Known under the name of Phil... Inc... (Philosophe Inconnu, Unknown Philosopher), Saint-Martin is also referred to as the Theosopher of Amboise.

Disciple and private Secretary of Dom Martinez de Pasqually, in some aspects he is a student that has surpassed his master. Contrary to Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, his co-disciple in study and applications of the obligations of the Rite of the Elus-Cohen, Saint-Martin remains faithful to the teachings of his first master. When he came in contact with the teachings of Jacob Boehme (the Theosopher of Görlitz) and of Johann Georg Gichtel (the Theosopher of Amsterdam), Saint-Martin added a mystical dimension to the theurgical practices, which has given to his work an eternal dimension.

Although denounced as a reformer, mainly by the disciples of Willermoz who tried to let believe that their leader was not alone in abandoning Martinez, Saint-Martin remains the major source of the Way of the Heart, promoted by Traditional Martinism.