Is Alchemy Satanic? How the Inquisition Tried to Destroy the Hermetic Science
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- In 1396 the Inquisitor General Nicholas Eymerich lashed out against Alchemy. He argued that alchemy was a fool's errand because the transmutation of metals was impossible given how God had created nature. Thus, alchemists were at best frauds but at worst something profoundly sinful: heretics who would eventually forge pacts with Satan. In this episode I explore the most forceful attempt by the Inquisition to outlaw alchemy and condemn the alchemists to torture and being burned alive.
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Newman - Promethean Ambitions: Alchemy and the Quest to Perfect Nature - amzn.to/3W6W8PJ
Nicholas Eymerich, Two Treatises Against Astrologers, Nigromancers and Alchemists / Contra astrologos imperitos atque contra nigromanticos de occultis perperam iudicantes & Contra alchimistas (éd. Sylvain Matton) - www.fabula.org...
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Maybe the real buried treasure was the demons we summoned along the way
@@joan_p this is the greatest comment so far tbh
😂
😂
😂😂😂
@@joan_p summoned a genuine smile from me 😈
Alchemy is a good example of how being wrong doesn’t mean you were being stupid. I studied chemistry in college and graduated school and usually you get the hits of alchemy in the “History of Chemistry” and while they didn’t have the tools or knowledge to know what was going on with matter, it’s pretty clear they were trying to engage with the actual natural world the best they could for practical effect and the conversion of say, lead to gold, isn’t on its face impossible if you don’t know about atoms.
You very much have to be wrong a great number of times before you start being even a little bit right!
I taught general chemistry at the college level; right as I was leaving, I thought about pursuing history of science and having a student like you would have been a motivating factor.
Another faculty argued (I say this as professionally as possible: she is being practical) that the only way to measure a student’s success was having successive faculty’s commendation; i.e. gen chem 2 prof did a good job because orgo 1 chem prof says so, inorganic 1 commends orgo 2, phys chem thanks cal 2, analytical and inorganic 1, etc. I used to think that having a student come back after exploring their field and succeeding in producing good labor. Now I think your philosophy is a good indicator too. The ability to value the progress of science because of and not in spite of its errors, also influenced by the unconscious and imagination/other people.
💔💝💖
You speak as if the current academic understanding of how our world operates will not drastically change in 200 years and yet still be applicable in our lives.
They most likely got tangible results from their methods of alchemy just like we get results our chemistry.
@@CremeForce yep. Seems like somebody is messing with us, in this respect.
No transmutation of metals until you discover nuclear physics and build a particle accelerator!
😂
@@foxyfoxington2651 can transmute unstable elements with time. That's what half lives are all about.
Interesting point.
Hmm, my reply is missing. Anyhow I noted that heavy unstable isotopes will still decay down in the direction of iron and thus you can use simple half-life to transmute metals over time. In fact this magic transmutation over time is what the term half-life encompasses.
@elinope4745 But that half-life is a feature of the original metals as created by God, so -- as Emmerich notes, QED -- we humans aren't transmuting anything.
Sticks to Snakes is a 4th level Cleric spell (or 5th level Druid). So Moses either had a scroll or he was like 8th level.
Part water would be the comparison point, no?
Lol
@@dantherpghero2885 I believe he was using a scroll of bifurcated dowel, if I'm not mistaken.
What a noob lol
*hide in shadows*
(see: Character With Two Classes)
Not to mention he used a high level control water spell also cloud kill
Flame strike and miracle no he had to be at least 17th level
I won what would all of those people think about the fact we can now create real diamonds in labs
Or we can order swimming pools on temu
Or, that '2 girls, 1 cup' would be entertaining to the masses.
Salute
@@BangChief_AllIsOneSi, claro -- UA-cam transmutes folly into joy, attention into power, and clicks into gold.
FreakBob
😂
Actually, that's a pretty good moral compass for any age. You analise someone's positions and ask yourself: were this person to find themself in the late Middle Ages, would they side with the Inquisition? If they would, you can't expect them... to be reasonable in most regards.
Counterpoint, just for fun: When the inquisition says "Look, people will do anything for money. Alchemy convinces them they can get free money in unlimited quantities, and they will do literally anything when they're told they can have unlimited money in return. So alchemy is probably going to convince people to do bad things hoping for unlimited money." .... Is that incorrect? Who doesn't want an easy life with untold riches that lets them do whatever they want at any given time?
The whole 'heresy' angle was definitely a load of crap, of course... buuut he wasn't wrong about the greed in people.
