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 182

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Early New High German

p. 182

Sophisterey ober Hand behalten lassen; dem Lügener vnd verleumbder nicht das Maul stopffen; vnd ein Stummer Hund sein? Das sey ferne / von einem Warheitliebenden Philosopho: Vielmehr wil Ich mit DAVID also sagen: Ich wil Predigen die Warheit / in der grossen Gemeine; Sihe / Ich wil meinen Mund nicht stopffen lassen / HERR das weistu. Ich Weis vnd Erkenne MAGNESIAM, darumb rede vnnd schreibe Ich auch dauon: Solte auch der Teuffel mit seinen Schupen darüber noch so sehr zürnen / vnnd gar bersten. Von Magnesia Vniuersali, dieweil Ich (GOtt sey lob) sie kenne vnnd Erkenne / kan vnd darff Ich wol schreiben; sol Mir deswegen keiner den Mund zubinden. Wer weiß was Gott beschlossen habe / für gutes zu stifften / mit dieser Meiner öf-

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 182

Sophistry keep the upper Hand; not stop the Mouth of the Liar and the slanderer; and be a Dumb Dog? Far be that from a Truth-loving Philosopher. Rather will I say with DAVID: I will Preach the Truth in the great Congregation; behold, I will not let my Mouth be stopped, LORD, that thou knowest. I Know and Recognize MAGNESIA, and therefore I also speak and write of her — though the Devil with his scales should rage over it never so much, and burst outright. Of Magnesia Vniuersalis, since I (God be praised) know her and Recognize her, I can and may well write; none shall bind up my Mouth for that. Who knows what God has decreed to found for good by this My o-

243.Marginal glosses: ‘Psalm 40, Verse 10.’; ‘The World, and its Prince the Devil, set themselves against^† truth.’ — Psalm xl. 10 (Vulgate xxxix. 10), which Luther gives as Ich will predigen die Gerechtigkeit in der großen Gemeine; siehe, ich will mir meinen Mund nicht stopfen lassen, HERR, das weißt du. Khunrath puts die Warheit where the psalm has die Gerechtigkeit and drops Luther’s mir. The habit is the same as at p. 180, where Warheit displaces HERRN in the Zedekiah verse, though the word displaced is not. — ein Stummer Hund, Isaiah lvi. 10. — der Teuffel mit seinen Schupen: the third place in the treatise for this phrase, after p. 7 and p. 92, and it bears out the sense settled at p. 92 — the Devil’s scales, and by extension his following. — ^†The gloss’s last line begins ner, which is not a word; the sense requires wieder, against, and the compositor appears to have set the tail of a second wieder whose head was dropped. Printed as set and 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