Son of the World

Use in the book

The designation is already present in the opening account of the Stone as a triune universal gift: the gift comes from the triune, hermaphroditic, catholic Son of the greater World. At p. 9 Khunrath tells the reader that the Son's Philosophical name is Magnesia. Sonship is consequently part of the initial definition, not a decorative epithet added after the substance has been independently identified.

Its natural rationale appears on p. 50. Nature has composed one catholic Chaos from the body, spirit and soul of the great world. This macrocosmic microcosm comes from the world's seed and is coessential and consubstantial with its parent in first-material essence and matter. The primary margin defines a son as what is generated from the father's seed and substance. The claim is thus grounded in derivation and likeness of constitution. The Greek and Latin theological vocabulary sharpens rather than replaces the material argument.

The Son also has a developmental history. In the reading of the Emerald Tablet at p. 93, the miracles of the one thing are associated especially with the more-than-perfected Son of the greater World, to be raised through physico-chymical work to glorification. The same subject can therefore be named by its natural origin and by the perfection toward which preparation tends. The title alone does not prove that the completed Stone is already present in an operative state.

Near the end, Khunrath hopes that his confession and teaching of the Son of the great World may confirm the teaching of God's Son from Nature. The comparison retains its two sides. The broader Christological argument also involves likeness, salvation, humiliation and glory. Reading sonship materially without its theology, or theologically without the qualifying relation to the world, would each discard language Khunrath has made explicit.

Places to read

1. 1599 p. 6The universal gift derives from the triune hermaphroditic Son of the great World.
2. 1599 p. 9Magnesia is given as the Son’s Philosophical name.
3. 1599 p. 50Seed, essence and matter explain the Son’s likeness to its cosmic parent.
4. 1599 p. 50 · margin2Sonship is defined through generation from paternal seed and substance.
5. 1599 p. 93The Son is named in relation to more-than-perfection and glorification.
6. 1599 p. 183Teaching the worldly Son is hoped to confirm teaching about God’s Son.

Translation in this edition

The supplied note identifies homoousios with the Nicene vocabulary. That historical identification is editorial; Khunrath's primary text itself supplies the Greek and the Latin equivalents. “Like its begetter” should therefore be read with the stronger coessential and consubstantial language, not as a merely visual resemblance.