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 178

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Early New High German

p. 178

was Nützliches zulernen; Die Sophisten mit jhren verführischen jrrwegen zu meiden / abzuschaffen / vnd gantz vnd gar zuuerlassen; vnangesehen / wie ein mechtiger grosser hauffe (wol ein solcher / damit man den Türcken aus Vngern leichtlich schlagen möchte) blinder Laboranten / auch den Pseudo-Magnesijs beypflichten / zu jhrem endlichen verterb / starck darauff liegen / vnd darüber Starköpficht veste halten: Dafür hette Er Gott billig zu dancken / das derselbige mit seiner Barmhertzigkeit jme dermassen beywohnet / aus dem Labyrintho errantium zu kommen / oder nicht darein zu gerahten.

Ich hoffe mit GOTTES Hülffe durch diese meine getrewe warnung (dahin mein Scopus vnd Zweck / gegenwertiges schreibens / fürnemlich gerichtet ist) noch

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 178

-what Profitable to learn; to shun, to put away and wholly to forsake the Sophists with their seductive by-ways — notwithstanding how mighty a great crowd of blind Laborants (a crowd, indeed, with which one might easily beat the Turk out of Hungary) cleave also to the Pseudo-Magnesias, to their final ruin, lie hard upon them, and Stiff-headedly hold fast by them: for that he would have good cause to thank God, that the same should so stand by him with his Mercy that he come out of the Labyrinth of the erring, or not fall into it.

I hope, with GOD’S Help, by this my faithful warning (whereto my Scope and Purpose in the present writing is chiefly directed), yet

239.Marginal gloss: ‘That he may beware of the leaven of the Pseudo-Chymists. That he may be able to guard himself against the Sourdough of the arrant Chymists.’ — fermentum in the Latin and Sawrteig in the German are the leaven of Matthew xvi. 6 and 1 Corinthians v. 6–7, and Khunrath gives his own German for the Latin as he habitually does. — den Türcken aus Vngern … schlagen: the war in Hungary had been running since 1593 and was still running when this was printed, so the figure is not antiquarian — it is the largest army the reader could picture, and Khunrath says the blind labourers would make one. — Labyrinthus errantium is Khunrath’s phrase for the condition, not the title of a book. — Starköpficht is printed with one r, divided Star- / köpficht; and Laboranten is Antiqua between two Fraktur words.

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