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 33

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Early New High German

p. 33

Chymischer künst liebende Leute / fast allerley Standes / zum theil gute / zu gutem Ende / (welche disfals nicht zu verdencken) zum theil aber / mit heimlichen auch offentlichen neid vnd verleumbdungen sehr angefüllete / zum bösen Ende / die jhnen auff mancherley wege mit embsigen / bisweilen auch listigen nachforschen (were zu wünschen es geschehe von diesen auch aus liebe zur warheit / vnnd nicht zur verfolgung derselben / dem exemplo Herodis ^a nach / welcher zwar dē Kindlein IHSuh, dessē wares Contrafect, aus dem Göttlichē grossen Weldbuch der Natur / MAGNEsia ist / auch fleissig nachforschete / jedoch nicht zu gleichem Ende mit dē Weisen) hefftig angelegen sein lassen / zu wissen / wz doch MAGNESIA Philosophorum CATHOLica sey / dauon Doctor Khunrath lehret vnd schreibet;

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 33

-mical people who love the Art, of almost every estate: some of them good, to a good End (who in this matter are not to be blamed), but some of them very full of secret and also open envy and slanders, to a bad End — who have let it lie heavily upon them, by many ways, to find out by diligent, and sometimes also crafty, searching (it were to be wished that with these too it were done out of love for the truth, and not for the persecution of it, after the example of Herod^a, who also searched diligently indeed for the little Child IHSuh, whose true Likeness out of the Divine great World-book of Nature is MAGNEsia — yet not to the same End as the Wise) — to know what then the MAGNESIA Philosophorum CATHOLICA may be, of which Doctor Khunrath teaches and writes.

74.Marginal gloss, keyed to Khunrath’s a: Matthew ii — Herod’s enquiry of the Magi, and the slaughter of the Innocents. The typology is the most compressed thing in the treatise and should not be hurried past: the seekers who search diligently but to a bad end are Herod; the Wise who search to a good end are the Magi; and Magnesia is the Child. Contrafect is the period word for a true likeness or portrait — Magnesia is the counterpart of the incarnate Child as the book of Nature renders him, which is the same Harmonia analogica announced at p. 30, now given a narrative form. Note that Khunrath does not say Magnesia is Christ; he says it is his true likeness in the other book. — Here and at p. 40 he refers to himself in the third person, as Doctor Khunrath, because he is reporting what the enviers say.

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