Archidoxae or Archidoxis magica
The Archidoxes of Magic is a 16th-century Paracelsian grimoire that first appeared in 1591 as part of a collection of work by Paracelsus Zehender Theil der Bücher und Schrifften (pg 324) by the editor Johannes Huser of Basel. Found in the 10th and final volume, the Archidoxes discusses magical sigils for its use on talismans or amulets.
In 1656, Robert Turner translated it into the English version, Of the Supreme Mysteries of Nature, further divided into 3 parts: The Secrets of Alchemy (pp.1-28), Of Occult Philosophy (pp. 29-90), Of the Mysteries of the Signes of the Zodiack (pp.91-158), followed by a short text on The Transmutation of Metals.
It is said that Johannes expressed a bit of reluctance that the full text of the Archidoxes to be genuine, in so much that at times it is referred to as the pseudo-Paracelsian grimoire. The Archidoxis magica is the main work responsible for Paracelsus’ reputation as a magician. Although he did publish work on the topics of astrology and divination, it was the Archidoxes that was his claim to magic fame - without it there is no little evidence that Paracelsus was pursuing talismanic magic. However, it should be mentioned that while some scholars imply a “spurious” nature to some or all of the work by Paracelsus, others indicate that the Archidoxes speaks for itself.
Paracelsus, dubbed “most enigmatic physician of the 16th century”, was born Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim on Nov. 11, 1493 or Dec. 1, 1493 or May 1, 1494 (d. 1541), in Egg, Switzerland. He came to be known and published under the name Paracelsus - meaning “greater than Celsus” which was a reference to the 1st-century Roman encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus - after his time working in Basel. The Swiss-German Paracelsus had a long list of occupations: a physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer and an occultist during the Renaissance. He would later become well known for “contributing substantially to the rise of modern medicine by pioneering treatments using new chemical remedies”. Paracelsus put forth several concepts that have held-up today, such as pioneering the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine (Hg, S, Fe, CuSO4) and ultimately uniting Medicine with Chemistry as well as the first to credibly suggest that illness results from body being attacked by outside agents rather than an imbalance of the 4 Hippocratic humours.
During his teaching tenure in Basel, Paracelsus gained the reputation for being a nonconformist. In one instance, he ‘threw a copy of the standard medical textbook of the time into a bonfire’ and was quoted as saying “I have thrown the Summa of books in the fire of St. John, so that all the misery would rise up in the air together with the smoke.” Later, colleagues would comment that his antagonistic attitude and this event was met with hostility and lead to Paracelsus’ banishment from Basel by city decree, leading him to adopt the name “Paracelsus” as a self-superimposition over Celsus declaring his intention to go “above” or “beyond” the work of Celsus. Immediately, following his ousting from Basel, Paracelsus subsequently began traveling around Europe with the intent to publish. Unfortunately, his travels never led to finding a publisher for his enormous amount of works.
The life of Paracelsus was one of endless writing - with his complete works summing up to approximately 30 large volumes, not including the numerous “lost writings”. More so, only a few of his works went on to press while he was alive, such as those on astrological prognostications, description of the spa of Pfafers (Natural Spas/Waters), few books on syphilis and his most comprehensive work on the “Grosse Wundarznei” (Great Surgery). The remaining works were banned from publication and press. Today, however, he is most famously remembered for his contributions to alchemy and magical theories he proposed - which stood in contrast to those of Cornelius Agrippa and Nicolas Flamel.
Much controversy exists for the Archidoxes - (1) It has been suggested that the Archidoxis magica is the work of Jacques Gohory, who is also said to be the “composer” of Liber quartus (Ps.-Agrippa) and Arbatel of Magic. (2) In Robert Tuner’s 1656 English translation, the seals for each sign of the Zodiac were repurposed in the 17th-century Ars Paulina of the Lemegeton. (3) One of the modern German editions (Peuckert’s) leave out several of the seals indicating that the nature and impact of the seals were omitted for the sake of brevity/sake of time, going on to state they offered nothing new. Other versions and/or editions contain differences in the formulas to those found in the original Paracelsus’ text. (4) Schneider (1982) compared the text of all extant manuscripts and printed versions against the text of the discovered early manuscript concluding the Paracelsian authorship seems “less unlikely” than previously thought to the original manuscript does date to the time of Paracelsus (d. 1541) with the first 4 books are most likely to be based on writings by Paracelsus (contemporary with Neun Bucher Archidoxis, a work on medicine written in 1526; 1st printed in 1567).
