsilio
Ficino, Italian philosopher born. Under the
patronage of the 
de'Medicis, he
translated many Greek classics including the Corpus 
Hermetica 
1453 Fall of Constantinople to the Turks caused dispersal and
spread of 
Greek manuscripts and scholarship 
      
1455 Johannes Reuchlin,
German humanist and lawyer, born. Reuchlin
wrote on 
Kabbalah and propagated Hebrew studies 
      
1462 Johannes Trithemius
born at Trittenheim on the 
a famous
scholar and Benedictine abbot. 
      
1463 Giovanni Pico della
Mirandola, Italian philosopher and scholar, born 
      
1466 Francesco Giorgi
[Zorzi], Venetian philosopher, born. Author of De 
Harmonia Mundi (Venits, 1525) 
      
1471 Ficino's translation of Corpus Hermeticum published 
      
1474 Ferdinand and Isabella ascend to the throne 
      
1483 Martin Luther born Eisleben, 
      
1486 Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa born in 
Malleus Maleficarum published, major instrument of witch hunters;
Giovanni Pico della
Mirandola takes his theses to 
      
1489 Ficino's Libri
de Vita published 
      
1492 Ferdinand and Isabella expel Jews from 
studies, caused
dispersal and spread of Jewish and Cabalistic manuscripts 
and scholarship;
discovery of the 
      
1493 Paracelsus (Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombastus
von Hohenheim) 
born Einsiedeln 
tutored (by his
account) by Trithemius. 
      
1494 Reuchlin's De verbo
mirifico published;
Giovanni Pico della
Mirandola dies 
      
1499 Marsilio Ficino
dies 
      
1510 Agrippa's De Occulta philosophia finished
Guillaume Postel, French mathematician, Kabbalist, and mystic born 
     
1515 Johan Weyer born 
      
1516 Johannes Trithemius dies 
      
1517 Reuchlin's De arte cabalistica published;Martin
Luther posts theses 
      
1522 Johannes Reuchlin dies 
      
1525 Giorgi's De harmonia
mundi published 
      
1527 John Dee born in LondonMaximillian
II born 
      
1533 Agrippa's De Occulta philosopha published;
Isaak Luria, Jewish Kabbalist, born in 
Queen Elizabeth I born at 
      
1535 Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa dies;
Giambattista della Porta
born in 
 (Natural Magic) (1585, 1589)
      
1538? Reginald Scot born. Author of Discouerie of Witchcraft (1584) 
      
