Theatrum Chemicum - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Theatrum Chemicum is a compendium

Compendium

A compendium is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. A compendium may summarize a larger work. In most cases the body of knowledge will concern some delimited field of human interest or endeavour , while a "universal" encyclopedia can be referred to as a compendium of...

of early alchemical writings published in six volumes over the course of six decades. The first three volumes were published in 1602, while the final sixth volume was published in its entirety in 1661. Theatrum Chemicum remains the most comprehensive collective work on the subject of alchemy

Alchemy

Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...

ever published in the Western world

Western world

The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

.

The full title of the work is Theatrum Chemicum, præcipuos selectorum auctorum tractatus de Chemiæ et Lapidis Philosophici Antiquitate, veritate, jure præstantia, et operationibus continens in gratiam veræ Chemiæ et Medicinæ Chemicæ Studiosorum (ut qui uberrimam unde optimorum remediorum messem facere poterunt) congestum et in quatuor partes seu volumina digestum,Roughly translated as "Chemical Theatre, for a particularly selected person responsible for handling about Chemicals and the Philosopher's Stone. Ancient, truthful, pure, excellent, and working, containing: An account of True Chemicals, and the study of Medical Chemicals (how to most fruitfully accomplish the best remedy) brought together as parts in arrangement. though later volumes express slightly modified titles. For the sake of brevity, the work is most often referred to simply as Theatrum Chemicum.

All volumes of the work, with exception of the last two volumes, were published by Lazarus Zetzner in Oberursel

Oberursel

Oberursel is a town in Germany. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, and is the second largest town in the county of Hochtaunuskreis and the 14th largest town in Hessen.-Extent of municipal area:...

and Strasbourg, France. The final two volumes were published posthumously by Zetzner's heirs, who continued to use his name for publication purposes.

The volumes are in actuality a collection of previously published and unpublished alchemical treatises, essays, poems, notes, and writings from various sources, some of which are attributed to known writers and others remain anonymous. Despite Zetzner acting primarily as publisher and editor, many of the contents are not believed to have been written by him. However, because the Theatrum Chemicum was more widely disseminated in comparison to most alchemical texts of the era, and its text was in the universal Latin used by most scholars of the time, Zetzner is often cited as the author of many early alchemical texts which he in fact did not compose.

History

Theatrum Chemicum developed as an evolution of previous alchemical printing projects dating back as early as 1475, when a handful of writings believed to have been written by Geber (or pseudo-Geber

Pseudo-Geber

Pseudo-Geber is the name assigned by modern scholars to an anonymous European alchemist born in the 13th century, sometimes identified with Paul of Taranto, who wrote books on alchemy and metallurgy, in Latin, under the pen name of "Geber". "Geber" is the shortened and Latinised form of the name...

) were printed with attached alchemical poems and circulated in the area of Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, and then a decade later in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

.

A more directly related ancestor of Theatrum Chemicum was a publication by Johannes Petreius

Johannes Petreius

Johann Petreius was a German printer in Nuremberg.-Life:...

entitled "De Alchemia", a work which contained ten alchemical tracts, which was published in Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

in 1541. Petreius had been collecting alchemical documents with the intention of publishing a more complete compilation, though he never completed this task. Upon Petreius's death his collection came into the possession of his relative, Heinrich Petri of Basel

Basel

Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

who published it in cooperation with Pietro Perna

Pietro Perna

Pietro Perna was an Italian printer, the leading printer of Late Renaissance Basel, the Erasmian crossroads between Italian Renaissance humanism and the Protestant Reformation. His books promoted the Italian heretical thinkers at the origins of Socinianism and the theory of Tolerance...

in 1561. By this time the collection had accrued a total of 53 texts and was published under the name, Verae alchemiae artisque metallicae, citra aenigmata, doctrina. Though Petri would continue to publish alchemical works, it was his partner Perna who in 1572 published an entire series of expanded publications totaling seven volumes with over 80 texts. Perna intended to include the collection of his son-in-law, Konrad Waldkirch, in an even larger multi-volume series, but instead sold the collection to Lazarus Zetzner. Zetzner would publish the newly acquired 80 texts and those of Waldkirch as the first volumes of Theatrum Chemicum. Over the course of the six volumes of Theatrum Chemicum, Zetzner expanded the collection to include over 200 alchemical tracts.

Publication

Lazurus Zetzner (L. Zetzneri) published the Theatrum Chemicum in unsystematic editions, instead he reprinted issues of previous volumes that had appeared up to the date of the particular volume of Theatrum Chemicum as it was published.

The material is diverse, being intended as a single body of work containing all significant alchemical texts of its time. Though the Theatrum Chemicum is a book about alchemy, by its contemporary standards it represented a body of work that, in a modern context, is similar to texts such as The Handbook of Chemistry & Physics
CRC Press
The CRC Press, LLC is a publishing group which specializes in producing technical books. While many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics, their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information technology...

, The Physicians' Desk Reference
Physicians' Desk Reference
The Physicians' Desk Reference is a commercially published compilation of manufacturers' prescribing information on prescription drugs, updated annually...

, or other specialized texts for the practice and study of the sciences and philosophy, including medicine. The physician and philosopher Sir Thomas Browne possessed a copy, while Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...

filled the margins of his copy with annotations.

Within the various volumes are found some of the most studied works in the field of alchemy, such as Turba Philosophorum
Turba Philosophorum
The Turba Philosophorum, also known as Assembly of the Philosophers, is one of the oldest European alchemy texts, translated from the Arabic, like the Picatrix...

, Arcanum Philosophorum, Cabala Chemica, De Ovo Philosophorum, many tracts focused upon Secretum Secretorum

Secretum Secretorum

Secretum secretorum is a medieval treatise also known as Secret of Secrets, or The Book of the Secret of Secrets, or in Arabic Kitab sirr al-asrar, or the Book of the science of government: on the good ordering of statecraft...

, The Philosopher's Stone

Philosopher's stone

The philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal...

, the Elixir of Life

Elixir of life

The elixir of life, also known as the elixir of immortality and sometimes equated with the philosopher's stone, is a legendary potion, or drink, that grants the drinker eternal life and or eternal youth. Many practitioners of alchemy pursued it. The elixir of life was also said to be able to create...

, the Tabula Smaragdina, and several works attributed to Albertus Magnus

Albertus Magnus

Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...

and Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...

. The original publication dates of the specific writings found in the Theatrum Chemicum range from just a few years prior to each volume's publication, to as far back as several centuries in some cases.

