Marsilio Ficino in Germany from Renaissance to Enlightenment

The philosopher and humanist Marsilio Ficino (1433–1499) has attracted
scholarly attention as translator of Plato, the Corpus Hermeticum, Plotinus
and other Neoplatonists, and for his complex synthesis of Platonism and
Christianity. While most previous studies of Ficino’s reception have
concentrated on Italy, France, England and Spain, this book presents a
comprehensive study of his reception in Germany and neighbouring areas,
examining how Northern writers between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries
remembered and reinvented Ficino’s person and work. Focussed chapters examine
the ways German authors adapted his theories of the Ancient Theology,
melancholia, celestial influence and poetic inspiration, and used his writings
in related fields such as alchemy and witchcraft. This book also examines the
critiques of those who rejected Ficino’s work, providing context for those who
embraced his ideas. The most comprehensive bibliography of printed editions of
Ficino’s work since Kristeller forms the basis for a bibliometric analysis.