Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 17 of 175
The Concentrated Centre of Nature · Passage 1
German
Centrum Naturae Concentratum
Ich glaube nicht, daß ein Ding in der Welt ist, umb welches willen so viel geschrieben, so viel gearbeitet, und so viel gesuchet wird, als der so genandte Stein der Weisen, viel sind darüber arm und närrisch worden: Sehr wenig haben das gewünschte Ziel erreichet, weil dieser Kunst meist von allen, nicht aus Liebe zur Weißheit, sondern des Reichthumbs wegen nachgetrachtet wird. Und weil der Geitz so Ehre, als Geld belanget, eine Wurtzel alles Übels ist, kan aus denen darvon wachsenden Wercken auch nichts als Unglück und Boßheit hervor kommen.
English
The Concentrated Centre of Nature
German witness: 1682, printed pp. 5–38, Badische Landesbibliothek Karlsruhe, 87 B 76050. Source facsimile: https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbihd/Drucke/content/pageview/4591555
Attributed to Ali Puli
I do not believe there is anything in the world about which so much is written, for which so much labour is undertaken, and which is so earnestly sought, as the so-called philosophers’ stone. Many have become poor and foolish over it; very few have reached the desired goal, because almost everyone pursues this art for the sake of wealth rather than from a love of wisdom. And since greed, whether for honour or for money, is a root of every evil, nothing but misfortune and wickedness can arise from the works that grow out of it.
Socrates
Reading Centrum Naturae Concentratum · The Concentrated Centre of Nature · The Concentrated Centre of Nature · Passage 1
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Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
The complete supplied German–English edition of the 1682 collection: the main treatise attributed to Ali Puli, Helbig’s preface, distinct companion discourses, the short potable-gold preparation and the anonymous Father’s Last Testament, with four historical figures, 103 annotations and the full Diotimos study apparatus.
Historical Text and Translation
The governing German witness is the complete 1682 collection in Badische Landesbibliothek Karlsruhe, shelfmark 87 B 76050, with an unnumbered title and printed pages 1–80. The historical title’s Arabic and Portuguese antecedents and its authorial persona are retained as claims, not authenticated originals. Johann Otto Helbig (Hellwig), Martin de Delle, J. J. F. and the anonymous testament retain their distinct historical roles.
About Diotimos Editions
This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.
Rights
The historical German source text and engraving are in the public domain. The English translation and editorial material were prepared with AI assistance for Diotimos Editions in 2026, with a supplied translation and sign commentary identified separately, and are published with the site owner’s authorization.