Author A rare early modern manuscript: Clavicula Salomonis Expurgata (German Solomonic grimoire)

[Master Apollonius]

I recently prepared a scholarly edition of an unusual Solomonic manuscript titled Clavicula Salomonis Expurgata.

The text belongs to an early modern German manuscript tradition and contains divine names, planetary correspondences, pentacles, and ritual instructions characteristic of the Solomonic magical corpus.

What makes this manuscript particularly intriguing is the presence of planetary hour tables, symbolic diagrams, and long sequences of divine and angelic names rarely encountered in other manuscripts.

In this edition the material is presented in four layers:

• the restored digital image of the manuscript
• diplomatic transcription of the manuscript
• English translation
• historical commentary explaining the symbols and references

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I prepared a small PDF excerpt from the edition which includes several manuscript pages, diagrams, and commentary.

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[juanitos]

is it more practical than keys of Solomon or other old grimoires??
it was written in 19th century or so?

 

[Master Apollonius]

Hard to say exactly when the manuscript was copied — the language and orthography suggest somewhere in the early modern period or perhaps later, but the exact date remains uncertain. What is clear is that it belongs firmly within the Solomonic tradition.

Structurally it contains all the usual elements: divine names, planetary correspondences, pentacles, and ritual instructions. At the same time, it preserves some features not always present in the printed versions — extended sequences of sacred names and detailed planetary hour tables. In that sense it is interesting as a manuscript witness.

As for whether it is “more practical” than the Key of Solomon, I would not really frame it that way. It is not a streamlined handbook, but rather one particular snapshot of the tradition, shaped both by older material transmitted through copying and by additions or modifications introduced by individual scribes.

So in short: a later Solomonic manuscript, probably early modern or later, and interesting precisely because it does not perfectly match the printed versions.