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 17

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Early New High German Page · Branch 24 of 215

Book Mode

Early New High German

p. 17

MVS, NATVRA, MVNDI ANIMA, der allergeheimste GEist der WELD / die NATVR / der Welt SEHLE / in allen dingen were.

Ob solches nun nicht gar idiotisch geschlossen vnd geredet sey / auch also / dz billich einem wahren Philosopho es fast lecherlich fürkomme / dauon lasse Ich alle vnd jede wolgelehrte Natur-kündige vnparteyisch iudiciren.

Man bedencke doch nur / was das wort CATHOLICON, VNIVERSALE, ALGEMEIN / in der NATVR / auch sonsten in anderen scibilibus / bedeute / vnd für einen verstand habe? Man behertzige warumb LAPIS Philosophorum mirificus, So aus MAGNESIA CATHOLICA præpariret worden / CATHOLICVS siue VNIVERSALIS, Ein ALGEMEINER

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 17

-MVS, NATVRA, MVNDI ANIMA — the most secret SPIRIT of the WORLD, NATVRE, the SOUL of the World — would be in all things.

Whether such a conclusion and such talk be not altogether idiotic, and such that it must fairly strike a true Philosophus as well-nigh laughable — of that I leave every well-learned knower of Nature to judge impartially.

Let a man consider only what the word CATHOLICON, VNIVERSALE, UNIVERSAL, means in NATVRE, and likewise in the other knowable disciplines, and what sense it bears. Let him take to heart why the wonder-working LAPIS Philosophorum, prepared out of MAGNESIA CATHOLICA, is CATHOLICVS siue VNIVERSALIS, a UNIVERSAL

36.‘The most secret SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, NATURE, the SOUL OF THE WORLD’. Khunrath gives the Latin and then his own German for it, as he habitually does; both are kept. The doctrine is not in dispute between him and the laborants — he grants that the Spirit is in all things (see p. 20) — and the quarrel is over what follows from it.

37.idiotisch: in the period, the sense is ‘of a layman’, unlearned, rather than the modern insult; but Khunrath sets it beside lecherlich, laughable, and plainly intends contempt. Rendered idiotic, which carries both, and the older sense is recorded here.

38.Marginal gloss: ‘How could a VNIVERSALE hold good, if several such were laid down within the chymical discipline?’ — scibile, a thing that can be known, hence a field of knowledge; the plural scibilibus is left standing in the German and Englished here, since Khunrath’s argument turns on the word being the ordinary technical one and not a term of art of his own.

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