Great Kabbalistic Art — Hartmann Schopper, 1564-1569

There are two types of causes, most Illustrious and powerful Prince and Lord, most Merciful Lord, that drive men to embrace the studies of the good Arts and inflame them to ardently investigate them. The first is that innate Love in all of us, by which we are led and drawn to the utility of knowledge and science, which is like food for the Soul. The second is the dignity and greatness of the Arts. These two factors have bound me with such fervent love to the more secret decrees of nature and to Mathesis mathematical learning and universal science that I have spared no labor, no sweat, no sleepless nights, no travels, and finally no expenses (as much as my and my parents' modest means allowed). I have exhausted and spent all these in this most sacred Art, and not without very serious reason. For as often as I consider (I reflect and indeed I think most often) the most secret Mysteries and most useful Secrets which Mathesis science seems to bring to us; since this alone scatters the dark mists of the Mind, bringing in clarity and opening the clear truth of things through diligent and untiring inquiry, I cannot help but feel that all men altogether, if they estimate the matter by right reason, provided they have tasted even the first lips (as they say) of the sweetness of Mathesis science, must be compelled not only to confess but also to profess that no other Art has been granted to the Human Race by the Creator after the fall of our first Parents which leads investigators more to the knowledge of all things.

From this most universal Mother, therefore, among others, the more perfect Pythagorean Kabbalah a system of mystical interpretation using numbers without doubt occupies the first place. This is not only because it contains the entire power of Arithmetic, which is numbered among its better parts; but also because (since God is its highest Author) it is derived from the purest Mother of Languages, namely Hebrew. It establishes its excellence with glory through the ratio of numbers alone. But here I wish it to be understood that this Art does not draw its origin absolutely and primarily from Mathesis mathematical science as from its first principle, because that would be false to assert. For it flowed from the Hebrew language and from higher sources. Instead, it proceeds secondarily from Mathesis. This is because it is forced to operate in other languages. Whatever was perfected from the Alphabetic Letters by its highest Creator has been converted into numbers by men (because they could never write in its same letters for the use of other languages). It is called "Pythagorean," named after Pythagoras who was, as they say, the first Author of concordant numbers.