The Mage's Images: Heinrich Khunrath in His Oratory and Laboratory, Volume 1: Prologue: Bio-Bibliography & Introduction to Khunrath's Images

This is the 1st volume in a 4-volume work entitled The Mage's Images . The work provides the first in-depth examination of the life and works of Heinrich Khunrath (1560-1605), 'one of the great Hermetic philosophers', whose Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom (1595/1609) has been described as 'one of the most important books in the whole literature of theosophical alchemy and the occult sciences'. Khunrath is best known for his novel combination of 'scripture and picture' in the complex engravings in his Amphitheatre . In this richly illustrated monograph, Forshaw analyses occult symbolism, with previously unpublished material, offering insight into Khunrath's insistence on the necessary combination of alchemy, magic, and cabala in 'Oratory and Laboratory'. Front Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgments Figures Tables Introductory Note Chapter 1 Prologue: a Bio-Bibliographical Introduction 1 1560 Birth in Leipzig 2 1570 Immatriculation at the University of Leipzig 3 1575 Apprenticeship in Alchemy 4 1588 Immatriculation at the University of Basel 5 Khunrath’s Portrait Engraving 6 1588 On the Signatures of Natural Things, Graduation in Basel 7 1589 Bremen: a Meeting of Maguses 8 1588–1589 Magical Manuscripts in Berlin 9 1591 A Patent Application to the Emperor 10 1591 A Powerful Patron in Bohemia 11 1592 The Ancient Arabian King and Sage Zebel, Prague 12 1595 First Edition of the Amphitheatre, Hamburg 13 1596 Confession concerning the Chaos of the Physico-Chemists, Magdeburg 14 1597 On Primaterial Chaos, Magdeburg 15 1597 Fashioning Magical Armour 16 1598 A Physico-Chymical Testament, Hamburg 17 1599 Universal Magnesia of the Philosophers, Magdeburg 18 1599 Inventing an Alchemical Furnace, Magdeburg 19 1601 Correspondence from Berlin 20 1602 Extra Engravings for the Amphitheatre, Magdeburg 21 Looking at the Watermarks 22 1603 Second Edition of the Athanor, Magdeburg 23 1603 Water of Health, Magdeburg 24 1603 Signature of Magnesia 25 1604 Gera 26 Practical Philosophical Counsel 27 A Practical Confession 28 Cabbalistic Theosophical Tables 29 1605 Khunrath’s Death, Dresden 30 1607 Three Questions, Leipzig 31 1607 Urim & Thummim, Magdeburg 32 1608 On the Fire of the Mages and Sages 33 1608 An Amphitheatre in Magdeburg 34 1609 Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae, Hanau 35 A Puzzling Discovery 36 ‘Complete in All Its Parts’: the Structure of the Amphitheatre 37 Changes in the Text between the 1595 and 1609 Editions 38 The Gratulatory Verses 39 Chimerical Editions 40 1611 A Physico-Medical Treatise 41 1614 Light in Darkness 42 1615 Athanor; 1616 Chaos, Magdeburg 43 Manuscripts & Untraced Works Chapter 2 Images in the Amphitheatre 1 Part I. The Image of an Amphitheatre 2 Sculpta, Picta, Scripta: ‘Not just of Words, ... but rather of Things’ 3 Part II: the Amphitheatre Engravings 4 The ‘Inventor’ and His Engravers 5 Naming the Images 6 Four ‘Theosophical Figures’ 7 Circular Figure 1: Christ-Cruciform or Seal of God 8 Circular Figure 2: Adam Androgyne 9 Circular Figure 3: Rebis or Alchemical Hermaphrodite 10 Avis Hermetis: Hermes’ Bird 11 Circular Figure 4: the Oratory-Laboratory 12 The Oratorium 13 The Laboratorium 14 The Central Table 15 The Auditorium 16 A Matter of Perspective 17 The Dormitorium 18 Underlying Geometries and Symmetries in the Four “Theosophical” Figures 19 Volvelles 20 Reading the 1595 Circular Images 21 From 1595 to 1602: Changes in the Circular Images 22 The 5 Rectangular ‘Hieroglyphic Figures’ (1602) 23 The Theo-Magical School of Nature 24 The Entrance of the Amphitheatre 25 The Triumphal Pyramid 26 The Alchemical Citadel 27 Mercurius and Caduceus 28 Hieroglyphic Monad or Mercury? 29 A Heart with Thorns 30 Changing Perspective 31 The Calumniators 32 The Bespectacled Owl 33 The Sequence of the Images 34 Interconnections and Correspondences 35 Khunrath’s Dog 36 Hermes’s Caltrop in the Cave of Nature 37 Part III: Hieroglyphs or Emblems? 38 Hieroglyphica 39 Emblemata 40 Visual Exegesis or Eisegesis? 41 Khunrath’s Visual and Symbolic Terms 42 Khunrath’s Use of Symbolum 43 Hieroglyphic Impressions 44 Part IV: the Roles of the Images 45 1. The Synoptic Role 46 The Amphitheatre’s 1609 Title Page 47 Retrospective Synopsis in the Rectangular Figures 48 Raising up and Defending Truth 49 2. Didactic, Pedagogical, Instructional Roles 50 3. Polemical Role 51 A Surprising Discovery 52 Conclusion Index of Names Index of Subjects Back Cover