Candida Phoenix Philosophica

Name: Candida Phoenix Philosophica
Author: Anonymous

The White Philosophical Phoenix

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Candida Phoenix PhilosophicaPart II — Chapter 13: The Controversy Over Light

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English Page · Branch 319 of 411

Part II — Chapter 13: The Controversy Over Light

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German & Latin

207

Ulterius si Lux est Substantia, est vel corporea vel incorporea; Tertium enim non datur. Sed non corporea, alias corpus in corpore esset, quod absurdum; neque incorporea, quia videtur; nihil enim incorporeum in hac fragilitate oculis nostris & visui est perceptibile. E. non est Substantia.

Candida Phoenix Philosophica: Part II — Chapter 13: The Controversy Over Light

207

Further, if light is a substance, it is either corporeal or incorporeal, for there is no third possibility. It is not corporeal, since otherwise there would be a body within a body, which is absurd. Nor is it incorporeal, since it is seen; in this frail mortal condition nothing incorporeal is perceptible to our eyes and sight. Therefore it is not a substance.

About This Reading Edition

An anonymous Hermetic treatise of 1680, presented in its original German and Latin with a new English translation, 279 explanatory notes, the historical phoenix frontispiece, an introduction, reading guide, outline, glossary, bibliography, and original registers.

Historical Text and Translation

Anonymous, Candida Phoenix philosophica. Frankfurt am Main: Christian Hermsdorff, 1680. The chosen witness is the Wellcome Library copy digitized as b32993456; German and Latin, with French, Greek, and Hebrew passages retained.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

The 1680 source is identified as public domain by the Wellcome/Internet Archive record. The supplied 2026 transcription, English translation, introduction, notes, reading guide, outline, glossary, bibliography, and editorial arrangement are published with the site owner’s authorization. The frontispiece is retained from the supplied edition and credited to its historical witness.