Theatrum Chemicum ("Chemical Theatre") is a compendium 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 ever published in the Western world.
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, 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 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The volumes are in actuality a collection of previously published and unpublished alchemical treatises, essays, poems, notes, and writings from various sources, some of which are attributed to known writers and others remain anonymous.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.
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) were printed with attached alchemical poems and circulated in the area of Venice, and then a decade later in Rome.
A more directly related ancestor of Theatrum Chemicum was a publication by Johannes Petreius entitled "De Alchemia", a work which contained ten alchemical tracts, which was published in Nuremberg 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 who published it in cooperation with Pietro Perna and Guglielmo Gratarolo 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.
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, The Physicians' Desk Reference, 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 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, Arcanum Philosophorum, Cabala Chemica, De Ovo Philosophorum, many tracts focused upon Secretum Secretorum, The Philosopher's Stone, the Elixir of Life, the Tabula Smaragdina, and several works attributed to Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. 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.
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.
Lazarus Zetznerus, (Epistola dedicatoria) (Introduction)Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum primae partis (Table of Contents)Robertus Vallensis, De veritate et antiquitate artis chemicaeJohannes Chrysippus Fanianus, De arte metallicae metamorphoseos ad PhiloponumJohannes Chrysippus Fanianus, De jure artis alchemiae, hoc est, variorum authorum, et praesertim iurisconsultorum, judicia et responsa ad quaestionem quotidianam: An alchimia sit ars legitimaThomas Mufett, De jure et praestantia chemicorum medicamentorum. Dialogus apologeticusThomas Mufett, Epistolae quinque medicinalesTheobaldus de Hoghelande Mittelburgensis, De alchemiae difficultatibus liberGerard Dorn, Clavis totius philosophiae chemisticae per quam potissima philosophorum dicta reseranturGerardus Dorn, Speculativae philosophiae gradus septem vel decem continens, per quos ad sublimia patet aditusGerardus Dorn, De artificio supernaturaliGerardus Dorn, De naturae luce physica ex Genesi desumpta, iuxta sententiam Theophrasti Paracelsi (in quo continetur), Physica Genesis; Physica Hermetis; Physica Hermetis Trismegisti, (Tabula Smaragdina); Physica Trithemii; Philosophia meditativa; Philosophia chemicaGerardus Dorn, De tenebris contra naturam et vita brevisGerardus Dorn, Congeries Paracelsicae chemiae de transmutationibus metallorumGerardus Dorn, De genealogia mineralium atque metallorum omnium (ex Paracelso)Bernardus G. Penotus, Tractatus varii, de vera praeparatione et usu medicamentorum chemicorumBernardus Trevisanus, De alchemia liber (De chymico miraculo)Dionysius Zacharias, Opusculum philosophiae naturalis metallorumAnnotationes Nicolai Flamelli Index rerum et verborum in primo tomo (Index)Elenchus auctorum et tractatuum secundae partis (Table of Contents)Bernard Gilles Penot, PraefatioGaston Claveus, Apologia argyropoeiae et chrysopoeiae adversus Thomam ErastumAegidius de Vadis, Dialogus inter naturam et filium philosophiaeGeorge Ripley, Duodecim portarum epitome, duobus modis concinnataJohann Isaac Hollandus, Fragmentum de lapide philosophorumBernard Gilles Penot, Quaestiones et responsiones philosophicaeBernard Gilles Penot, Regulae seu canones philosophici LVII Bernard Gilles Penot, Mercurii, sive argenti vivi ex auro vera extractio cum sua historiaChrysorrhoas, sive de arte chemica dialogusJosephus Quercetanus, Ad Jacobi Auberti Vendonis de ortu et causis metallorum contra chemicos explicationem brevis responsioJohn Dee, Monas hieroglyphica mathematice, magice, cabalistice, anagogiceque explicataLorenzo Ventura, De ratione conficiendi lapidis philosophici liberGiovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola, Opus aureum De auro tum aestimando, tum conficiendo, tum utendo, ad conjugemRoger Bacon, De alchemia libellus, cui titulum fecit, Speculum alchemiaeRichardus Anglicus, Libellus utilissimus (peri chemeias), cui titulum fecit CorrectoriumLibellus alius (peri chemeias) utilissimus, et rerum metallicarum cognitione refertissimus, Rosarius minor inscriptus, incerti quidem, sed harum tamen rerum non imperiti auctorisAlbertus Magnus, De alchemiaGiovanni Agostino Panteo, Ars et theoria transmutationis metallicae, cum