From the book
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Heinrich Khunrath · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe calumniator is a critic whose speech is slanderous, boastful or intrusive, distinguished from the modest objection that Khunrath says he welcomes.
- In KhunrathPage 104 tells the boasting calumniator that false prattle cannot overthrow the natural ground.
- In this edition“Calumniator” retains the moral charge better than the neutral “critic.”
- A reading distinctionThe p. 104 body and margin should be read together: their contrast is primary evidence, not an editorial effort to moderate the author’s invective.
Meaning
The calumniator is a critic whose speech is slanderous, boastful or intrusive, distinguished from the modest objection that Khunrath says he welcomes. The word condemns how opposition is conducted as well as what doctrine it promotes.
Use in the book
Page 104 tells the boasting calumniator that false prattle cannot overthrow the natural ground. Its margin simultaneously welcomes the well-meant, restrained objections of sons of doctrine. This juxtaposition prevents interpreting the insult as a blanket rule that every dissenter is forbidden to question.
At p. 149 the calumniator is told not to occupy himself with how near or far another stands from the Stone, but to bring his own work to its intended end. The immediate issue is the demand for another person's disclosure or proof. At p. 168 renewed chatter against the uncompleted but recognized subject is contrasted with the more reasonable and modest speech proper understanding would produce.
The category thus belongs to a norm of controversy: arguments must address the natural ground and respect the distinction between public doctrine and another practitioner's reserved progress. The label remains the author's judgment, not independent evidence that a particular unnamed adversary has committed defamation.
Places to read
- 1599 p. 104Boasting slander is denied power to overturn the natural ground
- 1599 p. 104 · marginModest objections are expressly welcomed
- 1599 p. 149The calumniator is directed back to his own work
- 1599 p. 168Uncomprehending chatter is contrasted with reasonable and modest speech
Translation in this edition
“Calumniator” retains the moral charge better than the neutral “critic.” Do not apply the charge to every objection when the source itself marks an acceptable form of disagreement.
Source note
The p. 104 body and margin should be read together: their contrast is primary evidence, not an editorial effort to moderate the author’s invective.