Establishing a precise table of contents for the various volumes of Theatrum Chemicum is an issue of debate amongst scholars. Because of the unstandardized nature of early publication practices and the reprinting of tracts from earlier editions, sometimes under their modified full "elenchus" titles, those studying the contents of Theatrum Chemicum often encounter discrepancies in format, tract title, page number, and in some cases even authorship. For example, it is not clear whether some tracts that appear anonymous are in fact uniquely authored, or intended to be attributed to the author of the preceding text.

Some of the authorship proposed by Zetzner remains unverifiable due to the nature of publication, the various age of the works, and the practice of attributing authorship without modern methods of citation. Considering the esoteric nature of the subject matter, this was not uncommon at the time of Theatrum Chemicum's publication, but it does seem clear that Zetzner established the authorship of the various tracts according to his original source material.

Below is a list of the tracts found within Theatrum Chemicum, and their authors as established by Zetzner.

Volumes I-III

The first three volumes of Theatrum Chemicum were published in 1602. Volume I was published in Oberursel, while the subsequent volumes were published in Strasbourg. The first three volumes increased the number of tracts in each volume to the total of 88 in all.

Vol. I

Lazarus Zetznerus, (Epistola dedicatoria) (Introduction)
Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum primae partis (Table of Contents)
Robertus Vallensis,A.K.A Robert Duval, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum De veritate et antiquitate artis chemicae

Libellus qui Testamentum Arnaldi a Villa Nova
Arnaldus de Villa Nova
Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....

inscribitur
Evidens et manifesta artis chemicae comprobatio. Ex Petri Apiani Antiquitatibus desumpta

Johannes Chrysippus Fanianus, De arte metallicae metamorphoseos ad Philoponum
Johannes Chrysippus Fanianus, De jure artis alchemiae, hoc est, variorum authorum, et praesertim iurisconsultorum, judicia et responsa ad quaestionem quotidianam: An alchimia sit ars legitima
Thomas Mufett
Thomas Muffet
Thomas Muffet was an English naturalist and physician. He is best known for his Puritan beliefs, his study of insects in regards to medicine , his support of the Paracelsian system of medicine, and his emphasis on the importance of experience over reputation in the field of medicine.-Early...

, De jure et praestantia chemicorum medicamentorum. Dialogus apologeticus

Epistola dedicatoria
Epistola ad lectorem
De jure et praestantia chemicorum medicamentorum. Dialogus apologeticus

Thomas Mufett
Thomas Muffet
Thomas Muffet was an English naturalist and physician. He is best known for his Puritan beliefs, his study of insects in regards to medicine , his support of the Paracelsian system of medicine, and his emphasis on the importance of experience over reputation in the field of medicine.-Early...

, Epistolae quinque medicinales
Theobaldus de Hoghelande Mittelburgensis,A.K.A Theobald van Hoghelande, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum De alchemiae difficultatibus liber

Proemium
De alchemiae difficultatibus liber

Gerard Dorn, Clavis totius philosophiae chemisticae per quam potissima philosophorum dicta reserantur

Epistola exhortativa
Artis chemisticae

Gerardus Dorn
Gerhard Dorn
Gerhard Dorn was a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile.-Biography:The details of Gerhard Dorn's early life, along with those of many other 16th century personalities, are lost to history. It is known that he was born about 1530 in Mechelen, which is part of...

, Speculativae philosophiae gradus septem vel decem continens, per quos ad sublimia patet aditus

Ad lectorem
De speculativa philosophia

Gerardus Dorn
Gerhard Dorn
Gerhard Dorn was a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile.-Biography:The details of Gerhard Dorn's early life, along with those of many other 16th century personalities, are lost to history. It is known that he was born about 1530 in Mechelen, which is part of...

, De artificio supernaturali

Praefatio
Artificium supernaturale

Gerardus Dorn
Gerhard Dorn
Gerhard Dorn was a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile.-Biography:The details of Gerhard Dorn's early life, along with those of many other 16th century personalities, are lost to history. It is known that he was born about 1530 in Mechelen, which is part of...

, De naturae luce physica ex Genesi desumpta, iuxta sententiam Theophrasti Paracelsi (in quo continetur), Physica Genesis; Physica Hermetis; Physica Hermetis Trismegisti
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...

, (Tabula Smaragdina); Physica Trithemii; Philosophia meditativa; Philosophia chemica

Argumentum totius opusculi
Exclamatio auctoris ad Deum
Creatio mundi ex narratione Moysis in Genesis Physica Genesis
De medio spagirico dispositionis, ad adeptae philosophiae veram cognitionem, et lucii naturae purum conspectum (Physica Trismegisti)
De spagirico artificio 10. Trithemii sententia (Physica Trithemii)
De philosophia meditativa
De philosophia chemica ad meditativam comparata

Gerardus Dorn
Gerhard Dorn
Gerhard Dorn was a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile.-Biography:The details of Gerhard Dorn's early life, along with those of many other 16th century personalities, are lost to history. It is known that he was born about 1530 in Mechelen, which is part of...

, De tenebris contra naturam et vita brevis

De duello animi cum corpore
De lapidum preciosorum structura (Gemmarum structura)

Gerardus Dorn
Gerhard Dorn
Gerhard Dorn was a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile.-Biography:The details of Gerhard Dorn's early life, along with those of many other 16th century personalities, are lost to history. It is known that he was born about 1530 in Mechelen, which is part of...

, Congeries Paracelsicae chemiae de transmutationibus metallorum

Praefatio ad lectorem
De transmutationibus metallorum

Gerardus Dorn
Gerhard Dorn
Gerhard Dorn was a Belgian philosopher, translator, alchemist, physician and bibliophile.-Biography:The details of Gerhard Dorn's early life, along with those of many other 16th century personalities, are lost to history. It is known that he was born about 1530 in Mechelen, which is part of...

