Sydney Gertzog
Professor James Spicer
Modern Alchemy
March 2, 2017
Traditional Alchemy and Judaism Alchemy is one of the most ancient arts. As such, it would make sense that alchemy have a place in the history of Judaism, one of the world’s ancient monotheistic religions. The purpose of this paper will be to explore the role that traditional alchemy played in Jewish history, spanning from 3 A.D. to the later middle ages. This paper will begin with a brief overview of Jewish alchemists and continue to delve deeper into each of these scientist’s contributions to alchemy, with a specific focus on Maria the Jewess. Maria is considered to be the founding mother of alchemy and is credited with the invention of several apparatuses critical to the …show more content…
It will then conclude with a reaction to how the connection between Judaism and alchemy may have contributed to shaping society’s views of the Jewish people both in Europe and across the world. However, this conclusion is based on speculation and original reactions to the authoritative sources mentioned in the paragraphs above, Verification of this conclusion would need further and substantial research from several peer-reviewed sources, that would be beyond the scope of this …show more content…
Put simply, the Kabbalah puts emphasis on the mysticism that can be found in the Torah, the book of the Judaism, and strives to teach about the world’s mysteries. And what was traditional alchemy if not mystical and mysterious? This connection was used by German alchemist, Salomon Trismosin, who “boasted that he drew his knowledge from kabbalistic writings which had been translated into Arabic.” His followers also maintained that “expert knowledge of Kabbalah was an essential prerequisite for studying alchemy.”5 For those interested in learning more about the connection between the Kabbalah, alchemy, and Judasim, Saint mark’s manuscript, Solomon’s Labyrinth, can provide a more in depth analysis and
Professor James Spicer
Modern Alchemy
March 2, 2017
Traditional Alchemy and Judaism Alchemy is one of the most ancient arts. As such, it would make sense that alchemy have a place in the history of Judaism, one of the world’s ancient monotheistic religions. The purpose of this paper will be to explore the role that traditional alchemy played in Jewish history, spanning from 3 A.D. to the later middle ages. This paper will begin with a brief overview of Jewish alchemists and continue to delve deeper into each of these scientist’s contributions to alchemy, with a specific focus on Maria the Jewess. Maria is considered to be the founding mother of alchemy and is credited with the invention of several apparatuses critical to the …show more content…
It will then conclude with a reaction to how the connection between Judaism and alchemy may have contributed to shaping society’s views of the Jewish people both in Europe and across the world. However, this conclusion is based on speculation and original reactions to the authoritative sources mentioned in the paragraphs above, Verification of this conclusion would need further and substantial research from several peer-reviewed sources, that would be beyond the scope of this …show more content…
Put simply, the Kabbalah puts emphasis on the mysticism that can be found in the Torah, the book of the Judaism, and strives to teach about the world’s mysteries. And what was traditional alchemy if not mystical and mysterious? This connection was used by German alchemist, Salomon Trismosin, who “boasted that he drew his knowledge from kabbalistic writings which had been translated into Arabic.” His followers also maintained that “expert knowledge of Kabbalah was an essential prerequisite for studying alchemy.”5 For those interested in learning more about the connection between the Kabbalah, alchemy, and Judasim, Saint mark’s manuscript, Solomon’s Labyrinth, can provide a more in depth analysis and