Alchemical Belief Occultism in the Religious Culture of Early Modern England 1st Edition by Bruce Janacek ISBN 0271050136 9780271050133

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ISBN 10: 0271050136 
ISBN 13: 9780271050133
Author: Bruce Janacek

What did it mean to believe in alchemy in early modern England? In this book, Bruce Janacek considers alchemical beliefs in the context of the writings of Thomas Tymme, Robert Fludd, Francis Bacon, Sir Kenelm Digby, and Elias Ashmole. Rather than examine alchemy from a scientific or medical perspective, Janacek presents it as integrated into the broader political, philosophical, and religious upheavals of the first half of the seventeenth century, arguing that the interest of these elite figures in alchemy was part of an understanding that supported their national—and in some cases royalist—loyalty and theological orthodoxy. Janacek investigates how and why individuals who supported or were actually placed at the traditional center of power in England’s church and state believed in the relevance of alchemy at a time when their society, their government, their careers, and, in some cases, their very lives were at stake.

Alchemical Belief Occultism in the Religious Culture of Early Modern England 1st Table of contents:

Part I: Foundations of Alchemical and Occult Thought in Early Modern England

1. The Birth of Alchemy: From Ancient Mysticism to Early Modern Transformation

   • Ancient Origins and Medieval Alchemical Thought
   • Alchemical Concepts: The Philosopher’s Stone, Transmutation, and the Magnum Opus
   • Alchemy and its Intersection with Natural Philosophy
   • Early Modern England and the Legacy of Alchemical Thought

2. Occultism and the Renaissance: Revival and Reinterpretation

   • The Renaissance as a Rebirth of Occult Knowledge
   • The Influence of Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, and Cabalistic Mysticism
   • Key Figures in Renaissance Occultism: Pico della Mirandola, Marsilio Ficino, and Giovanni Pico
   • The Hermetic Tradition and the Integration of Alchemy into Religious Thought

3. Alchemy and Religion: Tensions and Symbiosis in Early Modern Thought

   • Alchemy as a Spiritual and Religious Practice
   • The Role of Mystical Experience in Alchemical Pursuits
   • Conflicts with Orthodox Christianity and the Church
   • Religious Justifications and Criticisms of Alchemical Belief

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Part II: The Occult and Alchemical Movements in Early Modern England

4. The Rise of the Secret Societies and Alchemical Circles

   • The Rosicrucian Manifestos and the Rise of Secret Occult Movements
   • Alchemical and Occult Practices in the Intellectual Circles of the Royal Society
   • The Role of Alchemists, Hermeticists, and Freemasons in Early Modern England
   • Key Figures: Robert Fludd, Elias Ashmole, and Thomas Vaughan

5. Alchemy, Occultism, and English Protestantism

   • Protestant Reformation and Its Impact on the Esoteric Traditions
   • The Influence of Protestant Mysticism and Millenarianism on Alchemical Thought
   • Occultism and Anti-Catholicism: Alchemical Beliefs as a Counterpoint to Catholic Rituals
   • Alchemical Symbolism in Protestant and Puritan Thought

6. The Mysticism of Early Modern English Religious Thought

   • The Role of Mysticism in English Devotional Practice
   • Occultism in Puritanism and Early Methodism
   • The Influence of Alchemical Ideas on English Religious Mysticism: The Case of George Fox and Quakerism
   • The Decline of Alchemy in the Religious Landscape by the Late 17th Century

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Part III: Key Figures in Alchemical and Occult Thought

7. John Dee: The Scholar, Alchemist, and Occult Philosopher

   • Dee’s Intellectual Influence in Early Modern England
   • Alchemy, Astrology, and the Occult in Dee’s Worldview
   • Dee’s Enochian Magic and Its Influence on English Occultism
   • Dee’s Legacy: From Court Mathematician to Occult Philosopher

8. Robert Fludd and the Integration of Alchemy and Christian Mysticism

   • Fludd’s Role in the Hermetic Tradition
   • The Unity of the Macrocosm and Microcosm in Fludd’s Alchemical System
   • The Spiritual Symbolism of Fludd’s Alchemical Imagery
   • Fludd’s Influence on Later Alchemical and Occult Thought

9. Elias Ashmole and the Occult Revival of the 17th Century

   • Ashmole’s Work in Alchemy and the Foundations of the Royal Society
   • Ashmole’s Role in the Birth of English Freemasonry and the Rosicrucian Movement
   • Ashmole’s Mystical and Alchemical Beliefs and Their Impact on His Time
   • The Ashmolean Museum: Alchemy, Science, and the Occult in the Enlightenment

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Part IV: Alchemical Texts and the Symbolism of Occult Belief

10. The Language of Alchemical Texts: Symbols, Allegories, and Interpretations

• Understanding Alchemical Allegory: The Quest for the Philosopher’s Stone
• Decoding the Symbolism of Alchemical Texts: The Hermetic Seals, the Ouroboros, and the Four Elements
• Alchemy as Sacred Knowledge: The Use of Allegory in Religious Discourse
• The Transmission of Alchemical Knowledge: Secret and Public Texts

11. Alchemy and the Iconography of Christian Mysticism

• The Role of Christian Symbolism in Alchemical Practices
• Alchemical Transmutation as a Spiritual Metaphor for Redemption
• Alchemy and the Doctrine of the Trinity
• The Influence of Christian Alchemists: Nicholas of Cusa and Paracelsus

12. Occult Texts and the Religious Imagination in Early Modern England

• The Alchemical Works of Paracelsus, Cornelius Agrippa, and their English Translators
• The Role of Occult Writings in the Religious Culture of the Time
• The Reception of Occult Texts in Courtly and Popular Circles
• Occult Literature as a Bridge Between Scientific and Religious Worlds

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Part V: The Decline of Alchemy and Occultism in Early Modern England

13. The Challenge of Scientific Rationalism

• The Rise of Empiricism and the Decline of Alchemy
• Isaac Newton and the Shift from Mysticism to Modern Science
• Alchemical Belief in the Age of Enlightenment
• The Battle for Intellectual Legitimacy: Alchemy vs. Science

14. Alchemy’s Legacy in English Religion and Occultism

• The End of Alchemy in Religious and Scientific Circles
• The Continuing Influence of Alchemical Thought in Western Esotericism
• Alchemy and the Revival of Occult Traditions in the 19th Century
• The Influence of Alchemical Thought on Contemporary New Age Spirituality

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