Alchemy as donum dei

Hyle

Volumn 4, Issue 1, 1998, Pages 63-80

  Karpenko, Vladimír ^a  

^a CHARLES UNIVERSITY   (Czech Republic)

Author keywords

Alchemy; Crafts; Donum dei; Religion; Transmutation

Indexed keywords

EID: 54649083287     PISSN: 14335158     EISSN: 14335158     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (56)

1. One of the problematic issues in alchemy is its definition. The most acceptable seems to be the one proposed by Sheppard [Sheppard, H. J.: 1986, 'European Alchemy in the Context of a Universal Definition', Wolfenbütteler Forschungen, Bd. 32, 13-17]: "Alchemy is the art of liberating parts of the Cosmos from temporal existence and achieving perfection which, for metals is gold, and for man, longevity, then immortality and, finally, redemption. Material perfection was sought through the action of a preparation (Philosopher's Stone for metals; Elixir of Life for humans), while spiritual ennoblement resulted from some form of inner revelation or other enlightenment (Gnosis, for example, in Hellenistic and western practices)."
2. Newman, W.R.: 1994, Gehennical Fire, Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge (Mass.), p. 98.
3. Hopkins, A.J.: 1967, Alchemy Child of Greek Philosophy, AMS Press, New York.
4. Leicester, H. M.: 1971, The Historical Background of Chemistry, Dover Publ., New York.
5. Karpenko, V.: 1992, 'The Chemistry and Metallurgy of Transmutation', Ambix, 39, 47-62.
6. 'The Ley den Papyrus X' (trans. E.R. Caley), Journal of Chemical Education, 3 (1926), 1149-1166.
7. 'The Stockholm Papyrus' (trans. E.R. Caley), Journal of Chemical Education, 4 (1927), 979-1002.
8. Lippmann, E.O.v.: 1978, Entstehung und Ausbreitung der Alchemie, reprint of the edition Berlin 1919, G. Olms, Hildesheim, p. 54ff.
9. Patai, R.: 1994, The Jewish Alchemists, Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, p. 76.
10. Sherwood Taylor, F.: 1937, 'The Alchemical Works of Stephanos of Alexandria', Ambix, 1, 116-139.
11. Syed Nomanul Haq: 1994, Names, Natures and Things. The Alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan and his Kitab al-Ahjar (Book of Stones), Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 166, 169.
12. Fück, J.W.: 1951, 'The Arabic Literature on Alchemy According to An-Nadim (A.D. 987)', Ambix, 4, 81-144.
13. 'Kitab al-'ilm al-muktasab fi zira'at adh-dhahab, Book of Knowledge Acquired Concerning the Cultivation of Gold by Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Iraqi' (trans. E.J. Holmyard), Hamdard, XX (1977), pp. 7-68.
14. A Testament of Alchemy being the Revelations ofMorienus, Ancient Adept and Hermit of Jerusalem to Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Muawiyya, King of the Arabs of the Divine Secrets of the Magisterium and Accomplishment of the Alchemical Art (trans. L. Stavenhagen), The Brandeis Univ. Press, Hanover 1974, p. 11.
15. Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Muawiya (7660-704) was according to An-Nadim (Ref. 11) the first Arabic alchemist.
16. Theophilus: On Divers Arts (trans. J.G. Hawthorne, C.S. Smith), Dover Publ., New York 1979. As the author Roger of Helmarshausen is supposed.
17. 'Mappae Clavicula' (trans. C.S. Smith, J.G. Hawthorne), Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series, 64 (1974), Part 4, 3-128.
18. For example the recipe 17 from the Ley den papyrus X (Falsification of gold) appears almost in the same form as recipe 26 in Mappae clavicula (A doubling of gold).
19. Ganzenmüller, W.: 1967, Die Alchemie im Mittelalter, G. Olms, Hildesheim.
