Abraham the Jew

For other uses, see Abraham (disambiguation)
Abraham the Jew was an alchemist, magician, and philosopher active at the end of the 14th Century and start of the 15th Century CE.Spence, L. (1920). An Encyclopædia of Occultism. 2 ed. pg. 1
== Life ==
Ultimately, little is known about the life of Abraham. He was probably born in 1362 CE in the city of Mainz. His father, Simon, was a practicing seer and magician who taught Abraham the magical arts. Later, he acted as the apprentice of another magician called Moses, who Abraham himself described as good, though ignorant of the true power of magic. He later went travelling with a friend, Samuel the Bohemian, through Austria, Hungary, and into Greece, before arriving at Constantinople and staying there for two years. The next references to him place him in Arabia, travelling from there first to Palestine, and then to Egypt. 
In Egypt, he met the philosopher Abra-Melin, who gave him a number of documents and taught him a number of esoteric secrets that were not written down. Once this was done, Abraham returned to Europe, eventually settling in Wurzburg in Germany where he became a full-time alchemist. During this period he married his cousin and with her had five children: three daughters and two sons, Jospeh and Lamech. He taught his sons magic, and set a dowry of 100,000 gold florins on each of his daughters, money he claimed was part of the wealth he accrued as a travelling alchemist. He was called before a number of important individuals to perform magic, including Emperor Sigismund of the Holy Roman Empire, the Bishop of Wurzburg, Henry VI of England, the Duke of Bavaria, and Pope John XXIII.Spence, L. (1920). An Encyclopædia of Occultism. 2 ed. pg. 2
The rest of his career is unknown, but he is thought to have died in roughly 1460 CE. 
== Personality ==
According to Spence, Abraham thought ill of all arcane volumes except his own one, and thought ill of all spellcasters who used methods other than the one he was taught by Abra-Melin. He also claimed that all those who blindly follow the religion they were indoctrinated in as children will never be able to master magic. 
On the flip side, Spence claims he had little selfishness in him, and his motivation for mastering magic was to aid humanity as a whole. He is also stated to believe that each person had the capacity to be better and that they should strive to do so. 
== Abilities ==
The magic performed by Abraham uses a kabbalistic letter-square for the most part, only deviating from this when not enough letters for a particular spell fit into the square. Through this method, he was able to cast a number of spells, including ones to invoke visions, control familiars (even those not bound to him), create storms, raise the dead, allow him to shapeshift, allow him to fly, demolish buildings, discover the identity of thieves, survive underwater, and cure a number of ailments. 
He was also trained as a seer, with all that entailed. 
== Works ==
* The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech. First part is an account of Abraham's journeys, the second is a treatise in the basics of magic in the Egyptian tradition, while the third part is instructions on performing magic for a wide variety of purposes. 
== See Also ==
* Abra-Melin
* Flamel
== References ==
Category:An Encyclopædia of Occultism
Category:Authors
Category:Spellcasters