Pseudonymity and the Problem of Dating

A defining feature of this literature is uncertain authorship. Much of it is pseudonymous (ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, to Solomon, to Moses or to other prestigious ancient names), or circulated anonymously, and the traditional attribution is frequently centuries out from the true date of composition. The Hermetic writings, once thought Egyptian and primordial, were shown by Isaac Casaubon to be of the early Christian era; many grimoires attributed to Solomon are late medieval or early modern.

The entries flag these attributions and give the scholarly dating where it is known. The texts group by tradition (Hermetic, alchemical, Solomonic, Kabbalistic, thelemic and the rest), so a reader can follow one current through its literature.