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 22

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Early New High German Page · Branch 29 of 215

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Early New High German

p. 22

machte WELD; EIN ALGEMEINE der selbigen Erster-schaffene ^aMATERIA PRIMA; EIN ALGEMEINER HEILAND des Menschlichen Geschlechts; EIN ALGEMEINER CHRISTLICHER GLAVBE; EINE ALGEMEINE CHRISTLICHE KIRche; EIN ALGEMEINES derselben KIRCHEN HEVBT / IHSVH CHRISTVS; EIN ALGEMEINER Naturgemeß-künstlicher STEIN der weisen / von ERSTER der MATERIALISCHEN Weld / ALGEMEINEN / auch CATHOLISCH animirten / MATERIA, So nur allein in MAGNESIA Philosophorum CATHOLICA / von GOTT durch die NATVR den NATVR-kündigern / zum LAPIDE VNIVERSALI, CA-

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 22

ONE UNIVERSAL ^aMATERIA PRIMA, first-created of that same World; ONE UNIVERSAL SAVIOUR of the human race; ONE UNIVERSAL CHRISTIAN FAITH; ONE UNIVERSAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH; ONE UNIVERSAL HEAD of that same CHURCH, IHSVH CHRISTVS; ONE UNIVERSAL Nature-conforming and artful STONE of the wise, out of the FIRST, UNIVERSAL, and also CATHOLICLY ensouled MATERIA of the MATERIAL World — which is set forth by GOD, through NATURE, to the knowers of Nature, in MAGNESIA Philosophorum CATHOLICA alone, unto the LAPIS VNIVERSALIS, CA-

47.The litany is the rhetorical centre of the treatise, and its force depends on the series being unbroken: one God, one World, one first Matter, one Saviour, one Faith, one Church, one Head, one Stone. Khunrath is not arguing from the creed to the Stone; he is placing them in one list so that the uniqueness of each is the uniqueness of all. Nothing is smoothed here and no connective is supplied that he did not set. — The marginal gloss beside MATERIA PRIMA runs: ‘This is nevertheless the first created being, material, a Catholicon — the First-Material essence of all Material things. Let the Leinstengerish Ardelio scoff at this, after his old custom, as much as he pleases.’ Ardelio is Latin for a meddling busybody, and Leimstengerisch is from Leimstange, the limed rod a fowler sets to catch small birds: the scoffer is a bird-limer, one who takes his prey by sticky traps. It reads as a jab at a particular opponent, unidentified, and it answers the mocking birds of p. 10 — there the enemies were birds, here one of them is catching them. Second gloss: ‘Unto the universal Stone of the Philosophers, I say.’ — dannoch carries a concession: whatever the Ardelio says, the first matter is still a created thing, not God.

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