Alexandrian alchemy

Wilder, Alexander. New Platonism and alchemy a sketch of the doctrines and principal teachers of the eclectic or Alexandrian School also an outline of the interior doctrines of the alchemists of the Middle Ages. Albany (NY) Weed, Parsons, 1869. 30p. 

By A.D. 300, Alexandrian alchemy had become almost entirely mystical, perhaps because the alchemists were influenced by the currents of mystical thought they encountered, perhaps because attempts to transform base metals into gold had failed. One suspects that the latter played at least some role. It is certainly easier to dwell on the idea of the spiritual gold in one s soul than to follow long complex procedures in an attempt to actually make the metal. 

At one time scholars believed that the Roman Emperor Diocletian decreed in A.D. 292 that all alchemical books be burned and that the alchemists be expelled from Egypt. But this story is probably apocryphal. At the time, alchemy was unknown in the Roman west. In any case, no decrees were needed. Alexandrian intellectual culture was past its prime by then, and alchemy simply participated in the decline. 

The traditions of the ancient pagan schools and their literature were, however, preserved and cultivated especially by the Syrian scholars who took refuge in Persia, after the closing of the Alexandrian schools, and there founded and maintained schools modeled after the Alexandrian. By these scholars, the classical works of Plato, Aristotle, Galen, Dioscorides and others, and of some early chemical and alchemical writers, as the pseudo-Democritus and Zosimos, were preserved and translated into Syrian. Astronomy, astrology, medicine, alchemy, were among the subjects taught in their schools. 

These traditions are chiefly of interest as illustrating how the origin of alchemy is associated by tradition with Egyptian, Persian and Hebrew names, corroborating the evidence that the cult originated at the time when the traditions of these nations were blended with the Greek in the Alexandrian Neoplatonic schools. 

Under Mohammedan patronage, however, as has been stated, Syrian alchemy, transplanted to Asia Minor and Persia, after the fall of Alexandrian schools, was assimilated by the Arabians, and in the westward sweep of Arabian conquest was cultivated, finding in the Arabian universities of Spain a fertile soil for its cultivation. It does not appear that Arabian culture had developed any notable chemical or alchemical philosophy until it came into contact with Syrian culture. 

It is Arabian alchemy that preserved the traditions and literature of the Alexandrian-Greek alchemists, derived from the Syrians during the long period when the culture of Christian Europe was inhospitable to its development. From such Syrian and Arabian manuscripts as have been preserved and examined, it does not appear that during the centuries of their alchemical activity any very notable additions were made to the practical chemistry known to the ancients of the times of Pliny, Dioscorides or the writers of the Theban papyri. Nor was the development of the theories of matter and its changes in the direc-... 

It is scarcely surprising that Hermes, whether or not qualified as Trismegistus, was considered as the founder of alchemy as early as Alexandrian times. Greek, which is to say Alexandrian, alchemy certainly disappeared towards the sixth century, but from the seventh and eighth centuries onwards the Arabs took up the thread. 

The use of "Hermetism" prevails now for designating the Alexandrian Hermetic texts (the Hermetica), as well as the works in their wake until the present time, while "Hermeticism" serves to designate much more generally a variety of esoteric "sciences," like alchemy. "Hermeticist" refers to both notions, particular and general (here, above, it connotes the general one) the context alone indicates which one is meant. In the particular narrow sense, "Hermetist" is sometimes used. 

From the seventh through the thirteenth centuries, the study of alchemy flourished openly in the Islamic world. The first Muslim with an interest in alchemy may have been Khalid Ibn Yazid (d. 704), a Umayyad prince. He reputedly was tutored in alchemy by a student of Stephanos, Morienus of Alexandria (who is quoted by the author of the Splendor Solis). Whether or not this account is accurate, it is clear that Alexandria was the primary influence on Islamic alchemy The Islamic alchemists quoted Zosimos, Democritos, and Stephanos, as well as other Alexandrian alchemists such as Ostanes and Maria Prophetissa (second to third century often referred to as Mary the Jewess ). In addition, the Muslim alchemists also absorbed influences from Persia and Syria. 

It is generally accepted that alchemy began in China around 140 BC. In 1144, it appeared in Europe hy way of translations made in Spain from Arabic works Partington asserts that the Arabic name alchemy is merely the Alexandrian-Greek chemeia with the Arabic definite article al prefixed. Both Roger Bacon and Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus) wrote about it in 1250. ... 

Though alchemy refers to an Alexandrian practice, the word actually has Arabic origins, so it is used rather prematurely here. Al is an article in Arabic, and alchemy is derived from alchymia, which means the chymia— a general word for the practice of chemistry. 

From remnants of these scrolls we learn how the rich philosophic tradition combined with practical technology to give us Alexandrian alchemy, and at least in the beginning, the practical approach was dominant. A common tactic for instance was to try to make a material appear more goldlike, on the theory that if it assumed enough of the qualities of gold, it would eventually be gold—not an unreasonable approach. When it was found that metal surfaces could be dyed white... 

This brings up the same type of question we asked about Alexandrian alchemy Why did the alchemists continue in the face of... 

Muslim rulers also patronized Alexandrian refugee scholars, and they had the works of Plato, Aristotle, Galen, pseudo-Democritus, Zosimos, and others translated into Arabic. In this way Arabs came into contact with the practice of alchemy and quickly made it their own. The main contribution of the Arabs to alchemy was to tone down the mystical and to take an approach more akin to the practical approach of the early Alexandrian alchemists. Perhaps the Arabs felt less compelled to invoke magic to attain results because they were as interested in the process as in the goal. Whatever the reason, the alchemy eventually inherited by Europe used methods that had come back down to earth. 

The Hermetic writings had an impact on Alexandrian alchemy and on later European alchemy and science. Among the ideas they contained were that certain combinations of numbers possessed mystical properties, and that the stars could exert an influence on human endeavours. The secrets of the magical world portrayed in the Hermetic writings were only open to the chosen few. It is because of the influence of the Hermetic writings that alchemy was often referred to as the hermetic art, and this is also the origin of the term hermetically sealed. 

Early Alexandrian alchemy was responsible for the foundation of laboratory chemistry. By the time Ziosimos produced his encyclopaedic work, alchemy was becoming dominated by various religious and mystical philosophies, and as a result little further progress was made by the Alexandrian alchemists. Later Alexandrian writers were content merely to copy and comment on earlier work. 

It is well known that the Arabs had contacts with the Chinese via the Silk Road, the great trade route between China and the Mediterranean. It is notable that the concept of the elixir of lifey a medicine with the power to prolong life, is found in Islamic alchemy, but is entirely absent from its Alexandrian precursor. The transmission of this idea from China is highly likely. It is also possible that the word chemistry is derived from the Chinese word for gold. The best representation for the sound this word made in the early Chinese dialects is probably kimy from which the Arabs could have derived their word al-kimiyOy from which in turn the Europeans obtained the words alchemy and chemistry. An alternative theory is that the Arabs derived al-kimiya from Khemy which means Black Landy and is the ancient name for Egypt. 

---