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 214 of 215
Glossary of Key Terms · Part 13
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Glossary of Key Terms
p. 214Wächslich-machung
making-to-grow — agricultural, not constructive, and the first term of the triad completed by Wiedergeberung and Plusquamperfection. pp. 13, 57, 95 m.
Wiedergeberung / Regeneration
regeneration. Khunrath’s word for the death and re-birth of a metal in the Work, and distinguished from any mere refining: the metal is not improved but slain and begotten again, sown into the Acker, rotted in its mother’s body, and raised. The margin of p. 13 gives the Latin triad — Vegetationis, Regenerationis, Plusquamperfectionis AGER genuinus. What is regenerated then passes beyond perfection; see plusquamperficiert. pp. 13 (and m), 71, 75, 81, 92, 98, 118–119, 159.
zeugen
to beget. At p. 63 the verb stands twice in one clause and both are generative: Nature is still generating the metals now. The one exception is von … zeugen with the dative, which is testimonial: at p. 139 Magnesia Catholica … ists / die von CHRISTO … zeuget, glossed with John v. 39, and there it is rendered testify of. pp. 63, 139.
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Reading Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum · Glossary of Key Terms · Glossary of Key Terms · Part 13
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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.