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 46

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Facing Pages · Branch 53 of 215

Book Mode

Early New High German

p. 46

sophorum VNIVERSALIS constitution, das / Nemlich / derselbige sey / von nöten; Darein ^aconstitutivè nichts gehe oder komme / was zuuor nicht auch daraus gegangen oder herfür gekommen sey: Nur alleine das der Kunstner / in der Ersten oder VORARBEIT / von welcher die Philosophi fast gar nichts / oder doch ja sehr sehr wenig nachrichtung in jhren Schrifften klar vnd hell verlassen / Solches Naturgemeß-künstlich ^b AVFLöSE ; gebürlich REINIGE; vnd die vberflüssigkeiten dauon Abscheide: Nachmals / in der ANDERN oder NACHARBEIT / die Reinen theile / in rechten Gewichte / wiederumb RECHT Componire, REVNIRE, COAGVLIRE, FIGIRE vnd INCERIRE) das dasselbige EINE Natürliche DING / wird von Mir gesagt /

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 46

sophorum VNIVERSALIS — namely, that the same may come to be; into which constitutively^a nothing goes or comes that has not previously also gone out of it or come forth from it; save only that the Artist, in the First or FORE-WORK — concerning which the Philosophers have left almost nothing at all, or at any rate very, very little information clear and plain in their Writings — should in a Nature-conforming and artful manner DISSOLVE^b that same, duly CLEANSE it, and Separate the superfluities from it; and afterwards, in the SECOND or AFTER-WORK, should again rightly Compose, REUNITE, COAGULATE, FIX and INCERATE the Pure parts in their right Weight. That the same ONE Natural THING is, I say,

97.Marginal glosses: keyed to a: ‘Destructively it has another meaning: especially where one can also separate out again, clean away from it, the thing that furthers the destruction, together with and alongside the impurities of MAGNESIA.’; keyed to b: ‘Dissolve; Coagulate; Fix.’; ‘This belongs to the Art. And this rests with GOD, who knows well whether — and to whom.’ — These two pages are the only place so far where Khunrath states the operation itself, and he states it as a closed system: nothing may enter the composition that did not first come out of the same body. Solve, Coagula, Fige is the classical formula; incerare is to bring to a waxy consistency, a standard step, and is kept as incerate. Note his admission that the Philosophers wrote almost nothing clear about the Fore-work — which is what he has undertaken to supply.

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