Walking Between God and the Devil: How Natural is Ficino’s Natural Magic?

In 1489 Italian Renaissance philosopher Marsilio Ficino published his most controversial work, the third book on Life, De vita coelitus comparanda (Dvcc). In this book he discusses magical practices to attain good health. Defending himself against Christian criticism, Ficino claims his magic is natural and therefore in accordance with church doctrines. Here Ficino’s claim is investigated by confronting this work with Christian arguments against magical practice, drawing heavily on Augustine’s City of God. It is concluded that from a Neoplatonist perspective the magic in Dvcc can be considered totally natural.