, De genealogia mineralium atque metallorum omnium (ex Paracelso)
Bernardus G. Penotus
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, Tractatus varii, de vera praeparatione et usu medicamentorum chemicorum

Praefatio
De medicamentis chemicis

Bernardus Trevisanus,ed. Gerard Dorn, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum De alchemia liber (De chymico miraculo)
Dionysius Zacharias,possible A.K.A Johannes Cerasius,(ed. Gerard Dorn), see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Opusculum philosophiae naturalis metallorum

Ad lectorem
Opusculum

Annotationes Nicolai Flamelli ed. Gerard Dorn, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Annotata quaedam ex Nicolao Flamello (Summarium philosophicum)
Aliae quaedam annotationes ex variis autoribus
Collectanea quaedam ex antiquis scriptoribus
Collectanea ex Democrito; ex multorum opinionibus autorum

Index rerum et verborum in primo tomo (Index)

Vol. II

Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum secundae partis (Table of Contents)
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, Praefatio
Gaston Claveus,A.K.A Gaston LeDoux de Claves, edited by Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Apologia argyropoeiae et chrysopoeiae adversus Thomam Erastum
Aegidius de Vadis,A.K.A Gilles Dewes, edited by Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Dialogus inter naturam et filium philosophiae

Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, Praefatio
Auctoris praefatio
Dialogus philosophiae
Tabula inserenda ante prologum lib. 12. portarum Georgii Riplei
George Ripley
George Ripley was an American social reformer, Unitarian minister, and journalist associated with Transcendentalism. He was the founder of the short-lived Utopian community Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts....

(Philosophi artem potius occultare conati sunt quam patefacere)

George Ripley
George Ripley
George Ripley was an American social reformer, Unitarian minister, and journalist associated with Transcendentalism. He was the founder of the short-lived Utopian community Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts....

,edited by Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Duodecim portarum epitome, duobus modis concinnata

Prologus
Duodecim portarum axiomata philosophica
Compendium Alberti Magni
Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...

,edited by Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum citation de ortu et metallorum materia, supra quam Spagyricus radicalia principia fundet

Isaac Hollandus,edited by Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum citation Fragmentum de lapide philosophorum
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, Quaestiones et responsiones philosophicae
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, Regulae seu canones philosophici LVII translated roughly as "Rules or Canonical Philosophy (in relation to The Philosopher's Stone, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum citation
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot
Bernard Gilles Penot was a French alchemist from the Renaissance and a friend of Nicolas Barnaud.The influential three volume Theatrum Chemicum from 1602, a compendium of early alchemical writings, included the text of entitled: Treatise varii, the vera praeparatione et usu Medicamentorum...

, Mercurii, sive argenti vivi ex auro vera extractio cum sua historia
Chrysorrhoas, sive de arte chemica dialogus
Josephus Quercetanus
Joseph Duchesne
Joseph Duchesne or du Chesne was a French physician. A follower of Paracelsus, he is now remembered for important if transitional alchemical theories.-Life:...

,A.K.A. Joseph Duchesne
Joseph Duchesne
Joseph Duchesne or du Chesne was a French physician. A follower of Paracelsus, he is now remembered for important if transitional alchemical theories.-Life:...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Ad Jacobi Auberti Vendonis de ortu et causis metallorum contra chemicos explicationem brevis responsio

Ad Jacobi Auberti Vindonis de ortu et causis metallorum contra chemicos explicationem responsio

John Dee
John Dee (mathematician)
John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....

, Monas hieroglyphica mathematice, magice, cabalistice, anagogiceque explicata

Praefatio ad regem Maximilianum
Ad typographum
Monas hieroglyphica

Lorenzo Ventura, De ratione conficiendi lapidis philosophici liber
Giovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola, Opus aureum De auro tum aestimando, tum conficiendo, tum utendo, ad conjugem
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...

, De alchemia libellus, cui titulum fecit, Speculum alchemiae
Richardus Anglicus
Richard de Morins
Richard de Morins was an English canon lawyer. He was Archdeacon of Bologna, and taught law at the University of Bologna. On his return to England, he was a canon of Merton Priory, before becoming prior at Dunstable Priory in 1202.-Jurist:...

, Libellus utilissimus (peri chemeias), cui titulum fecit Correctorium
Libellus alius (peri chemeias) utilissimus, et rerum metallicarum cognitione refertissimus, Rosarius minor inscriptus, incerti quidem, sed harum tamen rerum non imperiti auctoris
Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...

, De alchemia

Scriptum super arborem Aristotelis

Giovanni Agostino Panteo, Ars et theoria transmutationis metallicae, cum Voarchadumia, proportionibus, numeris et iconibus rei accommodis illustrata
Giovanni Agostino Panteo, Voarchadumia contra alchemiam ars distincta ab Archemia et Sophia

Dedicatio
Auctoris intentio
Portio prima
Portio secunda
Portio tertia

Index rerum et verborum secundi voluminis (Index
Index (publishing)
An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...

)

Vol. III

Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum tertiae partis (Table of Contents)
Liber de magni lapidis compositione et operatione, auctore adhuc incerto sed tamen doctissimo (De alchemia incerti auctoris)
De magni lapidis sive benedicti compositione et operatione aliquot capita, ex manuscriptis possibly written by Jean de Meung or a retitling of "De lapide philosophico incerti auctoris", see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
Aristoteles, De perfecto magisterio
Arnaldus de Villanova, Liber perfecti magisterii, qui lumen luminum nuncupatur... vocatur etiam Flos florum

Arnaldus de Villanova, Practica ex libro dicto Breviarius librorum alchemiae
Arnaldus de Villanova, De decoctione lapidis philosophorum, et de regimine ignis

Efferarius Monachus, De lapide philosophorum secundum verum modum formando
Efferarius Monachus, Thesaurus philosophiae
Raymundus Lullus, Praxis universalis magni operis
Odomar, Practica magistri Odomari ad discipulum
Historia antiqua de argento in aurum verso possibly ascribed to Odomar, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
Tractatus de marchasita, ex qua tandem cum aliis dicendis fit elixir ad album verissimum
De arsenico

Praeparatio salis armoniaci secundum Rasim
De sale alkali

Quaestio, an lapis philosophicus (valeat contra pestem)
Vetus epistola doctissimi de metallorum materia, et artis imitatione

Caravantes Hispanus, Practica Caravantis Hispani

Johannes de Rupescissa, Liber magisterii de confectione veri lapidis philosophorum
Giovanni Aurelio Augurello
Giovanni Aurelio Augurello
Giovanni Aurelius Augurello was an Italian humanist scholar, poet and alchemist. Born at Rimini, he was based mostly at Venice...

, Chrysopoeia
Chrysopoeia
In alchemy, the term chrysopoeia means transmutation into gold , although it is also symbolically used to indicate the philosopher's stone as the completion of the Great Work....

ad Leonem decimum pntificem maximum (carmine conscripta)
Giovanni Aurelio Augurello
Giovanni Aurelio Augurello
Giovanni Aurelius Augurello was an Italian humanist scholar, poet and alchemist. Born at Rimini, he was based mostly at Venice...

, Geronticon
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...

