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adammclean
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Posted: Mon Jan 18th, 2010 11:24 pm |
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Does anyone know what Gaza water (in an alchemical context) could be ?
I tried using Google and other search engines, but the word "Gaza" is so common that searching proved frustrating.
It may be that Gaza in classical times lent its name to some form of liquid, or even merely to pure water, which lead to this being used in an alchemical text.
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Paul Ferguson
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Posted: Tue Jan 19th, 2010 12:07 am |
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Rulandus has an entry for 'Gaza Fumi' (Gaza smokes????):
GAZA FUMI --- i.e., Crystalline Arsenic.
So: Gaza Water = Arsenical water????
Just a guess...Last edited on Tue Jan 19th, 2010 12:09 am by Paul Ferguson
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adammclean
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Posted: Tue Jan 19th, 2010 09:53 pm |
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In the text it states "Take Gold of Ophir and dissolve it in Gaza water" so I assume it could mean Aqua Regia, the only substance that could actually dissolve gold, or else it is some suppositious or hypothetical solvent for gold.
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Carl Lavoie
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Posted: Wed Jan 20th, 2010 03:37 am |
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Which text, Adam? Ophir gold, which is widely associated with the naval expeditions of Solomon for the building of the Temple, and Gaza water, in the same instruction? There’s a theme, here.
And for Gaza, in an alchemical context, Freguson (II, 89) mentions two XVIIth century tracts (Ulm, 1679), the second on the Universal Solvent (Menstruum seu Solvens Universale Philosophicum, darinnen das Gold sine strepitu, wie Eyss [Ice?] in warmen Wasser zerschmiltzt : Samt des gantzen Philosophischem Process), whose respective title-pages end thus :
Anno Salutis. HeVs! DesVper & eX CœLIs Gaza roratVr In terraM.
And :
Anno Salutis. OranDo & LaboranDo aCq VIrItVr Gaza eX FVnDo.
Last edited on Wed Jan 20th, 2010 03:41 am by Carl Lavoie
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adammclean
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Posted: Wed Jan 20th, 2010 09:49 am |
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The text is that by an 'Abraham Eleazar'
Uraltes chymisches Werck, welches ehedessen von dem Autore Theils in Lateinischer und Arabischer, theils auch in Chaldäischer und Syrischer Sprache geschrieben, nachmals von einem Anonymo in unsere deutsche Muttersprache übersetzet, nun aber nebst zugehörigen Kupfern, Figuren, Gefässen, Desen, einer kurzen Vorrede, nöthingen Registern, wie auch beygefügten Schlüssel derer in selbigem vorkommenden fremden Wörter, ingleichen einigen philosophischen Regeln von dem Steine der Weisen zu Nutz und Gebrauch aller Liebhaber der edlen hermetischen Philosophie, in II. Theilen zum öffentlichen Druck befördert worden durch Julium Gervasium Schwatzburgicum, P.M. & I.P.E.
Erurth, 1735.
It is a confident description of alchemical processes, and often uses terms reflecting Old Testament ideas. It is not absolutely certain that it was actually written by a Jewish person, though Rafael Patai (1994) The Jewish Alchemists: A history and source book. Princeton, N.J., 1994, seems to have few doubts. It is certainly written to appear to come from a Jewish alchemist.
Last edited on Wed Jan 20th, 2010 09:50 am by adammclean
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adammclean
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Posted: Tue Feb 2nd, 2010 11:01 am |
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One of the readers of this discussion forum has been kind enough to solve the mystery. He informs me that :-
"Gaza Water or Gatza Aqua is Aqua Fortis, see the index of Donum Dei Samuelis Baruch."
The Donum Dei Samuelis Baruch is a companion work issued with the Abraham Eleazar.
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