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"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 12 - The Pythagoreans" (3/1/86CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
(c) Temple of Set 1989 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission

by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041

Pythagoras, famed as the first Greek philosopher, was one of the only 
foreigners to be initiated into one or more Egyptian priesthoods prior to 
the final decadence and destruction of Egypt. Hence it is through the 
Pythagoreans and their students that many of the most sublime mathemagical 
principles have been passed down to us. Pythagoras was the first to use the 
pentagram as the symbol of his initiatory order, and death was the penalty 
for revealing its secret (phi). [See also "The Sphinx and the Chimaera" in 
the _Ruby Tablet of Set_.]

12A. _The Ancient Mysteries of Delphi: Pythagoras_ by Edouard Schure'. 
Blauvelt, NY: Rudolf Steiner, 1971. (TS-2) MA: "This small paperback 
contains a concise history of Pythagoras and his Academy at Crotona. A touch 
imaginative, as per Steiner publications in general, but on the whole a 
pleasant introduction to the subject."

12B. _Pythagoras: His Life and Teachings_ by Thomas Stanley. Los Angeles: 
Philosophical Research Society, 1970. (TS-3) MA: "I can forgive Manley P. 
Hall & Co. a lot as long as they reprint treasures like this: a handsomely-
bound facsimile reproduction of the Ninth Section of the 1687 edition of 
Stanley's _History of Philosophy_. It contains an extensive account of 
Pythagoras and his doctrines, carefully footnoted to the original Classical 
sources. Almost any other account of Pythagoras that you come across will 
have been derived, in whole or in great part, from this book. The typeface 
and the language are 'very 17th-century', however, so be prepared for ye 
eyestrayne. Some extracts will be found in 'The Sphinx and the Chimra' in 
the _Ruby Tablet_."

12C. _The Collected Dialogues of Plato_ by Plato (Ed. Edith Hamilton & 
Huntington Cairns). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1961. (TS-4) MA: 
"It may sound inadequate to say 'go read Plato' - sort of like saying 'go 
read the encyclopaedia'! The fact remains that this closet student of 
Pythagoras [cf. Alban Winspear, _The Genesis of Plato's Thought_, NY: S.A. 
Russell, 1940] incorporated a wealth of Pythagorean philosophy into his 
_Dialogues_ and letters. This volume remains the standard academic 
translation. And, since it contains all of Plato's works [in fine print, on 
microthin paper], cross-referencing - indispensable where Plato is 
concerned! - is possible."

12D. _The Divine Proportion: A Study in Mathematical Beauty_ by H.E. 
Huntley. NY: Dover Publications #0-486-22254-3, 1970. (TS-4) (OT-1) MA: "If 
you enjoyed J. Bronowski's 'Music of the Spheres' episode on Pythagoras in 
the _Ascent of Man_ series/book, you'll like this little book - since it was 
one of J.B.'s primary sources. The text alternates between aesthetics and 
mathematics, with some rather hefty formulae included. Supplementary 
chapters touch upon the Fibonacci Numbers, Pascal's triangle, and other 
'golden ratios' of science and nature."

12E. _The Secrets of Ancient Geometry_ by Tons Brunes. Copenhagen, Denmark: 
"The Ancient Geometry" (Nygaardsvej 41, Copenhagen 0), 1968 [two-volume 
set]. (TS-4) (OT-4) MA: "The word for this work is 'staggering'. 583 pages 
long, about $50. Extensive chapters on the mathematics and architecture of 
the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and their offshoots. A wealth of precision 
diagrams and formulae."

12F. _The Theoretic Arithmetic of the Pythagoreans_ by Thomas Taylor. NY: 
Samuel Weiser, 1972 [originally published 1816]. (TS-4) (OT-4) MA: "In the 
author's words [from the 1816 title page]: 'The substance of all that has 
been written on this subject by Theo of Smyrna, Nichomachus, Iamblichus, and 
Boetius; together with some remarkable particulars respecting perfect, 
amicable, and other numbers, and a development of their mystical and 
theological arithmetic.' A technical text by a distinguished scholar. 
Compare with #2N and #12E."

12G. _Pythagoras: A Life_ by Peter Gorman. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 
1979. (TS-3) MA: "Quite simply - and in 216 pages - the most well-written, 
carefully researched, and objective biography of Pythagoras to date. Also 
included are chapters on philosophers contemporary with Pythagoras, as well 
as on certain key aspects of his philosophy.

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