Voarchadumia, proportionibus, numeris et iconibus rei accommodis illustrataGiovanni Agostino Panteo, Voarchadumia contra alchemiam ars distincta ab Archemia et SophiaIndex rerum et verborum secundi voluminis (Index)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 Aristoteles, De perfecto magisterioArnaldus de Villanova, Liber perfecti magisterii, qui lumen luminum nuncupatur... vocatur etiam Flos florumEfferarius Monachus, De lapide philosophorum secundum verum modum formandoEfferarius Monachus, Thesaurus philosophiaeRaymundus Lullus, Praxis universalis magni operisOdomar, Practica magistri Odomari ad discipulumHistoria antiqua de argento in aurum verso Tractatus de marchasita, ex qua tandem cum aliis dicendis fit elixir ad album verissimumDe arsenicoQuaestio, an lapis philosophicus (valeat contra pestem)Vetus epistola doctissimi de metallorum materia, et artis imitationeJohannes de Rupescissa, Liber magisterii de confectione veri lapidis philosophorumGiovanni Aurelio Augurello, Chrysopoeia ad Leonem decimum pntificem maximum (carmine conscripta)Giovanni Aurelio Augurello, GeronticonThomas Aquinas, Secreta alchemiae magnaliaJoannes de Rupescissa, Liber lucisRaymundus Lullus, Clavicula, quae et apertorium diciturJoannes Isaac Hollandus, Operum mineralium, sive de lapide philosophicoEwaldus Vogelius, Liber de lapidis physici conditionibus; quo abditissimorum auctorum Gebri et Raymundi Lullii methodica continetur explicatioTractatus septem de lapide philosophico Jodocus Greverus (Grewer), Secretum nobilissimum et verissimum Alanus, Dicta de lapide philosophico e Germanico Latinae redita 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 Nicolas Barnaud, Commentariolum in quoddam epitaphium Bononiae studiorum, ante multa secula maemoreo lapidi insculptumNicolas Barnaud, Processus chemiciTriga chemica Quadriga aurifera Auriga chemicus De occulta philosophia epistola Paucula dicta sapientumIndex rerum et verborum memorabilium, quae in hoc tertio volumine continentur (Index)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. TheoricaRaymundus Lullus, Testamentum. Practica super lapide philosophicoRaymundus Lullus, Compendium animae transmutationis artis metallorum Ruperto Anglorum Regi transmissumArtefius, Liber qui Clavis majoris sapientiae diciturHeliophilus a Percis Philochemicus, Nova disquisitio de Helia ArtistaHieronymus de Zanetinis, Conclusio (comparatio alchimiae), qua disputationi et argumentis Angeli respondeturThomas Arfoncinus, De jure alchymiae responsumAnonymus, De materia et praxi lapidis philosophorum; Von der Materi und Prattick dess Steins der WeisenNicolaus Niger Happelius, Cheiragogia Heliana de auro philosophico, nec dum cognitoVenceslaus Lavinus Moravus, Tractatus de coelo terrestriNicolaus Niger Hapelius, Disquisitio HelianaFabianus de Monte S. Severini, Ex tract. de empt. et vend.Nicolaus Niger Happelius, Aphorismi Basiliani sive canones hermetici de spiritu, anima et corpore medio majoris et minoris mundiAndreas Brentzius, Variae philosophorum sententiae perveniendi ad lapidem benedictumSeries tractatuum huius philosophiae chymicaeDivi Leschi Genus Amo, Duodecim tractatus de lapide philosophorumDivi Leschi Genus Amo, Aenigma philosophorumDivi Leschi Genus Amo, Parabola seu aenigma philosophorum, coronidis et superadditamenti loco adjunctumDivi Leschi Genus Amo, Dialogus Mercurii, alchymistae, et naturae (de lapide philosophorum)M. Georgio Beato interprete, Aureliae occultae philosophorum partes duaeArnoldus de Villanova, Speculum alchymiaeArnoldus de Villanova, Nova carmenArnoldus de Villanova, Quaestiones tam essentiales quam accidentales ad Bonifacium octavumPhilosopho Anonymo, Tractatus de secretissimo antiquorum philosophorum arcanoHermes Trismegistus, Tractatus aureus de lapidis physici secretoDavid Lagneus, Harmonia seu consensus philosophorum chemicorumAlbertus Magnus, De concordantia philosophorum in lapideAlbertus Magnus, Compositum de compositisAlbertus Magnus, Liber octo capitulorum: De lapide philosophorumAvicenna, Ad Hasen regem epistola de re rectaAvicenna, Declaratio lapidis physici filio suo AboaliAvicenna, De congelatione et conglutinatione lapidumGuilhelmus Tecenensis, Liber lilium tanquam de spinis evulsumJoannes Dumbeler, Practica vera alkimica per magistrum Ortholanum Parisiis probata et experta sub anno domini 1358Anonymus, Lumen juvenis experti novum 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 albumThomas Aquinas, Liber lilii benedicti 26. Mer: fugi dum bibit Lunam sedecies duplumAnonymus, Breve opus ad rubeum cum sole per aquas fortesPetrus de Silento, OpusDe lapide philosophicoIndex rerum memorabilium, quae in hoc quarto volumine continentur, copiosissimus (Index)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, ex antiquo manuscripto codice excerpta, qualis nulla hactenus visa est editioIn turbam philosophorum sermo unus anonymi