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 52

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Early New High German

p. 52

dingen MATERIA; vnd also folgende auch de MATERIA METALLORVM omnium PRIMA & VNIVERSALI: Schliesslich dann / CHAOS pri-materiale ac vniuersale Physico - Chymicorum / das Allgemeine Erst - materialische CHAOS der NATVR - kündigen / vnd NATVR - gemeß- Alchimisch laborirendē Philosophen: MAGNESIA siue MAGNES-IAH, & SATVRNVS sapientum; MINERA ARTIS: Das wahre vnd eine des Philosophischen VNIVERSAL STEINS VNIVERSALE SVBIECTVM; Vnd auch der allein rechte / beydes Natürliche (wie es per se oder an sich selbst ist ) vnd Naturgemeß- künstliche (verstehe / wann es in pri-materialisch wasser resoluiret ist / vnd entweder noch Azothisch wesserich / oder aber Azothisch coaguliret vnd figi-

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 52

and thus consequently also of the FIRST and VNIVERSAL MATTER of all METALS. Finally, then: the pri-material and universal CHAOS of the Physico-Chymists, the Universal First-material CHAOS of the knowers of NATURE and of the Philosophers who laborate in a NATURE-conforming and Alchemical way; MAGNESIA, or MAGNES-IAH, and the SATVRN of the wise; the MINE OF THE ART; the true and single VNIVERSAL SVBIECTVM of the Philosophical VNIVERSAL STONE. And it is also the only right one, both Natural (as it is per se, or in itself) and Nature-conforming-artful — understand: when it has been dissolved into pri-material water, and is either still Azothically watery, or else Azothically coagulated and fix-

105.MAGNES-IAH: the hyphen is Khunrath’s, and it is the most consequential piece of punctuation in the treatise. He divides the name so as to disclose IAH within it — Yah, the short form of the divine Name — making Magnesia read as the magnet of IAH. The hyphen is tight and unspaced in the print, the same sort used for the line-break in SATVR-NVS two words later. The etymology is false as philology and is not offered as philology: it is the same claim the book has been making throughout, that the divine Name is concealed in the thing the world can see and name but cannot recognize (p. 44). — MINERA ARTIS, the Art’s ore or mine: the place the Art digs in, not the product. — Marginal gloss: ‘MAGNESIA and the SATVRN of the Wise. Not the running corporeal Mercury of common Lead, but this one — as their Saturn’s viscous Mercury — is what the Wise mean, where they speak of Saturn’s Mercury for the transmutation of Metals …’ (running on). The warning is practical and pointed: Saturnus in the Philosophers does not mean lead.

106.‘AZOTH.’ stands alone at the foot of the page, below the rule, in Antiqua capitals on the direction line — the slot a signature occupies on a recto — sharing that line with the catchword. It is set in the margin here, the nearest this layout allows, and the placement is recorded. — Azoth is the alchemists’ universal solvent or mercurial water, its name built from the first and last letters of the Latin, Greek and Hebrew alphabets (a, alpha, aleph; z, omega, tau), so that the word itself signifies the whole from beginning to end. Khunrath uses it adjectivally — Azothisch — which English cannot do without coining, so Azothically is coined here and recorded.

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