1540 Francesco Giorgi dies;
Faust dies 
      
1541 Paracelsus dies 
      
1542 Inquisition established in 
      
1546 Martin Luther dies 
     
1548 Giordano Bruno, Italian
philosopher born in Nola Italy. 
      
1552 Simon Forman born
Emperor Rudolph II born
Guillaume Postel publishes Latin
translation of Sefer Yetzirah
      
1554 Society of Jesus (Jesuits) founded 
      
1555 Edward Kelley born 
      
1558 
Giambattista della Porta's
Magia Naturalis published;
Zohar printed 
      
1560? Heinrich Khunrath born in 
      
1564 
      
1566? Michael Maier, physician, alchemist, and philosopher, born in
Rensburg, 
      
1572 Isaak Luria
dies 
      
1574 Robert Fludd, English physician,
philosopher, and mystic, born 
      
1575 Jakob Boehme,
German religious mystic, born;Arbatel
Of Magic first appears 
      
1576 Maximillian II dies 
      
1581 Dee and Kelley start their "mystical experiments"Guillaume
Postel dies 
      
1584 Bruno's Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast published 
      
1588 Johan Weyer dies 
      
1595 Edward Kelley dies (Nov) 
      
1599 Reginald Scot dies 
      
1600 Giordano Bruno burned at the stake in 
      
1602 Athanasius Kircher
born in Geisa a. d. 
William Lilly, astrologer and translator of Trithemius,
born in Diseworth, 
      
1603 Queen 
accession of James I 
      
1605 Heinrich Khunrath dies 
      
1606 Trithemius' Steganographia
first published 
      
1608 John Dee dies 
      
1611 Simon Forman dies 
      
1612 Emperor Rudolph II dies 
      
1614-15 Rosicrucian manifestos published in 
      
1615 Giambattista della Porta dies 
      
1617 Elias Ashmole born in 
      
1617-19 Fludd's Utriusque
cosmi historia published 
      
1618 Maier's Atlanta Fugiens published 
      
1618 Johann Baptista Grossschedel
publishes Calendarium magicum
(The 
Magical Calendar)
      
1620 Robert Turner 'of Holshot',
translator of magical texts, born 
      
1622 Thomas Vaughan, English Rosicrucian, born
Michael Maier dies 
      
1624 Jakob Boehme
dies 
      
1636 Christian Knorr von Rosenroth, German mystic and Kabbalist,
born 
      
1637 Robert Fludd dies 
      
1652 Kircher's Oedipus Aegyptiacus publishedThomas 
      
1666 Thomas Vaughan dies 
      
1677 Christian Knorr von Rosenroth published first volume of Kabbala 
Denudata 
      
1680 Athanasius Kircher
dies 
      
1681 William Lilly, astrologer and translator of Trithemius, dies 
      
1684 Christian Knorr von Rosenroth published second volume of Kabbala 
Denudata 
      
1688 Emanuel Swedenborg, scientist
and mystic, born in 
      
1689 Christian Knorr von Rosenroth dies 
      
1692Elias Ashmole dies
      
1707 Moses Hayyim Luzzatto,
Hebrew poet and Kabbalistic mystic, born 
      
1734 Franz Anton Mesmer born in Iznang, 
      
1747 Moses Hayyim Luzzatto
dies 
      
1749-56 Swedenborg's Arcana
Coelestia published 
      
1751 Ebenezer Sibly born 
      
1772 Emanuel Swedenborg dies 
      
1800 Ebenezer Sibly dies 
      
1810 Eliphas Levi, (Constant, Alphonse
Louis), French occultist, born in 
magic in the 19th
century. 
      
1815 Franz Anton Mesmer dies 
      
1831 
Theosophical Society, born of German parents in Yekaterinoslav (now 
      
1832 Henry Steel Olcott, cofounder of the Theosophical Society,
born 
      
1865 Papus (i.e. G.A.V. Encausse), French occultist and author born 
      
1846 Anna Kingsford (Annie Bonus) born 
      
1847 Annie Besant (née Wood), author and noted Theosophist born 
      
1848 William W. Wescott born 
      
1854 Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers born in 
      
1856 Levi's masterpiece Le Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie published 
      
1857 Arthur Edward Waite born in 
      
1861 Rudolf Steiner born 
      
1865 William Butler Yeats born in 
      
1875 Eliphas Levi, (Constant, Alphonse
Louis) dies (May 31) 
      
1875 Aleister 
1875 Theosophical Society founded in 
      
1889 Mathers' edition of Kabbalah
Unveiled published 
      
1888 Anna Kingsford (Annie Bonus) diesPapus'
Traité Elémentaire de
Science Occulte published;Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn established in 
      
1889 Mathers' edition of Key of Solomon
published 
      
1890 Dion Fortune (i.e. Violet Mary
Firth) born;W.B. Yeats joins
the Golden Dawn 
      
1891 
Theosophical Society, dies 
      
1897Levi's Le Clef des Grandes Mystères published 
      
1898 Julius Evola born
Aleister Crowley
joins the Golden Dawn;
Mathers publishes
The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage 
 [Abramelin]
      
1899 C.G. Leland publishes Aradia, the
Gospel of the Witches 
      
1900 
      
1901 Manly Palmer Hall born 
      
1907 Henry Steel Olcott, cofounder of the Theosophical Society,
dies
Israel Regardie born 
      
1909 Franz Bardon born 
      
1916 Papus (i.e. G.A.V. Encausse), French occultist and author dies
      
1918 Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers dies 
      
1925 William W. Wescott dies
Rudolf Steiner dies 
      
1933 Annie Besant (née Wood), author and noted Theosophist dies 
      
1937 Israel Regardie publishes the Golden
Dawn, which includes the bulk of 
the Golden
Dawns' rituals and teachings. 
      
1939 William Butler Yeats dies 
      
1942 Arthur Edward Waite dies 
      
1946 Dion Fortune (i.e. Violet Mary
Firth) dies 
      
1947 Aleister 
      
1958 Franz Bardon dies 
      
1974 Julius Evola dies 
      
1985 Israel Regardie dies 
      
1990 Manly Palmer Hall dies 
Theosophical Society,