, Secreta alchemiae magnalia

Tractatus de lapide philosophico, et primo de corporibus supercaelestibus
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...

, Tractatus datus fratri Reinaldo, in arte alchimiae a retitling of Thesaurus alchemiae secretissimus ad fratrem Reinaldum", see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Joannes de Rupescissa, Liber lucis
Raymundus Lullus, Clavicula, quae et apertorium dicitur
Joannes Isaac Hollandus, Operum mineralium, sive de lapide philosophico
Ewaldus Vogelius,A.K.A. Theobaldus van Hoghelande, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Liber de lapidis physici conditionibus; quo abditissimorum auctorum Gebri et Raymundi Lullii methodica continetur explicatio

Praefatio
Libri de inventione veritatis seu perfectionis retitling of "De oleaginitate minerali", see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
De materiae tenuitate et subtilitate spirituali
De affinitate medic. et metal
De radicali humiditate ignea
De puritatis claritate
De terra figente
De tinctura alba vel rubea

Tractatus septem de lapide philosophico edited by Justus a Balbian (Justus Abalbian Flander, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Praefatio
Rosarius abbreviatus

Jodocus Greverus (Grewer), Secretum nobilissimum et verissimum edited by Justus a Balbian (Justus Abalbian Flander, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
Alanus, Dicta de lapide philosophico e Germanico Latinae redita edited by Justus a Balbian (Justus Abalbian Flander, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Praefatio
Dicta Alani philosophi de lapide philosophico

Conclusio summaria ad intelligentiam Testamenti seu Codicilli Raymundi Lullii, et aliorum librorum ejus; nec non argenti vivi, in quo pendet intentio tota intentiva, qua aliter Repertorium Raymundi appellatur (Tractatus de lapide philosophorum), see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Joannes Pontanus, Epistola in qua de lapide, quem philosophorum vocant, agitur
Carmina alchemica

Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, Commentariolum in quoddam epitaphium Bononiae studiorum, ante multa secula maemoreo lapidi insculptum
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, Processus chemici

Addam et processum sub forma missae, a Nicolao Melchiore Cibinensi Transilvano, ad Ladislaum Ungariae et Bohemiae regem olim missum
Carmen elegans

Triga chemica edited by Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Lambspringk, De lapide philosophico libellus e Germanico versu Latine reditus edited by Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
Philosophus Gallus Delphinas Anonymus, Liber secreti maximi totius mundanae gloriae
Extractum ex Cimbalo aureo, antiquissimo libro manuscripto, ad rem nostram faciens
Arcanum philosophorum

Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, Brevis elucidatio illius arcani philosophorum

Quadriga aurifera edited by Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Ad lectorem
Prima rota: Tractatus de philosophia metallorum
Secunda rota: George Ripley
George Ripley (alchemist)
Sir George Ripley was a famous English author and alchemist.Ripley studied for twenty years in Italy where he became a great favourite of Pope Innocent VIII...

, Liber duodecim portarum

Epistola dedicatoria
Liber duodecim portarum

Tertia rota: George Ripley
George Ripley (alchemist)
Sir George Ripley was a famous English author and alchemist.Ripley studied for twenty years in Italy where he became a great favourite of Pope Innocent VIII...

, Liber de mercurio et lapide philosophorum
Quarta et ultima rota: Scriptum probi, et non male docti viri, cujus nomen excidit, elixir solis Theophrasti Paracelsi tractans

Tabula Coelum philosophicum

Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, Processus

Auriga chemicus edited by Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Praefatio
Auriga chemicus, sive Theosophiae palmarium

De occulta philosophia epistola edited by Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud
Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas . He was a member of the Monarchomaques.He is associated with a number of mysteries...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum

Ad lectorem
De occulta philosophia epistola cuiusdam patris ad filium

Paucula dicta sapientum
Index rerum et verborum memorabilium, quae in hoc tertio volumine continentur (Index)

Volume IV

The fourth volume of Theatrum Chemicum was published in 1613 in Strasbourg. At the time of publication a reprinting of Volumes I-III was also issued. The reprinted editions are almost identical, though there are differences in details, such as page number, formatting, and minor rewording not affecting content. This often leads to differences in citations that use Theatrum Chemicum as a reference source. The single significant difference in the new editions is the inclusion of a tract in Volume 3 entitled "De magni lapidis sive benedicti compositione et operatione (Liber magiae generalis)" which is missing from the earlier editions. With the additional tracts found in Volume IV, the total tracts grew to 143.

Lazarus Zetzner, Praefatio ad lectorem (1613) (Introduction)
Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum huius quarti voluminis (Table of Contents)
Raymundus Lullus, Testamentum. Theorica
Raymundus Lullus, Testamentum. Practica super lapide philosophico
Raymundus Lullus, Compendium animae transmutationis artis metallorum Ruperto Anglorum Regi transmissum

De significatione literarum
Typographus lectori

Artefius, Liber qui Clavis majoris sapientiae dicitur

Ad lectorem
De generatione animalis

Heliophilus a Percis Philochemicus,possibly written by Raphael Eglin, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Nova disquisitio de Helia Artista

Philochemicus Heliophilus a Percis Philochemicus
Heliophilus a Percis Philochemicus, Nova disquisitio de Helia Artista theophrasteo, super metallorum transformatione, etc.

Hieronymus de Zanetinis, Conclusio (comparatio alchimiae), qua disputationi et argumentis Angeli respondetur
Thomas Arfoncinus
François Hotman
François Hotman was a French Protestant lawyer and writer, associated with the legal humanists and with the monarchomaques, who struggled against absolute monarchy. His first name is often written 'Francis' in English. His surname is Latinized by himself as Hotomanus, by others as Hotomannus and...

, De jure alchymiae responsum
Anonymus,possibly written by Raphael Eglin, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum citation De materia et praxi lapidis philosophorum; Von der Materi und Prattick dess Steins der Weisen

Vorred an den Kunstliebenden Leser
Programma ad lectorem philochymicum
Gulden Gedicht
Carmen apollineum
Plutarchus, De capienda utilitate ex inimicis

Nicolaus Niger Happelius,possibly written by Raphael Eglin, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Cheiragogia Heliana de auro philosophico, nec dum cognito

Programma authoris
Praefatio (dated 4 July 1612)
Protestatio
Carmen appolineum Helianum

Venceslaus Lavinus Moravus, Tractatus de coelo terrestri
Nicolaus Niger Hapelius,possibly written by Raphael Eglin, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Disquisitio Heliana

Praefatio
Disquisitio Heliana de metallorum transformatione, etc.

