Maria The Jewess As Framed Summary

Maria the Jewess as Framed by Zosimos of Panopolis
The way that we perceive history is eternally limited and there are things that we will never be able to learn. We can only pick up the pieces of the puzzle that remain and hope that that’s enough to understand the entire puzzle. Maria the Jewess goes by many names. Maria the Hebrea, Mary the Jewess, Maria Prophetissa… Each name indicates what the person in question prioritized about her, and how they saw her. The majority of extant ancient texts that inform our understanding of Maria the Jewess were written by Zosimos of Panopolis. In order to conceptualize Maria, it is necessary to understand Zosimos, and how he perceived her. Zosimos’s perception of Maria shaped all later discussions …show more content…
He states that only the Jewish people were able to pursue the arts of alchemy in ancient times, and were required to do their work in secret, even hiding their tinctures, or alcohol extracts, in order to evade arousing the suspicions of those who might want to stop their work. He describes their secretive ways in a generally appreciative tone, perhaps because their secret works allowed for the preservation of alchemic texts and diagrams. One of the Jewish alchemists that he reveres most highly was none other than Maria the Jewess, whom he believed was an ancient also known as Miriam, the sister of the biblical Moses. (Lindsay, Maria the Jewess) Zosimos indicates that Maria claimed her knowledge of alchemy was granted to her by God. This can be interpreted in various ways. She may have meant that God directed the Jewish people to greatness indirectly, which is suggested by phrases such as, “the wisdom of the Lord hidden from the gentiles”. However, she may also have meant that God spoke to her directly, and that she was a true prophet. Zosimos and alchemists into the sixteenth century consistently interpreted her to mean that she was truly prophetic, further emphasizing her relationship with Moses. The Dialogue of Maria and Aros deals with an interaction between Aros, a philosopher, and Maria, sister of Moses. The treatise is not clearly dated, and is likely a fictional account, but does a lot to indicate perceptions of Maria the Jewess. It depicts Maria as a singularly gifted alchemist, graced by God with her gifts, but graced with gifts that can be disseminated to the masses and with an ability to share her techniques with others, if approached with respect. (Alchemy the golden art) Maria’s extant texts during the time of Zosimos also indicate both impressive