As outlined in the title, The Magical, Sympathetical and the Antipathetical Cure of Wounds and Diseases & The Mysteries of the 12 Signs of the Zodiack, this medieval grimoire is said to contain complete sets of zodiacal lames, characters and planetary sigils, with how to make and consecrate them - details that have been often omitted by later writers and authors. The Archidoxes illustrates how Paracelsus was more concerned with the practical application of magic, more specifically the healing component of it, versus the fantastical most often entertained by other theorists. Interestingly, the text contains the healing properties of most of the zodiac talismans; however, those of Gemini and Sagittarius seals are not included. The section of alchemy within the text, is said to include one of the most complete descriptions of the entire Hermetic canon with each stop on the path to the Tincture, as well as the details of planetary spirits and conjunction of male and female principles. Also included are Paracelsus techniques for the exorcism of evil entities, conjuration and counter-defense to witchcraft.
It wouldn’t be until 20 years after his death, in the 1560’s that a rise in interest in Paracelsus’ teachings would emerge which resulted in numerous editions printed. While the autographs of Paracelsus’ writings were lost, Johannes Huser had begun collecting copies of these works early on. During this time, from 1589-1591, Huser collected the mass of these autograph copies and compiled them into a ‘monumental’ first edition of Paracelsus’ medical and philosophical works, publishing them in 10 volumes in Basel - “the very city where Paracelsus manifested into the maverick he was” as put by a website discussing this grimoire. The Huser Edition has remained the standard - the following is a systematic subdivision of his works: (1) Natural Philosophy, Alchemy, and Pharmaceutics: The Nine Books of Archidoxes” - early theory of medical alchemy, (2) Description of Diseases, (3) Theory of Medicine, (4) Surgery, (5) Description of Spas, (6) Divination and Prophecy, (7) Natural Magic, (8) Theology, (9) The Carinthian Writings, (10) The Basel Lectures and Appendix - Spurious Writings.
These treaties, predominantly concerned with transmutational alchemy and magic, were mostly written in the late 16th century and were largely responsible for solidifying the Paracelsus’ reputation and the claim to have achieved Azoth during his life. It is believed that this edition inspired the Turner edition Of the Supreme Mysteries of Nature (1656) and The Lesser key of Solomon (1650), contributing to the prevalence of sigils/amulets/talisman at the height of Rosicrucianism.
Paracelsus is said to have achieved the Azoth and in the 1567 Rosicrucian portrait, the pommel of his sword bears the inscription Azoth. The first part of the Archidoxes magica bears the title Liber Azoth which contains magic sigils and recipes for protection against illness and injuries.
In addendum - Azoth - the universal solvent, the universal cure and the elixir of life; it is said to embody all medicines and used as another term for the Philosopher’s Stone. Azoth is also believed to be the animating energy of the body & the enthusiasm that moves the mind; the mysterious evolutionary force that drives the physical and spiritual towards perfection, the Light of Nature or the Mind of God. In alchemy, symbolized by the Caduceus, it is believed to be the essential agent of transmutation. Etymology traces Azoth to medieval Latin as a modification for “azoc” which was derived from the Arabic word meaning, ‘the mercury’. Occultist Aleister Crowley said it represents a unity of beginning and end by connecting the first and last letters of ancient alphabets: A (Aleph, the first character in the Phoenician alphabet), Z (Zeta, the final character in the Latin alphabet), O/Ω (Omega, the final character in the Greek alphabet) and Th/ת (Tav, the final character in the Hebrew alphabet). The permeation and totality of the beginning and end symbolize the supreme wholeness and the universal synthesis of opposites as a 'cancellation' (i.e. solvent) or 'cohesion' (i.e. medicine). Therefore, it is believed to be similar to the philosophical "absolute" of Hegel's dialectic. Crowley referenced Azoth in his works as "the fluid".