Fabianus de Monte S. Severini, Ex tract. de empt. et vend.
Nicolaus Niger Happelius,possibly written by Raphael Eglin, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Aphorismi Basiliani sive canones hermetici de spiritu, anima et corpore medio majoris et minoris mundi
Andreas Brentzius, Variae philosophorum sententiae perveniendi ad lapidem benedictum

Epistola dedicatoria (ad Wolfgango episcopo ratisbonensi), (Dated 20 January 1606)
Sententiae seu processus Alberti Magni
Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...

philosophi
Processus Raimundi Lulli, quem in suis libris hinc inde descripsit: praesertim Testamento novissimo, et in luce Mercuriorum
Processus Lulli secundum mentem Jani Lacinii Calabri, quem tamen ego non probo
Processus Gebri Arabis
Geber
Abu Musa Jābir ibn Hayyān, often known simply as Geber, was a prominent polymath: a chemist and alchemist, astronomer and astrologer, engineer, geologist, philosopher, physicist, and pharmacist and physician. Born and educated in Tus, he later traveled to Kufa...

, collectus ex variis locis summae perfectionis, in quibus sparsim Geber eum tradidit
Tinctura Gebri
Geber
Abu Musa Jābir ibn Hayyān, often known simply as Geber, was a prominent polymath: a chemist and alchemist, astronomer and astrologer, engineer, geologist, philosopher, physicist, and pharmacist and physician. Born and educated in Tus, he later traveled to Kufa...

ad rubeum
Alius et quidam praestantissimus rubeae tincturae modus, Gebro sparsim parce et paucis verbis positus
Tinctura ad album ex arsenico a Gebro
Geber
Abu Musa Jābir ibn Hayyān, often known simply as Geber, was a prominent polymath: a chemist and alchemist, astronomer and astrologer, engineer, geologist, philosopher, physicist, and pharmacist and physician. Born and educated in Tus, he later traveled to Kufa...

descripta
Processus B. Thomae de Aquino
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...

, quem admodum ejus facit mentionem Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
Paracelsi
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....

tinctura ex solo sulphure
Processus Paracelsi
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....

nobilissimus, quem paucissimus verbis in Tinctura physicorum exposuit
Modus perveniendi ad tincturas per Mercurios corporum perfectorum
Usus secundus (primus) Mercuriorum e corporibus extractorum
Usus secundus Mercuriorum e corporibus extractorum
Usus tertius Mercuriorum ex corporibus perfectis extractorum
Usus quartus Mercuriorum e metallicis perfectis corporibus confectorum
Processus quorundam ex antiquis. Ex Mercurio vulgari, et Sole vel Luna
Processus coagulandi amalgamata per spiritum sive animam Saturni

Series tractatuum huius philosophiae chymicae

Bernardus Gilles Penotus, Epistola (ad Mauritium Lantgravium Hassiae)

I. L., Ad authorem huius apologiae
I. B. A., Ad eundem
Guilielmus Dubroc, Ad eundem
Stephanus Gasconius, Ad eundem

Gaston Dulco,A.K.A Gaston LeDoux de Claves, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum De triplici praeparatione auri et argenti

Bernardus Gilles Penotus, Praefatio (ad lectorem)
Gaston Dulco,A.K.A Gaston LeDoux de Claves, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Epistola dedicatoria (ad Jacobo Laffinio, 1594)
De triplici praeparatione auri et argenti

Gaston Dulco,A.K.A Gaston LeDoux de Claves, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum De recta et vera ratione progignendi lapidis philosophici, seu salis argentifici et aurifici. Dilucida et compendiosa explicatio
Anonymus,amicus typographi (written by male friend typographer), see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Canones seu regulae decem, de lapide philosophico

Typographus lectori

Epilogus totius rei hic est

Divi Leschi Genus Amo, Duodecim tractatus de lapide philosophorum

Praefatio ad lectorem
Johan Henricus Alstedius, Epigramma
Tractatus I: De impossibilitate naturae
Tractatus II: De operatione naturae
Tractatus III: De prima metallorum materia
Tractatus IV: Quomodo metalla in terrae visceribus generantur?
Tractatus V: De generatione lapidum
Tractatus VI: De secunda materia
Tractatus VII: De virtute secundae materiae
Tractatus VIII: De arte
Tractatus IX: De commixtione metallorum
Tractatus X: De generatione supernaturali
Tractatus XI: De praxi et confectione lapidis
Tractatus XII: De lapide, et ejus virtute
Epilogus seu conclusio horum duodecim tractatuum
- Divi Leschi Genus Amo, Aenigma philosophorum
- Divi Leschi Genus Amo, Parabola seu aenigma philosophorum, coronidis et superadditamenti loco adjunctum
- Divi Leschi Genus Amo, Dialogus Mercurii, alchymistae, et naturae (de lapide philosophorum)
(Ad lectorem)
- M. Georgio Beato interprete, Aureliae occultae philosophorum partes duae
Aenigma philosophorum sive symbolum Saturni, per parabolas Azoth dilucide ostendens
Pars prima
Pars secunda
- Arnoldus de Villanova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....
  
  , Speculum alchymiae
Hieronymus Megiserus, Admodum reverendo et obilissimo Dn. Wolfgango ad Heussenstam
Vita Arnaldi de Vila Nova
Arnaldus de Villa Nova
Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....
Arnoldus de Villanova
Arnaldus de Villa Nova
Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....

, Speculum alchymiae
- Arnoldus de Villanova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....
  
  , Nova carmen
- Arnoldus de Villanova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....
  
  , Quaestiones tam essentiales quam accidentales ad Bonifacium octavum
- Philosopho Anonymo, Tractatus de secretissimo antiquorum philosophorum arcano
Praefatio ad lectorem
Catalogus autorum qui in hoc opusculo continentur
XXII propositiones sive maximae in quibus veritas totius artis chemicae brevissime comprehenditur
Joannes de Lasnioro, Tractatus secundus aureus de lapide philosophorum
Joannes Trithemius, Tractatus III chemicus nobilis
- Hermes Trismegistus
  Hermes Trismegistus
  Hermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...
  
  , Tractatus aureus de lapidis physici secreto
Dominicus Gnosicus Belga, Epistola dedicatoria (ad Ladislao Welen, baroni a Zierotin)
Subiectissimus Anonymus, Praefatio (ad Jacobo Alsteinio, dated 23 October 1608)
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...

