In the late Middle Ages, as an intriguing indicator of the imminent paradigm shift to the Renaissance or the early modern age, numerous intellectuals emerged who challenged the traditional Church, scientific teachings, and the prevailing understanding of nature. Some pursued magic (necromancy), others investigated new methods of healing people (medicine), and yet others experimented with nature attempting to transmute certain elements into gold, for instance (alchemy). Numerous debates occurred, strong opinions were voiced, and traditional authorities in the various fields of human knowledge were increasingly questioned and undermined. Johannes Trithemius was part of this new development, which did not, however, jell into a comprehensive movement. He has often been associated with major…

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Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Johannes Trithemius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 July 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15258, accessed 31 October 2024.]

15258 Johannes Trithemius 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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