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Heinrich Khunrath

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

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

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Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica PhilosophorumThe 1599 Errata: Collation · Part 4

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English Introduction · Branch 201 of 215

The 1599 Errata: Collation · Part 4

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: The 1599 Errata: Collation

p. 201

p. 140

Christlicher / für Christncher. lin. 19. — Line 19 as printed begins ncher, the second half of Christ- / ncher: an n stands where li should. Corrected to Christlicher; adopted.

p. 142

literas für literæ. lin. 19. — Line 19 as printed reads literæ die Natur selbst geschrieben hatt. Corrected to literas; adopted. The accusative is required by geschrieben hatt, and the sense — that Nature wrote the letters — turns on it.

p. 143

Philosophisch. für Phllosophisch. / lin. 11. — Line 11 as printed reads vnd dem Physico / Phllosophisch, with two ls. Corrected to Philosophisch; adopted.

p. 154

Mundana, für Muudana, in marg. — The margin of p. 154 reads in Vniuersitate Muudana, with two us where un is wanted. Corrected to Mundana; adopted. It is the one place in Khunrath’s list where the entry can only be construed from the page, the two forms being indistinguishable at the size the errata leaf is set.

p. 160

sonderlich bey in der Natur. lin. vltim. — The last line of p. 160 as printed reads hinder sich habe; sonderlich in der, and the sentence runs on over the page to Natur vnuerstendigen Leuten. The entry gives only the corrected reading; bey is supplied before in der, without which the dative Leuten is left ungoverned. Adopted and marked. It is the last entry on the leaf.

Four readings in the treatise are emended on the editor’s authority and are not in Khunrath’s list. At p. 13, allem rechte vnd wahre Materiam, where allem does not construe, is emended to allein; the 1784 recension reads allein rechte und wahre Materie, which confirms it. At p. 12, line 9, error hon paruus is corrected to non, a turned or mis-sorted letter; r confirms the sense with kein kleiner Irrthum im Anfang. At p. 16, CATHOLISHER wants its c and is corrected to CATHOLISCHER. At p. 21, VNVERSALEM wants its i and is corrected to VNIVERSALEM. All four are recorded in the apparatus at their places. One further doubtful place is left standing rather than emended: at p. 23 the 1599 sets durch GOTTES / durch GOTTes WVNDERLIECHT, and the doubling is printed as found.

r is cited throughout as an early reader’s construal and never as a textual witness; see the Editorial Note. It resolves nothing about the aliâs hoc entry, which its rewriting simply passes over.

201

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.