, Tractatus aureus de lapidis physici secreto, in capitula septem divisus: nunc vero a quodam Anonymo possibly written by Israel Harvet, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum scholiis illustratus
Capitulum primum
Capitulum secundum
Capitulum tertium
Capitulum quartum
Capitulum quintum
Capitulum sextum
Capitulum septimum
Conclusio totius tractatus
- David Lagneus,A.K.A. L'Agneau, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Harmonia seu consensus philosophorum chemicorum
Epistola dedicatoria (ad Heroaldo, Valgrinosae domino, 1611)
Praefatio (1611)
Urbanus, Johanni Herovardo
Buetus, Ad D. Lagneum
Catalogus auctorum in hac harmonia citatorum
Harmonia seu consensus philosophorum chemicorum, magno cum studio et labore in ordinem digestus, et a nemine alio hac methodo distributus
(Ad lectorem)
Aenigmaticum quoddam epitaphium A.K.A. Aelia Laelia Crispis, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Bononiae studiorum, ante multa secula, marmoreo lapidi insculptum (vide III, 744)
Arcanum philosophorum, per virum doctissimum olim versu hexametro conscriptum
M. Quadratus, In harmoniam chemicam D. Lagnei, ex intimis intimi
- Albertus Magnus
  Albertus Magnus
  Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
  
  , De concordantia philosophorum in lapide
- Albertus Magnus
  Albertus Magnus
  Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
  
  , Compositum de compositis
- Albertus Magnus
  Albertus Magnus
  Albertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
  
  ,also attributed to Avicenna
  Avicenna
  Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
  
  , see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Liber octo capitulorum: De lapide philosophorum
- Avicenna
  Avicenna
  Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
  
  , Ad Hasen regem epistola de re recta
- Avicenna
  Avicenna
  Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
  
  , Declaratio lapidis physici filio suo Aboali
- Avicenna
  Avicenna
  Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
  
  , De congelatione et conglutinatione lapidum
- Guilhelmus Tecenensis, Liber lilium tanquam de spinis evulsum
- Joannes Dumbeler,A.K.A. John Dombelay, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Practica vera alkimica per magistrum Ortholanum Parisiis probata et experta sub anno domini 1358
- Anonymus, Lumen juvenis experti novum attributed to A. de Villanova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....
  
  , Novum lumen, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
- Magister Valentinus, Opus praeclarum ad utrumque magistri Valentini expertissimi. Quod pro testamento dedit filio suo adoptivo, qui etiam istum tractatulum propria manu scripsit Joanni Apot (Apotecario)
- Anonymus, Super (hoc ipsum) tractatulum: "Studio namque florenti"
- Opus ad album
- Thomas Aquinas
  Thomas Aquinas
  Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
  
  , Liber lilii benedicti 26. Mer: fugi dum bibit Lunam sedecies duplum
Opus excellentissimum S. Thomae de Aquino
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
Super tractatulum "Mer fugi dum bibit"
- Anonymus, Breve opus ad rubeum cum sole per aquas fortes
- Petrus de Silento, Opus
- De lapide philosophico

Joachimus Tanckius,A.K.A. Joachim Tancke, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Epistola dedicatoria (ad Bernhardo G. Penoto, Lipsiae) (Dated 1 April 1603)
Joachimus Tanckius,A.K.A. Joachim Tancke, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Ad lectorem

Anonymus, Tractatus philosophicus ad rubrum et album

Joachimus Tanckius,A.K.A. Joachim Tancke, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Epistola dedicatoria (ad Nicolao Bernaudo, Lipsiae 1603)

Paulus Eck de Sultzbach, Clavis philosophorum. Ludus puerorum et labor mulierum. Annno 1489
- Index rerum memorabilium, quae in hoc quarto volumine continentur, copiosissimus (Index
  Index (publishing)
  An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
  
  )

Volume V

The fifth volume of Theatrum Chemicum was publish in 1622 in Strasbourg. This is the first of the volumes to be published by Zetzner's heirs, most likely Eberhardi Zetzner, though the text still bears Lazarus Zetzner's name. This volume contains a substantial number of "older" tracts, including one of the oldest alchemical tracts in existence, Turba Philosophorum. These additions would increase the number of tracts to 163.

Heredes L. Zetzneri, Lectori candido (Introduction)
Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum quinti voluminis (Table of Contents)
Turba philosophorum
Turba Philosophorum
The Turba Philosophorum, also known as Assembly of the Philosophers, is one of the oldest European alchemy texts, translated from the Arabic, like the Picatrix...

, ex antiquo manuscripto codice excerpta, qualis nulla hactenus visa est editio
In turbam philosophorum sermo unus anonymi possibly written by Alanus de Rupe
Alanus de Rupe
Alanus de Rupe ; was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, others of Belgium; but his disciple, Cornelius Sneek, assures us that he was born in Brittany...

, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
Allegoriae sapientum supra librum Turbae: XXIX distinctiones
Micreris, Tractatus Micreris suo discipulo Mirnefindo
Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...

, Platonis quartorum, cum commento Hebuhabes Hamed, explicati ab Hestole
Calid filus Iarichi, Liber secretorum alchimiae, ex Hebraica lingua in Arabicam, et ex Arabica in Latinam translatus, interprete incerto

Praefatio
Liber secretorum regis Calid
- Calid,Believed to have been written by Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Liber trium verborum
- Philosophiae chimicae duo vetustissima scripta
Senior Zadith filius Hamuelis
Muhammed ibn Umail al-Tamini
Ibn Umayl, Muhammed ibn Umail at-Tamîmî was an alchemist of the tenth century. He can be dated to 900–960 on the basis of the names of acquaintances he mentioned...

, Tabula chimica, marginalibus adaucta (Senior de chemia)
- Willem Mennens, Aurei velleris sive sacrae philosophiae vatum selectae ac unicae mysteriorumque Dei, naturae, et artis admirabilium, libri tres
Epistola dedicatoria
Ad lectorem
Aurei velleris...
Argumenta capitum...
Consilium conjugii, seu De massa solis et lunae libri III (Anonymi libri III. de chemia)
- Petrus Bonus
  Petrus Bonus
  Petrus Bonus Lombardus was a supposed fourteenth century physician at Ferrara, and writer on alchemy. He is best known for the attribution to him of Margarita preciosa novella, from around 1330, an influential alchemical text. His supposed Introductio In Divinam Chemicae Artem was much later...
  
