Isaac Newton’s Hermeneutics of the Symbolic Texts of Chymistry and Biblical Prophecy

PhD thesis by Paul T. Greenham

That early modern natural philosophers such as Isaac Newton were deeply preoccupied by
religious concerns, which were entwined with their study of nature, has become—at last—a
fairly uncontroversial commonplace. In the area of the relationship between Newton’s
natural philosophy, alchemy, and theology, Dobbs’ Janus Faces of Genius has had an
enduring impact. However, the new historiography of alchemy and insights gained from the
application of book history to the history of science—particularly the bookishness of
alchemy—require Newton’s alchemy and theology to be revisited.


347 pages.

https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitst...thesis.pdf

https://lanuitlanuit.wordpress.com/2019/...-de-paris/

https://www.deepl.com/translator


   

Some images from Thomas Norton's Ordinall of Alchymy:

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-o...chemy-1477

Love the acorn-pots bottom-left in the first image, showing that utility didn't always trump aesthetics even in the mediaeval alchemist's workshop.

Earlier this evening, I found this engraving, which provides a variation on the well-known Vitriol acrostic.

It is an illustration for the fourth text in the Quadratum Alchymisticum, 1705.

   

A correspondent has asked me:

What are the formulas for the Astral, Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral stones? What is the formula for Magic fire?

I have sent him some source books. Can anyone provide concise answers? He's looking for chemical recipes, not definitions.

TIA

"An History of Metals"

John Webster 1671, with a chapter on transmutation (Ch. XXIX):

https://tinyurl.com/4t85bv4e

I found today a rather fine, coloured manuscript in the Latvian Masonic Museum (which has a Facebook page).
It is a version of the familiar 18th century compendium, the  'Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians'.
Among the images is one of the Mons philosophorum. This was originally issued as woodcut dated 1604, normally ascribed to Denis Zacaire, and indicated as being the frontispiece to his Die Natürliche Philosophia.  I am not entirely sure that this is correct. It does appear in at least one of the 18th century printings of Die Natürliche Philosophia, 1724. But is not included in the 1609 printing, at least in the copy I have examined.



   

At Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/search?query=alchemy...eadable%22

St. Andrews University Library.  MS. 38190. Philosophorum Praeclara Monita. 

Written in France 1701-1712. It contains 48 allegorical illustrations.

I visited this library over 30 years ago and made a description of all the images.
At that time, it was not possible to have photographs made, and that was before scans and jpg files.

In front on a mountain labelled with the symbol of Saturn from which emerges a stream splitting into seven rivulets, Mercury stands in a blue tunic and holding his caduceus. He brings together a Golden King figure and a Silver Queen, each standing on small sun and moon discs.  They reach out and hold hands. They stand on a small leafy area on the bank of a blue lake. In the foreground are two trees - that on the left  (King's side bears golden apples) while that on the right (Queen's side bears silver apples).

This image is related to, or a variation on, one of the Flamel 'hieroglyphic' figures.


This was posted today on the Ora Clavis Facebook page.

   

Many anime artists clearly have prior knowledge of some of the more nuanced tenets of alchemy and apply that to their art in interesting ways.

https://www.cbr.com/anime-with-alchemy-s...cend-magic