Alchemy

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Alchemy

Alchemy was an early science based on a particular view about the nature of matter. Alchemists believed that they could bring about physical changes in matter, such as turning lead into gold. Some historians see Renaissance alchemy as the forerunner of modern experimental chemistry. However, alchemy was also a philosophical system that was concerned with the idea of perfection.

Origins and Influences of Alchemy. Renaissance alchemy rested on a combination of ancient, Islamic, and Christian ideas. Its foundation was a set of ancient ideas about how matter forms and changes. During the Middle Ages, Arab philosophers studied these ideas and built on them. For example, they developed the concept that sulfur and mercury were involved in the creation of matter. They believed that sulfur and mercury interacted with air, earth, fire, and water to give various types of matter unique properties.

Alchemy came to Europe in the 1200s when Christian scholars translated Arabic texts into Latin. As Christians embraced alchemy, they changed it to reflect their own beliefs. Renaissance Christians believed that God had ranked every creature, plant, and mineral in a great chain of being. Lead, for example, was a low-ranking mineral; gold was the highest-ranking. Changing lead to gold changed its position in God's order. The idea of changing lead to gold was a little bit like the religious idea of transubstantiation. According to this belief, during the Roman Catholic Mass, a miracle changes bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

The ideas, images, and symbols of alchemy appeared throughout Renaissance culture. They influenced art, music, medicine, and the early sciences. Alchemy was a respected profession. Many members of noble and royal families sponsored alchemists in their studies. Alchemists tried to keep their ideas and techniques secret by using obscure symbols in their writings.

Alchemy changed significantly during the 1500s. As printed books and literacy* became more common, more people became familiar with the basic ideas of alchemy. People claiming to be alchemists began offering their wares and services to the public at fairs and markets. Meanwhile, a German alchemist named Paracelsus was developing new theories and challenging old ones. Followers of Paracelsus kept alchemy alive in Europe well into the 1600s.

Alchemical Ideas and Practices. Renaissance alchemy relied on the idea that metals "grew" in the earth just as plants and animals grow. Their growth followed an ordered process, changing low metals into high ones. Metals continued to grow and change until they reached the perfect state of pure gold.

Alchemists tried to speed up this natural process through the use of heat and chemicals. They mixed materials over fires and carefully noted their changes in color and other properties, trying to nurture their metals to higher states of perfection. Alchemists risked fire, explosion, and exposure to toxic substances.

The goal of many alchemists was wealth, but none ever succeeded in turning other metals into gold. Some alchemists, however, sought not gold but a substance called the philosopher's stone. They believed that the stone could heal the sick and make human beings immortal. Alchemists tried refining metals to obtain this precious substance. No alchemist ever found the philosopher's stone, but alchemy did sharpen Europeans' scientific skills.