Heinrich Khunrath

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Heinrich Khunrath
Cosmic rose, engraving from the Amphitheater Sapientiae Aeternae

Heinrich Khunrath (* around 1560 in Leipzig ; † September 9, 1605 in Dresden ) was a German doctor, alchemist and Kabbalist .

Heinrich Khunrath was born around 1560 as the son of the Leipzig merchant Sebastian Kunrat and his wife Anna. Conrad Khunrath, also known as an alchemist, is one of his older brothers . In 1570, at the age of ten, Heinrich was enrolled at the University of Leipzig . In 1574 he came into contact with alchemy for the first time . In May 1588 he enrolled at the University of Basel, where he received his doctorate in medicine on September 3 of the same year . In 1589 Heinrich Khunrath met the English scholar and magician John Dee . From December 15, 1591 Heinrich Khunrath became the court doctor of the Bohemian magnate Wilhelm von Rosenberg in Wittingau . He was in contact with Johann Arndt , who is also said to have commented on one of his works. Khunrath's patients included u. a. Count Albrecht VII of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt . Heinrich Khunrath died in Dresden on September 9, 1605 .

Heinrich Khunrath is also repeatedly associated with the Rosicrucian Order , which, however, only becomes tangible for research from 1612.

Khunrath was best known for the copper engravings in his work Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae , which was first published in 1595.

Fonts (selection)

  • De signatura rerum naturalium theses. Basel 1588.
  • Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae, Solius, Verae, Christiano-Kabalisticum, Divino-Magicum, Physico-Chymicum, Tertriunum-Catholicon. [Hamburg] 1595 ( digitized version OÖLB ); Magdeburg 1608, 1609 ( digitized version ) Frankfurt 1653 ( digitized version ); u.ö.
    • Facsimile: Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae - scene of the eternal only true wisdom (= Clavis Pansophiae. Vol. 6). Reprint of the first print from Hamburg 1595 and the second and last print Hanau 1609. With a bibliography of the prints and manuscripts of Khunrath, name register and concordance of the two editions as well as the transcription of an 18th century German translation of the Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae . Edited by Carlos Gilly , Anja Hallacker, Hanns-Peter Neumann and Wilhelm Schmidt-Biggemann. Frommann-Holzboog, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-7728-1628-4 .
  • Confessio de Chao Physico-Chemicorum Catholico. Magdeburg 1596.
  • From Hylealic, that is, Pri-Materialic Catholic, or Algemejnem Natural Chaos. Magdeburg 1597.
  • Symbolum Physico-Chymicum. Hamburg 1598.
  • Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum. Magdeburg 1599.
  • True Report From Philosophical Athanor. Magdeburg 1599.
  • Report of the Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Aquae Sanitatis. Sl 1603.
  • Quaestiones Tres,… Cum Curationem, tum Praecautionem… Arenae, Sabuli, Calculi, Podagrae, Gonagrae, Chiragrae aliorumque Morborum Tartareorum… concernentes. Leipzig 1607.
  • De Igne Magorum Philosophorumque secreto externo et visibili. Strasbourg 1608

literature

  • Peter Forshaw: Curious Knowledge and Wonder-working Wisdom in the Occult Works of Heinrich Khunrath. In: RJW Evans and Alexander Marr (Eds.): Curiosity and Wonder from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment . Ashgate, 2006 ( online ).
  • Peter Forshaw: “Alchemy in the Amphitheater”: Some consideration of the alchemical content of the engravings in Heinrich Khunrath's “Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom” (1609). In: Jacob Wamberg (Ed.): Art and Alchemy . Museum Tusculanum Press, 2006 ( online ).
  • Peter Forshaw: Subliming Spirits: Physical-Chemistry and Theo-Alchemy in the Works of Heinrich Khunrath (1560-1605). In Stanton J. Linden (Ed.): “Mystical Metal of Gold”: Essays on Alchemy and Renaissance Culture. AMS Press, 2007.
  • Oliver Humberg: The alchemist Conrad Khunrath, texts and documents from Leipzig, Schleswig and Hamburg with studies on life, work and family history. Elberfeld 2006.
  • Albert Ladenburg :  Heinrich Khunrath . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1882, p. 709.
  • Roland Lüthi: A typical one-of-a-kind. The copy of Heinrich Khunrath's “Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae” (Hanau 1609) in the ETH library in Zurich. In: Librarium. Journal of the Swiss Bibliophile Society. 2013, H. 2/3, pp. 99-107, DOI: 10.3929 / ethz-b-000082502 .
  • Joachim Telle : Khunrath, Heinrich. In: Claus Priesner , Karin Figala (Ed.): Alchemy: Lexicon of a hermetic science. Munich 1998, pp. 194–196.
  • Ralf Töllner: The endless comment. Investigations on four selected copperplate engravings from Heinrich Khunrath's “Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae Solius Verae”. Hanau 1609.

Web links

Commons : Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Khunrath, Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German doctor, alchemist and Kabbalist
DATE OF BIRTH around 1560
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH September 9, 1605
Place of death Dresden