From the book
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Heinrich Khunrath · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordIn the p. 163 margin God's arm is explicitly glossed as his strength or Elixir.
- In KhunrathThe body defends continued writing despite incomplete preparation and affirms prayer joined to diligent labour.
- In this editionKeep “arm,” “strength” and “Elixir” visible in sequence.
- A reading distinctionKhunrath’s margin gives Psalm 71:17–19.
Meaning
In the p. 163 margin God's arm is explicitly glossed as his strength or Elixir. The adapted Psalm 71 passage says that God, who has taught the speaker from youth, will not abandon him in old age until he declares that arm to the coming generation.
Use in the book
The body defends continued writing despite incomplete preparation and affirms prayer joined to diligent labour. The gloss therefore supplies a scriptural voice for the author’s persistence and intended communication. The object proclaimed is not only a general providence: the inserted explanation brings the Elixir into the psalm's arm-language.
Khunrath makes the application himself with h. e., “that is.” It should not be diluted into an editorial comparison, nor should it be mistaken for the wording of the biblical original. The note identifies several further changes, including the movement from a petition not to be forsaken to an assurance that God will not forsake him.
This is a distinct use of strength from the Isaiah gloss on pp. 147–1482. The latter connects silence and hope to the Elixir; this one connects a lifetime of divine teaching to proclamation.
Places to read
- 1599 p. 163The author joins gratitude, prayer and labour while defending continued publication
- 1599 p. 163 · marginBRACHIVM is glossed as strength or Elixir within the adapted Psalm 71 passage
Translation in this edition
Keep “arm,” “strength” and “Elixir” visible in sequence. Translating only the final technical term would hide the scriptural transformation.
Source note
Khunrath’s margin gives Psalm 71:17–19. The modern note distinguishes this numbering from the Vulgate’s and identifies the detailed changes; the direct arm-to-Elixir gloss is primary.