Ritva Kurittu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, I'm aware that independent development does
> occur. But... sen that alchemy is very much in the
> same group of "arts" as Hermeticism and Gnosticism
> are, and knowing that those have teir roots in AE,



They do?

From what I can tell, these philosophies developed their peculiar take on "physics" in a time when hieroglyphs were illegible to the people who actually invented Hermeticism and Gnosticism.

Doesn't this seem to preclude AE philosophies in the development of alchemical doctrine?




> I don't think it is too far fetched to see a link
> from alchemy to AE.


For the reasons shown above, I disagree.

However, if I recall, there is one Arabic alchemist who seems to have a rudimentary (possibly more) understanding of hieroglyphs, dating back to the tenth century... I think... from a failing memory. This, however, is still not evidence of a hard link.

Focusing on "transformation" is only one element of alchemy. There really isn't anything else that connects them, from what I can really tell.


> Especially since the
> alchemists themselves have throughout the times
> talked about the said connection.

How far back again do they make this claim?



> But as I worte,
> this naturally does not mean, that the idea of
> transformation in AE and Middle Age aclhemy share
> too many common points, some aspects in the latter
> having changed dramatically from it's origin.
>


Exactly... parallels can easily be coincidences. And, in light of a lack of hard evidence of a link, we shouldn't take anybody's "word for it" that the two are inseparable.

Anthony

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think.