20. Pretiossimum donum dei, British Library M.S. Harley 6453; this work from the 15th century is an alchemical treatise in twelve chapters accessible on Internet: http://www.levity.com/alchemy/donumdei.html.
21. Boas-Hall, M.: 1994, The Scientific Renaissance 1450-1630, Dover Publ., New York.
22. The Pirotechnia of Vannoccio Biringuccio (trans. C.S. Smith, M.T. Gnudi), Dover Publ., New York 1990, p. 14.
23. Agricola, G.: De Re Metallica (trans. H.C. and L.H. Hoover), Dover Publ., New York 1950, p. 25.
24. Die Alchemie des Andreas Libavius. Ein Lehrbuch der Chemie aus dem Jahre 1597 (trans. F. Rex), Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1964, Introduction, pp. X, XI.
25. Alexandri von Suchten, eines wahren Philosophi und der Artzneyen Doctoris Chymische Schrifften, Alle/So viel deren vorhanden/zum ersten mahl zusammen gedruckt/mit sonderbahren Fleiß von vielen Druckfehlern gesäubert/vermehret/in zwey Theile/als die Teutschen und Lateinischen/verfasset. Franckfurt am Mayn 1680. Von Suchten lived approximately between 1520 and 1590.
26. There are many examples, among the most famous ones are Trevisanus and Penot (cf. Kopp, H.: 1971, Die Alchemie in älterer und neuerer Zeit, G. Olms, Hildesheim; reprint of the edition Heidelberg 1886, pp. 223, 253).
27. Lesser known are cases from Rudolfian Bohemia, like Wilhelm from Rosenberg, the Highest Burgrave of the Bohemian Kingdom, who spent some 300 000 guldens in support of his court alchemists (Karpenko, V.: 1996, 'Bohemian Nobility and Alchemy in the Second Half of the Sixteenth Century: Wilhelm of Rosenberg and Two Alchemists', Cauda Pavonis, 15, No. 2, 14-18).
28. Revelations 22.17: "And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
29. Theophrastus von Hohenheim [Paracelsus]: Sämtliche Werke (Ed. K. Sudhoff), R. Oldenbourg, München 1931, series I, vol. 13, pp. 134-6.
30. Jung, C.G.: 1983, Alchemical Studies, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, p. 221.
31. Telle, J.: 1980, Sol und Luna, G. Pressler, Hürtgenwald.
32. Telle, J.: Sol und Luna, 1980, Op. cit., Ref. 26, pp. 275-6.
33. Gebelein, H.: 1991, Alchemie, E. Diederichs, München, p. 180.
34. The author of this and other treatises was apparently Johann Thölde; for details see Priesner, C.: 1986, 'Johann Thoelde und die Schriften des Basilius Valentinus', Wolfenbütteler Forschungen, 32, 107-118.
35. Dvanáct klícu bratra Basilia Valentina rádu benediktinu, Trigon, Praha 1995 (Czech translation of Fratris Basilii Valentini Benedicter Ordens Tractat Von dem Grossen Stein der Uhralten ... durch Johann: Thólden/Hessum, 1612), p. 19.
36. Genesis 1.1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth ..."
37. Here, belief in growth and ripening of metals appears; for details see Eliade, M.: 1971, The Forge and the Crucible, Harper & Row, New York, Chap. 4.
38. Genesis 1.2: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, ..."
39. Sometimes a grain of a precious metal was actually added, but the original ancient idea of a 'seed' of metals was different. Its roots were in the concept of the 'growth' of metals in the bowels of Earth: as all in nature grows from seeds, so do metals as well. This idea can be found in Hellenistic alchemy, where a yellow 'seed', or ferment added to other metals should transmute them into gold. Later, the 'seed of gold' was said to be lodged in all metals'. In European alchemical literature this seed, called ferment, was often compared with yeast - small amount of it suffices for a large amount of the dough. This idea is shown as symbolic representation in the engraving VI of Maier, M.: 1618, Atalanta fugiens, Oppenheim. According to the accompanying epigram: Die Ackerleut in die feist Erden sáhen ihren Samen/ Wenn sie wol zermalmet ist mit eisenen Zánen/ Die Weisen abr lehren ihr Gold werffen in die Erden/ Den Bláttern gleich ganz weiß das Gold darauß mag werden/ ...
