Mysterium magnum

Elements principles and the natural world · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A universal first matter, rather than one particular prepared subject.

In the book. Limbus relates the great world to the seed and first matter of man.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 34; facsimile PDF page 362.

Historical Definition

Mysterium magnum is the first matter of all things.

Meaning

All things gives the definition its scope. The phrase is not limited here to metals, to the human body or to the initial material of one laboratory work. First matter names the beginning from which those differentiated things are to be understood. The entry itself does not identify an ordinary visible specimen of that universal beginning.

The word mystery therefore receives a material and cosmological equivalent. It does not mean merely an unsolved question, nor does its presence justify inventing a secret recipe which the compiler has not supplied.

Use in the Book

Limbus relates the great world to the seed and first matter of man. Mercurius regeneratus concerns the first being of mercury. Comparing these formulations helps readers keep a universal claim separate from a beginning specified for one kind of thing.

Places to Read

Limbus. The universal world considered as the human being’s seed and first matter.

Mercurius regeneratus. Regenerated mercury defined through its first being.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 34; facsimile PDF page 362 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 362, Mysterium magnum

See also. Limbus; Mercurius regeneratus