To be clear, definitely not siding with the inquisition overall, it should never have existed in any form as spirituality is a personal experience up to the individual to decide, but as the saying goes - even a broken clock is right twice a day. 😆
There is this neat little thing here with how modern science obfuscates its relationship with the hermetic arts. One wonders if things like the systematic under appraisal of Agrippa or idiosyncratic choices by Betz in translating the PGM are echoes of this fear of god (or rather of the inquisition's temporal justice) the inquisition drilled into the forbears of Science.
(how did alchemists avoid becoming sorcerers? Rebrand! Drop the islamicate al' prefix & add the anglicized -ery the discipline name)
Edit: did perhaps the inquisition indeed succeed in driving all spiritual matters to its domain, leaving the science completely orientated to the material?
Modern scientists are not proud of their ancestors and never invite them round to dinner.
(apologies to Douglas Adams)
I try not to associate myself with Inquisitions or Crusades. It never seems to turn out well for people. lol
its quite the opposite. all domains pertrained to the church, the "lower keys" of alchemy and natural links of analogy, which include many fields of esotericism, and the higher keys, which pertrain to the mistery of Christ and divinization of man. after the rupture of protestantism and the rise of a secularized freemasonry, the lower keys were lost, and eventually became the modern sciences, yet the church still remains the sole means of salvation. eventually, many attempts would be made to create a secular theosis, which became the revolutionary movement as we know today, indeed increasingly anti-logos and with an affinity for anti-christian imagery...
the hard turn to materialism and the rejection of hermeticism is linked "genetically" with the triumph of Aristotelianism in the West, and in fact with the formation of national states. The Inquisition is not some kind of all-powerful organization or secret order. These are organs of supervision and punishment with different subordination (the famous Spanish Inquisition was subordinate to secular power). The influence of the Inquisition is insignificant compared to the influence of the Leviathan, disgusting and unnatural nation-states
Thanks! I get so much work done during my day installing commercial lockers and amazon mezzanines listening to your lectures.
I love this thumbnail so much. The dubious looking creature, the way the sun looks perplexed and mildly annoyed, the font... Beautiful...
Honestly you are one of the most brilliant thinkers and teachers of our time. Thank you 🙏🏼 so much ! Shalom
I'm not sure that's true, but I hope I'm effective at teaching my small share of the intellectual pie. Thanks for the kind words!
No doubt
@@TheEsotericaChannel Absolutely no doubt as others said before me:)
@@TheEsotericaChannel You’re definitely up there I can’t wait to see your growth as the years go on
Amen! Namaste! ✝️☯️☸️
Friendship is magic AND MAGIC IS HERESY!
21:00 There are still people who drink colloidal silver for their health. Do it enough and you'll look like a smurf.
You can also use it to make a female cannabis plant produce male flowers and pollen
Briefly worked for a dietary supplement retailer in early 2020 and people would buy colloidal silver _by the gallon_ to the point they caused the manufacturers themselves to go through shortages. Then there's "Willard's Water" which contains lignite... which is coal. The kind they burn in power plants. I hope some good psychologists have studied these people.
Just like any medicine, you can take to much.
@@businessofrhythm2315 Yup. Too bad there's no good evidence that there's any benefit.
@@Valdagast I don't think you took a second to look anything up. There are various studies. If your oh so 🤓, you would know that
This has got to be by far one of the most fascinating and well made UA-cam channels there is. I have learned so much from you.
I love the point that Aristotle said all elements appeared to be produced by geothermal processes, therefore we should be able to duplicate them. He had no way of knowing that stuff comes from stars.
You are putting out some absolute bangers lately Dr. Sledge! Keep up the good work sir. 👍👏
I was once charged with 'alchemical fraud', yet there was a loophole in the transmutation laws in our state...
You got me to read The sworn book, I love your content! Id like to hear more about the use of a homunculus in alchemy.
For research purposes, or asking for a fiend? 😈
This episode was so much fun. Your teaching style is the perfect balance between formal and informal. I always feel like we are sitting in your study enjoying a fascinating conversation over glass of fine spirts. Thank you for all your amazing work 😊
As a detailer / automotive restoration specialists I find the common solvents that dissolve everything but the container they're in unbelievably funny, side note all detailers are garage alchemist in disguise
And waste disposal are garbage alchemists
@alexNicoleWa I mean you're not wrong! 🤣🤣🤣
I discovered this channel yesterday morning when I was searching for information about Lilith. I am so glad that I found this channel and it has been on almost nonstop since then. Great information!! I will definitely be telling my friends and family about it 💜
You got a lot of catching up To do ! But don't overdo it, you'll get sick of it. 2 hours a week tops I'd say
“Demons know where lots of buried treasure is” sounds like an awesome start to a D&D adventure.
