Eliphas Levi

Eliphas Levi (February 8, 1810 – May 31, 1875) was a French occult writer. He was born Alphonse Louis Constant but instead used a Hebrew rendering of his name. His writing influenced later English occultist Aleister Crowley. He received his education at the Church Saint-Sulpice in Paris, but was expelled for holding beliefs contrary to Catholic teaching. In the 1840's he was incarcerated for his radical political writings, L'Evangile du Peuple and Le Testament de la Liberté, the latter being published in 1848.

Major Works

 * The Dogma and Ritual of Transcendental Magic, Part I and Part II
 * The Key of the Mysteries