DiotimosReading Desk

Goodwill, fidelity and reciprocal trust

benevolentiam; fidelitatem; fidei; beneficiorum; benevolentia; fidelitas

The dedication treats goodwill and brotherly fidelity as gifts already received from the recipient.

From the book

Nine Books on the Nature of Things

Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

The dedication treats goodwill and brotherly fidelity as gifts already received from the recipient. Gratitude for this loyalty motivates the speaker’s lasting written gift. Fides here belongs to interpersonal trust and remembered benefits, not simply religious faith or assent to propositions. That relation also explains why confidential transmission is expected: the book is entrusted to someone represented as already proven loyal.

Places to read

  1. Dedication to Johann Winckelsteiner · Passage 2Latin“benevolentiam, sed et fraternam fidelitatem”