Allegoriae sapientum supra librum Turbae: XXIX distinctionesMicreris, Tractatus Micreris suo discipulo MirnefindoPlato, Platonis quartorum, cum commento Hebuhabes Hamed, explicati ab HestoleCalid filus Iarichi, Liber secretorum alchimiae, ex Hebraica lingua in Arabicam, et ex Arabica in Latinam translatus, interprete incertoCalid, Liber trium verborumPhilosophiae chimicae duo vetustissima scriptaWillem Mennens, Aurei velleris sive sacrae philosophiae vatum selectae ac unicae mysteriorumque Dei, naturae, et artis admirabilium, libri tresPetrus Bonus, Margarita novella correctissimaMichael Scotus, Quaestio curiosa de natura solis et lunaeLucas Rodargirus, Pisces Zodiaci inferioris vel De solutione philosophica. Cum aenigmatica totius lapidis epitomeAlphonsus Rex Castellae, Liber philosophiae occultioris, (praecipue metallorum) profundissimus, cui titulum fecit: Clavis sapientiaeAristoteles Alchymista, Tractatus ad Alexandrum Magnum, De lapide philosophico, breviloquiumMonachus benedictinus anonymus, Epistola ad Hermannum Archiepiscopum Coloniensem, de lapide philosophico. Opuscula Platonis et Arnoldi Villanovani recensensThomas Aquinas, Tractatus sextus, de esse et essentia mineralium tractansCornelius Alvetanus Arnsrodius, De conficiendo divino elixire, sive lapide philosophicoAnimadversiones chemicae quatuor quibus ars περι χημειασ universa, tam practice quam theorice enudaturRoger Bacon, Epistolae (ad Gulielmum Parisiensem conscripta) de secretis operibus artis et naturae, et de nullitate magiae Christophorus Horn, De auro medico philosophorum, id est de illo occulto, salutari, solari omnium mineralium, vegetalium, et animalium corporum, spiritu. Dialogus scholasticusIndex rerum memorabilium quae hoc in opere continentur (Index)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) Johannes Jacobus Heilman, Praefatio ad lectorem (Introduction)Elenchus authorum et XII. tractatuum voluminis sexti (Table of Contents)Blasius Vigenerius, Tractatus de igne et saleTractatus de sale et igne. Pars secundaJohannes Collesson, Idea perfecta philosophiae hermeticaeDedicatio (ad Gastoni Burbonio, Ludovici XIII regis fratri unico)Constans et unanimis vere philosophantium de physici lapidis materia atque operationibus sententiaIdea perfecta philosophiae hermeticae, seu abbreviatio theoriae et praxeos lapidis philosophici observationibus, ad melius intelligendum principia et fundamenta naturae et philosophiae, auctaObservationes 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 desumptaPraefatioHermes in superiori sphaera est in medio fontisvena, quae est philosophorum regula prima. Summa decem capitum sequentiumInstructio de arbore solariChristophorus Parisiensis, Elucidarius artis transmutatoriae metallorum summa majorJohannes Grasseus 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 perveniendiAdmonitio. 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 proponuntResponsiones duae F. R. C. ad quosdam suos clientesAndreas Orthelius, Commentator in Novum lumen chymicum Michaelis Sendivogii Poloni, XII. figuris in Germania repertis illustratum (1624)Cornelius Alvetanus, Epistola de conficiendo divino elixire, sive lapide philosophico (14 July 1565)Astronomia inferior seu planetarum terrestrium motus et variatioSumma rhytmorum Germanicorum de opere universali ex coelo soloque prodeunteSumma libri qui vocatur Gloria mundi, seu tabula ParadisiMichael 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 finemSententia 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 Summa rhytmorum parvorum Germanicorum, qui sunt ejusdem tenoris et sensus cum praecedentibus picturis, ad verbum expressaAnnagramista "Harr gewiss Trost von Gott", Mysterium occultae naturae. Anonymi discipuli Johannis Grassei Chortalassei dicti nostro seculo insignis philosophiAnonymus Discipulus Guidonis Magni de Monte Philosophi Graeci, Tractatulus, seu descriptio philosophici Adrop. Quaenam sit ejus species, et quomodo debeat elaborari et praeparariJohannes Chartier, Scientia plumbi sacri sapientum seu cognitio rararum potestatum et virtutum antimoniiJoachim Polemann, Novum lumen medicum. De mysterio sulphuris philosophorumSolinus Saltzthal Regiomontanus, De potentissima philosophorum medicina universali, lapis philosophorum trismegistus dicta (1654)Hermes Trismegistos, Tabula smaragdina seu verba secretorum HermetisHenri de Rochas, Tractatus de observationibus novis et vera cognitione aquarum mineralium et de illarum qualitatibus et virtutibus antehac incognitis. Item de spiritu universali (1634)Index locupletissimus in VI. volumen Theatri chymici (Index)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 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 produced in Geneva 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 1728-1732, and like Ashmole's work, it is related to Theatrum Chemicum in subject, but of different content.