  , Margarita novella correctissima
Praefatio
Ad alchemiam introductio
Margarita preciosa
- Michael Scotus, Quaestio curiosa de natura solis et lunae
- Lucas Rodargirus, Pisces Zodiaci inferioris vel De solutione philosophica. Cum aenigmatica totius lapidis epitome
Epistola
Pisces Zodiaci inferioris vel De solutione philosophica
Lucaa Rodargirius, Chymia compendiaria ad Johannem Riturum
- Alphonsus Rex Castellae, Liber philosophiae occultioris, (praecipue metallorum) profundissimus, cui titulum fecit: Clavis sapientiae
Proemiolum
Clavis sapientiae
- Aristoteles Alchymista, Tractatus ad Alexandrum Magnum, De lapide philosophico, breviloquium
- Monachus benedictinus anonymus, Epistola ad Hermannum Archiepiscopum Coloniensem, de lapide philosophico. Opuscula Platonis et Arnoldi Villanovani
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova
  Arnaldus de Villa Nova was an alchemist, astrologer and physician....
  
  recensens
- Thomas Aquinas
  Thomas Aquinas
  Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
  
  , Tractatus sextus, de esse et essentia mineralium tractans
- Cornelius Alvetanus Arnsrodius, De conficiendo divino elixire, sive lapide philosophico
- Animadversiones chemicae quatuor quibus ars περι χημειασ universa, tam practice quam theorice enudatur
- Roger Bacon
  Roger Bacon
  Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
  
  , Epistolae (ad Gulielmum Parisiensem conscripta) de secretis operibus artis et naturae, et de nullitate magiae Edited by John Dee
  John Dee (mathematician)
  John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....
  
  , see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
Dedicatio ad Roseae Crucis fratribus
Epistola ad lectorem
Epistolae Rogerii Baconis
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...

de secretis operibus artis et naturae
John Dee
John Dee (mathematician)
John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....

, Ad Baconis epistolam adnotata
- Christophorus Horn, De auro medico philosophorum, id est de illo occulto, salutari, solari omnium mineralium, vegetalium, et animalium corporum, spiritu. Dialogus scholasticus
- Index rerum memorabilium quae hoc in opere continentur (Index
  Index (publishing)
  An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
  
  )

Volume VI

The final volume of Theatrum Chemicum was published in 1659-1661 in Strasbourg. Volume VI was published by Eberhardi Zetzner, though compiled by Johannes Jacobus Heilman. This volume contains tracts originally issued in German or French, but were translated by Heilman into Latin. These additional tracts would increase the total tracts to over 200.

Johannes Jacobus Heilman, Dedicatio (ad Friderico, comiti palatino ad Rhenum) (Dedication)
Johannes Jacobus Heilman, Praefatio Dedicatio (secunda ad J.F.H.S. Sendivogii filio) ed. J. Hartprecht (Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken
Zweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river.- Name :Zweibrücken appears in Latin texts as Geminus Pons and Bipontum, in French texts as Deux-Ponts. The name derives from Middle High German Zweinbrücken...

1661)
Johannes Jacobus Heilman, Praefatio ad lectorem (Introduction)
Elenchus authorum et XII. tractatuum voluminis sexti (Table of Contents)
Blasius Vigenerius
Blaise de Vigenère
Blaise de Vigenère was a French diplomat and cryptographer. The Vigenère cipher is so named due to the cipher being incorrectly attributed to him in the 19th century....

, Tractatus de igne et sale
Tractatus de sale et igne. Pars secunda
Johannes Collesson,A.K.A., Johannes (Jean) Collesson Idea perfecta philosophiae hermeticae
Dedicatio (ad Gastoni Burbonio, Ludovici XIII regis fratri unico)
Constans et unanimis vere philosophantium de physici lapidis materia atque operationibus sententia
Idea perfecta philosophiae hermeticae, seu abbreviatio theoriae et praxeos lapidis philosophici observationibus, ad melius intelligendum principia et fundamenta naturae et philosophiae, aucta
Observationes necessariae ad bene intelligendum principia et fundamenta naturae et philosophiae hermeticae (De principiis philosophiae hermeticae)
Anonymus Philosophus, Fidelissima et jucunda instructio patris ad filium ex manuscripto Gallico desumpta
Praefatio
Hermes in superiori sphaera est in medio fontisvena, quae est philosophorum regula prima. Summa decem capitum sequentium
Instructio de arbore solari
Christophorus Parisiensis, Elucidarius artis transmutatoriae metallorum summa major

Praefatio authoris
Elenchus rerum quae in hoc opusculo continentur
Elucidarii liber primus (de arte transmutatoria) in VII. capita divisus
Appendix theorica pro meliore praecedentium declaratione
Elucidarii liber secundus seu practica scientiae arboris philosophalis
Elucidarii liber III. seu tertia pars elucidarii. De ordine medicinarum cum reprobatione sophisticationum Geber
Geber
Abu Musa Jābir ibn Hayyān, often known simply as Geber, was a prominent polymath: a chemist and alchemist, astronomer and astrologer, engineer, geologist, philosopher, physicist, and pharmacist and physician. Born and educated in Tus, he later traveled to Kufa...

i
Recapitulatio exacta trium elucidarii partium seu librorum
Clavis (elucidarii) seu explicatio alphabeti, quo operationes artificis diversae abbreviationis causa denotantur
Appendix practica (ad elucidarium) ante hac nunquam visa
Tractatulus accuratissimus de compositione sulphuris et menstrui vegatibilis seu auro potabili secundum
- Johannes Grasseus
  Johann Grasshoff
  Johann Grasshoff was a Pomeranian jurist, and alchemical writer. He is recorded also as a medical advisor to Ernest of Bavaria, a Syndic, and an Episcopal counselor....
  
