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.

Explore the Lexicon

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica PhilosophorumMagnesia Catholica Philosophorum · Printed Page 163

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Facing Pages · Branch 170 of 215

Book Mode

Early New High German

p. 163

puncto MAGNESIAE, von deinen / beydes subtilen vnd groben / Sophistereyen Naturgemeß zu repurgirē) reichlich genügē lassen. Ich dancke GOTT für das Meine; Was in Præparatione noch mangelt / das kan vnd wird Gott / wann im Geist vnd in der Warheit Ich Ihn darumb anruffe vñ bitte / auch vleissig darneben laborire, zu seiner Zeit vnd auff seine Weise Mir vollends wol bescheren. Trotz dir Verleumbder! Hat einander sein schreiben bis dahin eingestellet / auch erst nach seinem Tode herfür kommen lassen wollen / was fechtets Mich vnd dich an? Ists doch kan^‡ GOttes Bevehl / das es einer diesfals machen müsse wie der andere. Wann wir alle einen Kopff hatten / so trügen wir alle einen Hut: Ey wie ein feiner bequemer Hut solte derselbe sein! Wir haben auch nicht alle einer-

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 163

the point of MAGNESIA, to be purged Nature-conformingly of thy Sophistries, both the subtle and the gross) — in those, I say, I would let myself be richly satisfied. I thank GOD for what is Mine; what is still lacking in the Preparation, that God can and will, when in Spirit and in Truth I call upon Him and pray Him for it, and diligently laborate alongside, bestow upon Me in full, in His time and after His manner. In thy despite, Slanderer! If another has left off his writing until then, and has even wished it to come forth only after his death, what is that to Me and to thee? For it is no^‡ command of God that one man must do in this matter as the other does. If we all had one Head, we should all wear one Hat: Ah, what a fine commodious Hat that would be! Neither have we all one-

224.Marginal glosses: ‘It is not only and alone about making Gold and Silver that a Philosopher is concerned.’; ‘GOD, who has wonderfully taught me from my youth up, will not forsake me even unto old age and grey hairs, until I declare his ARM — that is, his Strength, or his ELIXIR — to all the generation that is to come. Psalm 71, verses 17, 18 and 19.’ — Psalm lxxi. 17–19 in the Hebrew and Lutheran numbering (Vulgate lxx). Khunrath alters the verse in several places. The Vulgate addresses God in the second person, docuisti, where Khunrath has qui … docuit; mirabiliter is added to it; the petition ne derelinquas me becomes the statement non derelinquet me; in senectam et senium is reversed to in senium & senectam; and brachium tuum, the arm of God which the psalmist is to declare to the coming generation, is glossed Fortitudinem siuè ELIXEIR eius, so that the arm declared is the Elixir. — im Geist vnd in der Warheit, John iv. 24. — Wann wir alle einen Kopff hatten / so trügen wir alle einen Hut is proverbial. — ^‡The 1599 sets kan where the sense requires kein: Ists doch kein GOttes Bevehl, it is after all no command of God. The three sorts k, a, n are clear. Left as set and marked. — repurgirē and laborire are Antiqua, reichlich Fraktur.

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