Diotimos Library · Renaissance Collection · Bilingual Edition
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
The 1599 German text with a new English translation, introduction, glossary, and notes.
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English Introduction · Branch 205 of 215
Glossary of Key Terms · Part 4
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Glossary of Key Terms
p. 205Doctrinæ filius
son of the doctrine, retained. The standing address to the adept in the alchemical corpus, and Khunrath’s name for the reader he wants — the man who lets himself be Philosophically instructed and thinks better of it. pp. 29, 59, 131, 137, 159, 176.
Donum Dei / Catholicon
Retained. The Art as God’s gift, not the Artist’s achievement: at p. 6 the Stone is the DONVM DEI triunius Catholici triunum Catholicon, and at p. 128 the margin makes it the thing every physico-chymist shall pray for. pp. 6, 128 m.
Embryonirt
embryonated. Of metals already quickened toward silver or gold, and therefore no longer first matter. The noun Embryones stands at p. 78 with vnzeitige gebürte, untimely births. pp. 76, 78, 89.
Ens Mirificum
Retained: the wonder-working being. A name for the Stone; the margin of p. 25 gives the fuller form, Ens Physico-artificiale MIRIFICVM, physical and artificial at once, and at p. 26 it carries the argument that possession without preparation still implies a preparer. pp. 25 m, 26, 160.
Erst-Materialisch / Pri-materialisch
first-material, pri-material. Khunrath’s adjectives for the state before any specification. The two are not interchangeable in his hands and are not collapsed here.
fermentum Vniuersale / Proteus Physicorum
the universal ferment; the proteus of the natural philosophers; retained. The Stone considered as what ferments everything else and therefore takes every shape — so ratione fermentationis sich vorgestaltet in allerley gestalten. Not to be confused with the fermentum of pp. 79 and 178, which is the Gospel leaven turned against the pseudo-chymists: Khunrath uses the one word in both valences. pp. 100–101 m.
Fimus Philosophorum
Retained: the Philosophers’ dung, the putrefying medium of the work. Never softened; the margin of p. 120 calls it der geheime fimus equinus der Weisen, the secret horse-dung of the Wise. pp. 83, 120 m.
Fladdergeist
flutter-spirit. Khunrath’s word for what his opponent imagines he is catching out of the air. p. 85.
FONTINLEIN
fountlet, a little fountain. The diminutive is not ironic: the small spring is the source. German set in Antiqua capitals while the SALTZ it is compounded with is Fraktur. It answers the Fontina pri-materialis Catholica of p. 83. pp. 83, 94, 127.
Socrates
Reading Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum · Glossary of Key Terms · Glossary of Key Terms · Part 4
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.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.