Liber I · Alchemy
Chapter II
Alchemists
7 min readFamous Alchemists: From Maria the Jewess to Isaac NewtonA guide to famous alchemists, from Maria the Jewess and Zosimos to Jabir, al-Razi, Paracelsus, Boyle and Newton, with notes on legends and pseudonyms.7 min readJabir ibn Hayyan: The Jabirian Corpus and Arabic AlchemyJabir ibn Hayyan and the Jabirian corpus: the legend, the debate over authorship, the science of the balance, elixirs, and the Latin Geber of medieval Europe.9 min readMaria the Jewess: First Alchemist, Her Apparatus and LegacyMaria the Jewess, the earliest named Western alchemist: her kerotakis and tribikos, the bain-marie, the sayings quoted by Zosimos and her long afterlife.7 min readParacelsus: Life, Alchemy and Medicine of a Renaissance RebelParacelsus (1493/94–1541): his life, his alchemical medicine and tria prima of salt, sulphur and mercury, his elemental spirits and his lasting influence.8 min readZosimos of Panopolis: Visions, Writings and Greek AlchemyZosimos of Panopolis, the first alchemist whose works survive: his life in Roman Egypt, his apparatus, dream visions, letters to Theosebeia and legacy.