  alias Chortalasseus, Arca arcani artificiosissimi de summis naturae mysteriis. Constructa ex rustico majore et minore, et physica naturalis rotunda visionem cabalisticum chemicam descripta, quibus accessit appendix anonymi cuiusdam philosophi de via ad aurum potabile perveniendi
De lapide philosophorum in genere
De consensu philosophorum
Pars secunda: Lilium inter spinas (1598)
De praxis authoris
Anonymus,Believed to have been authored by Franz Krell, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum citation Physica naturalis rotunda visionis chemicae cabalisticae (Cabala chemica)
- Admonitio. Instructio et probatio contra omnes eos, qui aurum potabile extra processum et tincturam lapidis philosophici universalis brevi temporis spatio praeparare sibi et aliis falso persuadent et sibi proponunt
Praefatio ad lectorem
Appendix de via ad aurum potabile philosophico
- Responsiones duae F. R. C. ad quosdam suos clientes
Prima responsio: Epistola F. R. C. de lapide philosophorum acquisitione
Altera responsio
- Andreas Orthelius, Commentator in Novum lumen chymicum Michaelis Sendivogii Poloni, XII. figuris in Germania repertis illustratum (1624)
Praefatio Orthelii
Commentator in Novum lumen chymicum Sendivogii
Epilogus et recapitulatio in Novum lumen chymicum Sendivogii
Andreas de Blauwen,A.K.A. Andreas Orthelius, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum Epistola Andreae de Blavven scripta ad Petrum Andream Matthiolum in qua agitur de multiplici auri potabilis parandi ratione
Discursus Orthelii de praecedente Epistola Andreae de Blawen
Epistola anonymi de principiis artis Hermeticae
Expositio et practica lapidis adrop, collecta ex Plinii philosophi libro qui intitulatur: Aromaticum philosophorum thesaurus et secretum secretorum
Secretum Secretorum
Secretum secretorum is a medieval treatise also known as Secret of Secrets, or The Book of the Secret of Secrets, or in Arabic Kitab sirr al-asrar, or the Book of the science of government: on the good ordering of statecraft...
Excerpta ex interlocutione Mariae Prophetissae sororis Moysis et Aaronis, habita cum aliquo philosopho dicto Aros de excellentissimo opere trium horarum
Orthelius, Explicatio verborum Mariae Prophetissae
Joannes Pontanus, Epistola in qua de lapide quem philosophorum vocant agitur
Orthelius, Commentatio in epistolam Joh. Pontani de lapide philosophorum
Haimon, Epistola Haimonis de quatuor lapidibus philosophicis materiam suam ex minori mundo desumentibus
- Cornelius Alvetanus, Epistola de conficiendo divino elixire, sive lapide philosophico (14 July 1565)
- Astronomia inferior seu planetarum terrestrium motus et variatio
- Summa rhytmorum Germanicorum de opere universali ex coelo soloque prodeunte
- Summa libri qui vocatur Gloria mundi, seu tabula Paradisi
- Michael Pezelius, Opus singulare procedens ex sale quodam centrali aethereo, resoluto in igne minerali terreno, seu oleo vitrioli, quod cum tinctura solis extracta fermentatur, & externo igne Solympico aut igne radiorum solis invisibili coquitur & maturatur. Ex Theophrasto redivivo Michaelis Pezelii circa finem
- Sententia aut compositio litis spiritus et judicis Mercurii. Ex vetusto scripto Bellum seu Duellum equestre vocato, ad accusationem et responsionem Solis et Martis, per picturas repraesenta Translation of the 'Urtheil oder Vergleichung . . ." in Sendivogius, Lumen Chymicum Novum; Epilogus Orthelii, 1624, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum
- Summa rhytmorum parvorum Germanicorum, qui sunt ejusdem tenoris et sensus cum praecedentibus picturis, ad verbum expressa
- Annagramista "Harr gewiss Trost von Gott", Mysterium occultae naturae. Anonymi discipuli Johannis Grassei Chortalassei
  Johann Grasshoff
  Johann Grasshoff was a Pomeranian jurist, and alchemical writer. He is recorded also as a medical advisor to Ernest of Bavaria, a Syndic, and an Episcopal counselor....
  
  dicti nostro seculo insignis philosophi
Praefatio ad pium lectorem filii Sendivogii I.F.H.S. Lucernae salis et Sudi philosophici authoris, et mysterii hermetici possessoris
Invisibilia Dei a creatura mundi per ea quae facta sunt intellectu conspiciuntur
- Anonymus Discipulus Guidonis Magni de Monte Philosophi Graeci, Tractatulus, seu descriptio philosophici Adrop. Quaenam sit ejus species, et quomodo debeat elaborari et praeparari
Praefatio et instructio ad lectorem
De philosophico adrop
Calcinatio metallorum
De ovo philosophorum
Johannes Isaac Hollandus, Tractatus de urina quomodo per spiritum ejus omnes tinctura sint extrahenda
- Johannes Chartier,A.K.A. Jean Chartier, see Theatrum Chemicum Electronicum citation Scientia plumbi sacri sapientum seu cognitio rararum potestatum et virtutum antimonii
Beys, Praefatio seu encomium in honorem authoris et plumbi sacri philosophorum
Consignatio articulorum seu argumentorum in hoc tractatu contentorum
Scientia plumbi sacri sapientum
- Joachim Polemann, Novum lumen medicum. De mysterio sulphuris philosophorum
- Solinus Saltzthal Regiemontanus, De potentissima philosophorum medicina universali, lapis philosophorum trismegistus dicta (1654)
Praefatio ad lectorem
Brevis descriptio admirandae virtutis et operationis summae medicinae lapis philosophorum dictae
Discursus de philosophico fonte salino
Praefatio ad lectorem
- Hermes Trismegistos, Tabula smaragdina seu verba secretorum Hermetis
- Henri de Rochas, Tractatus de observationibus novis et vera cognitione aquarum mineralium et de illarum qualitatibus et virtutibus antehac incognitis. Item de spiritu universali (1634)
Caput I. De aquis sulphureis
Caput II. De aquis vitriolatis
Caput III. De aquis aluminosis
Caput IV. De aquis nitrosis
Caput V. De aquis ferruginosis
Caput VI. De spiritu universali
- Index locupletissimus in VI. volumen Theatri chymici (Index
  Index (publishing)
  An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
  
  )

Related Publications

Though Theatrum Chemicum remains the most comprehensive single body of work on alchemy, future publications would emulate Zetzner's attempt to gather alchemical works into a single reference source. In 1652, Elias Ashmole

Elias Ashmole

Elias Ashmole was a celebrated English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer and student of alchemy. Ashmole supported the royalist side during the English Civil War, and at the restoration of Charles II he was rewarded with several lucrative offices.Ashmole was an antiquary with a...

published a similarly entitled work by the name of, "Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum" in London. The two works are related by subject, but are different in content. However, because of the printing date of Ashmole's work and the similar titles, the two compendiums are often confused.

Then in 1702, Jean-Jacques Manget

Jean-Jacques Manget

Jean-Jacques Manget was a Swiss physician and writer. He was an assiduous compiler of previous medical literature.He wrote in particular a major treatise on the bubonic plague...

produced in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

the second most comprehensive collection of alchemical tracts in his "Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa" which represents a total of almost 140 tracts, of which 35 had already been included in Theatrum Chemicum.

Another work, prepared by Friederich Roth-Scholtz, was entitled "Deutsches Theatrum Chemicum". It was published in Nuremberg