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 173

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Early New High German

p. 173

(Vnd auch / neben Philosophischer Naturgemesser anwendung / Silbers oder Goldes / Lapidem vel Argentificum vel Aurificum specialem) Dann er suchet jhn in deme / worein jhn GOTT geleget hat; vnd also schliesslich / worinnen GOTT vnd die Natur jhn von dem Artisten gesucht haben wollen. O wie in gewissem SVBIECTO artis huius CATHOLICO laboriret ein solcher!

Nun wil auch förder hoch von nöten sein / das er hierzu PATREM LVMINVM, GOTT / den wahren GEBER, in Spiritu ac Veritate; in ORATORIO anruffe / jhne SOPHIA ENTHVSIASTICA zuerleuchten; in specu-lo MENTIS, oder sonsten / sehen zulassen; vnnd in lectione librorum Philosophorū Theosophicè also zu admoniren / das er nicht als

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 173

(And also, alongside the Philosophical and Nature-conforming application of Silver or of Gold, the special Stone that makes Silver or that makes Gold.) For he seeks it in that wherein GOD has laid it; and so, in conclusion, in that wherein GOD and Nature have willed it to be sought by the Artist. O, in how sure a CATHOLIC SVBIECTVM of this art does such a one laborate!

Now it will further be highly needful that to this end he call upon the FATHER OF LIGHTS, GOD, the true GIVER, in Spirit and in Truth, in the ORATORY: to enlighten him with SOPHIA ENTHVSIASTICA; to let him see in the mirror of the MIND, or otherwise; and in the reading of the books of the Philosophers, Theosophically, so to admonish him that he not a-

234.Marginal glosses: ‘If any man lack Wisdom, let him ask of God, and it shall be given him. James 1, verse 5.’; ‘ORATORY. The mind, joined to God, attains what it desires.’ — James i. 5, and PATREM LVMINVM in the body is James i. 17, a Patre luminum: gloss and text draw on the same chapter. in Spiritu ac Veritate is John iv. 24; p. 163 has the same allusion in German, im Geist vnd in der Warheit, not the Latin tag. — SOPHIA ENTHVSIASTICA belongs with the Cabala Enthusiastica of p. 135, and is the same thing named from the other side: there the mode of receiving, here the Wisdom received. It is not a warning. — ORATORIVM here and LABORATORIVM in the margin of p. 174 are the pair on which the last part of the treatise turns. They do not face one another: p. 173 is a recto and p. 174 the verso of the same leaf, so the two stand back to back and the reader must turn the leaf to get from one to the other. — LAPIDIs at p. 175 sets a lowercase s among Antiqua capitals, as LAPiS does at p. 136. — admoniren is Antiqua here, where admonition at p. 157 is Fraktur. In the gloss, Jacob. 1. is Fraktur and vers. 5. on the line below appears to be Antiqua; the second half is faint and the reading is less secure than the first. — Where the German declines a Latin noun, the English gives it in its citation form (SVBIECTO … CATHOLICO as CATHOLIC SVBIECTVM); this is the practice of the whole edition and is not separately marked.

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