Aurora Consurgens

AURORA CONSURGENS

It was Professor C. G. Jung   who discovered the alchemical treatise herewith presented, Aurora Consurgens, and brought it to light again. It was at his request that I undertook to prepare the present edition, for which purpose he supplied me with photocopies of the manuscripts and placed at my disposal his copious material on alchemy  , which is very difficult to come by even in libraries. For this and for his great help and encouragement during the work I would here like to express my warmest thanks. As to the hypothesis that the text might represent the last words of St. Thomas Aquinas  , I must emphasize that my primary concern was with the position of the text in the history of alchemy and with its psychological interpretation. I am fully aware that I lack the knowledge necessary for any kind of excursion into hagiography— but unfortunately the text itself compels one to cut across realms of thought which by their very nature are divided. My concluding chapter, therefore, is nothing but a discussion of an hypothesis, which I put forward in the hope that this question will be clarified by the results of further research. To me it seemed of greater importance that this valuable text should be made accessible to a wider public, whoever the author might be. [Marie-Louise von Franz  ]

ÍNDICE

I. INTRODUCTION 1

1. Preliminary 3

2. The Transmission of the Text 5

3. The Sources 7

4. The Problem of Dating 22

5. The Manuscripts 25

6. The Establishment of the Text of the Present Edition 28

II. AURORA CONSURGENS: TEXT AND TRANSLATION AND III. COMMENTARY

I. The Aurora or Aurea Hora of Blessed Thomas Aquinas. Here Beginneth the Treatise Entitled Aurora Consurgens 32 / 33

COMMENTARY, 155

II. What Wisdom Is 42 / 43

COMMENTARY, 195

III. Of Them Who Know Not and Deny This Science 46 / 47

COMMENTARY, 200

IV. Of the Name and Title of This Book 50 / 51

COMMENTARY, 203

V. Of the Provocation of the Foolish 52 / 53

COMMENTARY, 209

VI. The First Parable: Of the Black Earth, Wherein the Seven Planets Took Root

COMMENTARY, 2l7

VII. The Second Parable: Of the Flood of Waters and of Death, Which the Woman Both Brought in and Put to Flight

COMMENTARY, 244

VIII. The Third Parable: Of the Gate of Brass and Bar of Iron of the Babylonish Captivity

COMMENTARY, 261

IX. The Fourth Parable: Of the Philosophic Faith, Which Consisteth in the Number Three

COMMENTARY, 277

X. The Fifth Parable: Of the Treasure House Which Wisdom Built upon a Rock 100/ 101

COMMENTARY, 314

XI. The Sixth Parable: Of Heaven and Earth and the Arrangement of the Elements 120/121

COMMENTARY, 339

XII. The Seventh Parable: Of the Confabulation of the Lover with the Beloved 132 / 133

COMMENTARY, 362

IV. WAS ST. THOMAS AQUINAS THE AUTHOR OF AURORA CONSURGENS? 405

APPENDIX 1: LATIN AND GREEK TEXTS 435

APPENDIX 2: SUPPLEMENT TO TΗΕ APPARATUS 470