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Anonymous

Candida Phoenix Philosophica

The White Philosophical Phoenix

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

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Facing Pages · Branch 341 of 411

Part II — Chapter 13: The Controversy Over Light

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German & Latin

218

Fundamentis hisce Lucem esse Substantiam quam sufficientissimè probantibus omnino acquiesco, nec scrutari alterius, & in Aristotelis Voluminum Labyrinthum aliorumque Ethnicorum Philosophorum atque eorum imitatorum, me præcipitare gestio. Quibus tamen subjungere volui, quid physicè sit Substantia? Dicitur autem Substantia, ens purum & simplex, nullam contrarietatem in se recipiens.

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

218

I rest entirely upon these foundations, which prove more than sufficiently that light is a substance. I have no wish to investigate further or plunge into the labyrinth of Aristotle’s volumes and those of other pagan philosophers and their imitators. Nevertheless, I wish to add what substance means in natural philosophy. Substance is said to be a pure and simple being that admits no contrariety into itself.

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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.