Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

Name: Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Author: Heinrich Khunrath

The 1599 German text with a new English translation, introduction, glossary, and notes.

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Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica PhilosophorumMagnesia Catholica Philosophorum · Printed Page 13

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Early New High German

p. 13

hohen Kunst; als nemlich / die geheime Erst-Materialische Allgemeine Magnesiam der Weisen; des verborgenen Naturgemeß-Alchymischen Vniuersal STEINES / der Catholischen vnd höchsten Medicin der Philosophen / allem rechte vnd wahre Materiam;

Vnd auch (rechtem grunde wahrer Naturgemesser Philosophiæ / vnd dergleichen Chymischer Philosophorum lehrē nach) Silbers vnd Goldes Naturgemeß-künstlicher Wächslich-machungs / Wiedergeberungs / Mehr dann vollkommenwerdungs / Natürlichem vnd eigentlichem ACKER; Dahero (vermittelst Gottes willen) der Vnteren Metallen in die öberen (tam in esse, quàm in forma, so wol im wesen / als in der gestalt) verwandlungs TINCTVREN, hohe ELIXEIRIA, vnd andere dergleichen warhafftige Trans-

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 13

high Art: namely, the secret First-Material Universal Magnesia of the Wise; the sole right and true Materia of the hidden Nature-conforming Alchymical Vniuersal STONE, the Catholic and highest Medicine of the Philosophers;

and also (according to the true ground of true Nature-conforming Philosophia, and to the teachings of the like Chymical Philosophi) the Natural and proper FIELD of the Nature-conforming and artful making-to-grow, Regeneration, and More-than-perfecting of Silver and Gold; whence (by means of God’s will) there may follow the transmuting TINCTVRES of the Lower Metals into the upper (tam in esse, quàm in forma — as well in essence as in outward form), high ELIXEIRIA, and other such true Trans-

24.1599: allem, which does not construe. Emended to allein, an n/m substitution of a kind the compositor makes elsewhere in this gathering. The reading is not in Khunrath’s errata, but R reads allein rechte und wahre Materie, which confirms the emendation.

25.Marginal glosses: (i) ‘in the true Materia and right preparation’; (ii) ‘The genuine FIELD of the Vegetation, Regeneration and More-than-perfection of silver and gold.’ — ACKER is the ploughland, the tilled field, and it is capitalized in the original. It answers the gloss on p. 12, Quale semen, tale germen: the metals are seed, and seed put into a foreign soil will not come up. Khunrath’s argument about the subiectum debitum is being made a second time, in the language of husbandry, for readers who will not take it in the language of logic. Note also Wächslich-machung, ‘making-to-grow’, which he prefers to any term of manufacture — the work is agricultural, not constructive.

About This Reading Edition

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum argues that alchemy has one universal subject, that this subject cannot be extracted from the metals, and that nothing in the work can begin without recognizing it. This complete reader begins with the supplied seven-part introduction and orientation, then presents every printed page of the 1599 German treatise opposite its new English translation.

Historical Text and Translation

The German reading text is a fresh diplomatic transcription from 600 dpi images of the Magdeburg copy printed by Johann Bötcher in 1599. It preserves Khunrath’s capitalization, word division, authorial marginal keys, glosses, errata, and three unnumbered closing pages: the errata leaf, owl emblem, and colophon.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared the new English translation, introduction, notes, glossary, collation, and editorial apparatus. The translation follows Khunrath directly, retaining his technical vocabulary, changes of register, repetitions, rhetorical questions, and distinctions between German, Latin, and coined terms.

Rights

Heinrich Khunrath’s 1599 German work is in the public domain. The 2026 English translation, introduction, notes, glossary, editorial arrangement, and related matter are original to this edition and remain © 2026 Diotimos.

supplied-bilingual-editionSupplied complete German–English scholarly edition