06-30-2023, 04:27 PM
Thesis by William Christian.
"This thesis examines a late medieval alchemical treatise known as the Aurora Consurgens,
which is ascribed to the early decades of the fifteenth century. The Aurora was among the
first of its kind in a tradition of poetico-rhetorical alchemy that became popular in the late
middle ages and early modern period. While it is indisputable that early Latin alchemical
texts contained allegorical language and religious symbolism, the Aurora heralded a new
form of alchemical literature, where mysticism became thoroughly and inseparably
interpolated with the operations of the laboratory. The Aurora is framed as a dialogue
between an unnamed alchemist and Sapientia, a female embodiment of God’s wisdom,
which in the text, is conflated with the philosopher’s stone. This thesis focuses on a series
of visions that appear throughout the document. These visions invoke the unitive imagery
of late medieval mystical theology and contain many of the themes that appear in medieval
contemplative literature. These are, namely, the image of the ‘cloud’ that appears in the
tradition of pseudo-Dionysian mystical theology, motifs of darkness and illumination,
purgation, and union with the divine. The principal argument contends that the author of
the Aurora Consurgens used the motifs of mystical theology to elucidate his understanding
of the alchemical work."
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/14918/1/UNIO_MY....pdf?DDD17+
"This thesis examines a late medieval alchemical treatise known as the Aurora Consurgens,
which is ascribed to the early decades of the fifteenth century. The Aurora was among the
first of its kind in a tradition of poetico-rhetorical alchemy that became popular in the late
middle ages and early modern period. While it is indisputable that early Latin alchemical
texts contained allegorical language and religious symbolism, the Aurora heralded a new
form of alchemical literature, where mysticism became thoroughly and inseparably
interpolated with the operations of the laboratory. The Aurora is framed as a dialogue
between an unnamed alchemist and Sapientia, a female embodiment of God’s wisdom,
which in the text, is conflated with the philosopher’s stone. This thesis focuses on a series
of visions that appear throughout the document. These visions invoke the unitive imagery
of late medieval mystical theology and contain many of the themes that appear in medieval
contemplative literature. These are, namely, the image of the ‘cloud’ that appears in the
tradition of pseudo-Dionysian mystical theology, motifs of darkness and illumination,
purgation, and union with the divine. The principal argument contends that the author of
the Aurora Consurgens used the motifs of mystical theology to elucidate his understanding
of the alchemical work."
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/14918/1/UNIO_MY....pdf?DDD17+