The Light of Lights

The Lumen Luminum of the early Islamic alchemist, Rhazes, describes alchemy as a practical and philosophical art grounded above all in dissolution and coagulation. The text argues that the alchemist’s central task is to discover substances capable of dissolving bodies into vapour or liquid form and then restoring them into perfected, solid states. Rhazes promises to reveal, from experience rather than obscurity, the preparation and use of key materials including atraments, alums, salts, spirits, and metals.

A substantial portion of the work explains these substances in detail. Atrament, especially green atrament, is praised for its power to coagulate and sublime mercury. Alum, particularly split or laminar alum, is presented as one of the most valuable dissolving agents, capable of working on both hard and soft bodies. The text also treats common salt, sal ammoniac, sal nitre, and especially sal alkali as essential agents in alchemical operations. Sal ammoniac is described as containing “all the secrets of the wise,” while repeated dissolving and coagulating of salts is said to strengthen their efficacy.

The three principal mineral spirits are mercury, sulphur, and arsenic. Arsenic is divided into pale and red forms, with the pale sort favoured for dissolution and whitening, and the red for burning bodies. Sulphur is linked especially with gold-making, while arsenic is associated with silver. Mercury receives the most attention, since its volatility makes it difficult to fix in fire; the treatise provides elaborate processes for washing, subliming, dissolving, and coagulating it into red or white forms.

The later sections discuss the nature and treatment of gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, and lead. Gold is described as the most balanced and pure metal, requiring fermentation rather than simple manufacture. Silver is seen as close to perfection but still burdened by residual moisture. Copper, tin, iron, and lead are treated as imperfect metals requiring purification, calcination, and repeated preparation. Although the text gives recipes for transmutation, it also insists that true transformation depends on proper species and ferment, not mere outward imitation. Overall, the work presents alchemy as both an experimental craft and a divinely grounded science of purification and perfection.

This German edition was printed in 1554. Now translated by Adam McLean.