40. Bugaj, R.: 1971, Traktat o kamieniu filozoficznym, Panstwove Wydawnictwo Naukove, Warszawa, p. 154.
41. Bugaj, R.: Traktat o kamieniu filozoficznym, 1971, Op. cit., Ref. 39, p. 164.
42. Bugaj, R.: Traktat o kamieniu filozoficznym, 1971, Op. cit., Ref. 39, pp. 172-174.
43. The English translation based on Theatrum Chemicum [Vol. III, 1602, p. 853] is on Internet: http://www.levity.com/alchemy/mass.html.
44. Coudert, A.: 1980, Alchemy: the Philosopher's Stone, Wildwood House, London, p. 90ff.
45. See also p. 91, n. 2: 'Addam et processum sub forma missae, a Nicolao Cibinensi, Transilvano, ad Ladislaum Ungariae et Bohemiae regem olim missum', Theatrum Chemicum, Vol. III, pp. 853ff., 1602.
46. Theatrum Chemicum, Vol. III, pp. Op. cit., Ref. 32, p. 191.
47. In this way it was interpreted, for example, by Stolcius. See Stoltzius von Stoltzenberg: 1624, Chymisches Lustgärtlein, Lucas Jennis, Frankfurt; the epigram to the Fig. XXVI. Melchior Cibinensis ein Unger. Melchior Cibinensis gnant/ Geboren ward in Ungerland: Wiewol er Geistlich/zu der stett/ Jedoch ein güldne Kunst er hett. In Gstalt der Meß hat er allein
48. Stoltzius von Stoltzenberg: Chymisches Lustgärtlein, 1624, Op. cit., Ref. 43, p. 91: Heinrich Khunrath (1560- 1601) - christian Kabbalist interpreted transmutation as a mystical process ocurring within the adept's soul [the engraving showing a laboratory with altar is from The Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom (1609), originally Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae christiano-cabbalisticum, divino-magicum, nee non physico-chemicum, Magdeburg 1598].
49. See Web site: http://www.levity.com/alchemy/statists.html; out of the total 4675 titles there are 1703 in Latin and 1667 in German.
50. Schmieder, Ch.: 1832, Geschichte der Alchemie, Halle.
51. Both types had their predecessors; popular was, for example, the tract of Edward Kelley that reappeared more than 100 years after the death of its author in the collection: Johannis Ticinensis, eines Böhmischen Priesters/Anthonii de Abbatia, eines in der Kunst erfahrenen Mönchs/und Edoardi Kellaei eines Welt-berühmten Engländers vortreffliche und ausführliche chymische Bücher; Allen der geheimen und Hohen Kunst-Liebhabern zu Nutz und merklichen Unterricht in Teutscher Sprach übergesetzt/ und herausgegeben durch einen/ der niemahls genug gepriessenen Wissenschaft sonderbaren Befohrderer. Mit einer Warnung-Vorrede wider die Sophisten und Betriger, Hamburg 1691.
52. Alleged transmutations were described for example in famous Testimonia of Helvetius, and van Helmont [see Sherwood Taylor, F.: 1976, The Alchemists, Paladin, Frogmore, p. 133ff.]
53. Horlacher, C.: 1975, Kern und Stern der vornehmsten Chymisch= Philosophischen Schrifften, Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, Graz; reprint of the edition Frankfurt 1707, unpaginated Introduction.
54. For example: Die hell-scheinende Sonne Am Alchymistischen Firmament des Hochteutschen Horizonts. Das ist D. Petri J oh. Fabri, ..., Nürnberg 1705.
55. Die Edelgeborne Jungfer Alchymia, Oder: Eine durch Rationes, viele Exempla und Experimenta abgehandelte Untersuchung, Was von der Alchymia zu halten und vor Nutzen daraus zu schöpfen seye, Nebst einem Zusatz von der Medicina Universali, Universal-Process und einigen Kunst=Stücken aus der Alchymie, Tübingen bey denen Gebrüder Cotta, 1730.
56. Genesis, 1.31: "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."