Cover for The Chaldæan Oracles of Zoroaster
Title

The Chaldæan Oracles of Zoroaster

Author
W. Wynn Westcott
Translated by Thomas Taylor
Details
10 chapters English Public domain
About this book

Attributed to, but probably not of Chaldean origin; not oracles (in the sense of prophecies); and definitely not Zoroastrian; this is a famous collection of aphorisms cherry-picked from classical sources. The earliest editions of the COZ were published during the renaissance, when Chaldea was a land of mystery to Europeans. Many of the cryptic 'Oracles' seem to reflect Neo-Platonism, the Kabbalah and Gnostic views, which would have been considered heretical at the time. Claiming an ancient Chaldean origin might simply have been a flag of convenience.

The main text here was translated by the 19th century Neo-Platonist Thomas Taylor, and I.P. Cory in his Ancient Fragments. This edition was published and introduced by the Theosophist W. W. Westcott in his series Collectanea Hermetica in 1895. Despite the twisted background of this text, it has a definite resonance which students of the Esoteric will enjoy. Indeed, W.B. Yeats, who moved in Theosophical circles, was an admirer of this text.

Audiobook

Listen to this edition

Audiobooks are coming soon

Narrated editions will appear here when they are ready to listen.

Membership

Support the archive

$10 / month
Helps fund new texts & growth
Unlimited highlights & annotations
Unlimited bookmarks
Ad free reading experience
Early access to new features
Early access to quality TTS Audiobooks
Priority support & feature requests
4,000 Points monthly for Search usage
Access to point system rewards and value
Become a Member

Cancel anytime. Helps us pay the bills.

Discussion

Community conversation

Discussions are coming soon

Join conversations around this text and its interpretations.

Cover for The Chaldæan Oracles of Zoroaster
Title

The Chaldæan Oracles of Zoroaster

Author
W. Wynn Westcott
Translated by Thomas Taylor
Details
10 chapters English Public domain
About this book

Attributed to, but probably not of Chaldean origin; not oracles (in the sense of prophecies); and definitely not Zoroastrian; this is a famous collection of aphorisms cherry-picked from classical sources. The earliest editions of the COZ were published during the renaissance, when Chaldea was a land of mystery to Europeans. Many of the cryptic 'Oracles' seem to reflect Neo-Platonism, the Kabbalah and Gnostic views, which would have been considered heretical at the time. Claiming an ancient Chaldean origin might simply have been a flag of convenience.

The main text here was translated by the 19th century Neo-Platonist Thomas Taylor, and I.P. Cory in his Ancient Fragments. This edition was published and introduced by the Theosophist W. W. Westcott in his series Collectanea Hermetica in 1895. Despite the twisted background of this text, it has a definite resonance which students of the Esoteric will enjoy. Indeed, W.B. Yeats, who moved in Theosophical circles, was an admirer of this text.

Audiobook

Listen to this edition

Audiobooks are coming soon

Narrated editions will appear here when they are ready to listen.

Membership

Support the archive

$10 / month
Helps fund new texts & growth
Unlimited highlights & annotations
Unlimited bookmarks
Ad free reading experience
Early access to new features
Early access to quality TTS Audiobooks
Priority support & feature requests
4,000 Points monthly for Search usage
Access to point system rewards and value
Become a Member

Cancel anytime. Helps us pay the bills.

Discussion

Community conversation

Discussions are coming soon

Join conversations around this text and its interpretations.

Cover for The Chaldæan Oracles of Zoroaster
Title

The Chaldæan Oracles of Zoroaster

Author
W. Wynn Westcott
Translated by Thomas Taylor
Details
10 chapters English Public domain
About this book

Attributed to, but probably not of Chaldean origin; not oracles (in the sense of prophecies); and definitely not Zoroastrian; this is a famous collection of aphorisms cherry-picked from classical sources. The earliest editions of the COZ were published during the renaissance, when Chaldea was a land of mystery to Europeans. Many of the cryptic 'Oracles' seem to reflect Neo-Platonism, the Kabbalah and Gnostic views, which would have been considered heretical at the time. Claiming an ancient Chaldean origin might simply have been a flag of convenience.

The main text here was translated by the 19th century Neo-Platonist Thomas Taylor, and I.P. Cory in his Ancient Fragments. This edition was published and introduced by the Theosophist W. W. Westcott in his series Collectanea Hermetica in 1895. Despite the twisted background of this text, it has a definite resonance which students of the Esoteric will enjoy. Indeed, W.B. Yeats, who moved in Theosophical circles, was an admirer of this text.

Audiobook

Listen to this edition

Audiobooks are coming soon

Narrated editions will appear here when they are ready to listen.

Membership

Support the archive

$10 / month
Helps fund new texts & growth
Unlimited highlights & annotations
Unlimited bookmarks
Ad free reading experience
Early access to new features
Early access to quality TTS Audiobooks
Priority support & feature requests
4,000 Points monthly for Search usage
Access to point system rewards and value
Become a Member

Cancel anytime. Helps us pay the bills.

Discussion

Community conversation

Discussions are coming soon

Join conversations around this text and its interpretations.