Alchemy was also a technology and not just a spiritual act. Thought that someone outside noble cast could produce unlimited wealth by themselves and crash the status of the gold reserves must have been apocalyptic scenario to every feudal ruler. Even worse than peasant revolts because it could break feudal system. Of course, many kings had their own alchemists in their court among holy men.
Eternal blessings for all the amazing content you have been producing for years, it's crazy how far you've come over all this time and is much deserved! As a long time follower again thank you for your contributions to this world.
One of my favourite channels
Nicholas and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad inquisitorial textbook.
Threw me for loop with the Down album cover for the thumbnail. Woke up extremely hungover in Spain with that tattooed on my bicep a few years ago.
😂😂😂
Reading grimoires has made me wonder about why I so seldom think about buried treasure. It is like quicksand. We just no longer think about it
@@babykraken1 perhaps we've dug it all up already, and we're not burying more treasure
Hey thanks (DOC)- for all the videos ya put out and share with the rest of us!
We are very much appreciate all the hard work thats involved😊❤
My wife wanted me to mention that some time ago (we can't remember where or when), a laboratory actually transmuted lead into gold. It was EXTREMELY expensive, requiring highly advanced equipment (cyclotrons, if I recall correctly) consuming gargantuan amounts of energy to transmute tiiiiiiny amounts of lead into gold. The value of the amount gold produced was dwarfed by the costs of the process. Were demons involved? Not unless you think quantum mechanics is an arcane art inspired by demons!
I expected to see references to Monty Python in the comments, but a quick scan doesn't seem to reveal any. But that episode has almost become trite, so I'll reference "The History of the World, Part 1". Even at 98 years of age, Mel Brooks is still kickin' it!
“Alchemy is fake and will make you worship Satan, who is totally real!”
Weird .. Satanism was my gateway drug to alchemy... Must have been reading my grimmoire backwards
I discovered, bought, and read Kingdom of Stargazers thanks to one of your previous videos. Excellent book and available for a decent price on Amazon rather than having to mortgage my soul to the Publisher Who Shall Not Be Named that may or not start with the letter B.
Also a pretty quick read, only a couple hundred pages. I've actually read it twice since I first bought it
I literally just whooped when I saw a new video, you've been such a bright spot in my world lately. Thanks for everything.
Thank you looking forward to the next parts of your Agrippa series
Dear Dr, I’ve had this question for a while now, this last December I was interested in acquiring one of the rare books that were available for sale from your store but by the time I found out this information you had sold them already, this is where my question comes in. Is it necessary to store these rare antique books within a specific special environment, at certain temperatures and levels of humidity? Something like where you store special costly tobacco? I imagine it is necessary to do so in order to maintain the integrity and value of such items, I’d appreciate it if someone could answer me this question, thanks!!! Btw, excellent material and delivery ( explanation) !, as usual!😃👍❤️
Basically as long as you're comfortable the books are safe so basically any house with a modern HVAC system
I love your deal with the youtube demons, provide transmutational content for ad penny's! Another amazing video, fascinating stuff as usual
Thanks
This reminds me of the Mr Mythos episode of treasure hunting with demons.
Great episode! True!!!!👍❤️
I love how after all this debate, transmutation of elements is just a normal part of everyday life now
Sledge? As in sledgehammer? That's metal...
Because he’s a master of transmutation
Wonderful deep dive with my Sunday afternoon coffee☕️❤Thanks for your dedication.
When you can’t tell the difference between history and Warhammer 40K lore, you’re probably hearing about the Inquisition.
I would argue that our modern conception of magic in fantasy is far from what the inquisitors thought it was. It's not about commanding spirits. Heck, summoning demons isn't even considered necromancy any more, but rather necromancy is reserved for things like raising up legions of the undead. Modern fictional magic is more about throwing fireballs than about making demons find you buried treasure.
Great video man I'm glad you make this available for us to contemplate..
Great stuff. Great episode!
I love your videos so much! Thanks for all your hard work! So educational
Thank you for the great videos! Just wondering: have you ever studied/read the Voynich Manuscript?
Got a whole video on it
I absolutely love channel. Though I do find it difficult to explain why I'm giggling or straight up laughing out loud.I have found it difficult to explain why and how you are hilarious. But either way I thoroughly thoroughly enjoy your content and I love your March so thank you skol, brother
Thnaks as always! Very interesting stuff! I'd love to explore that agricultural aspect more... Lot of stuff along the lines of what I'm doing that ties in in weird ways. cheers!
"so here we are the link of alchemy to heresy had something to do with demons and treasure --why else would we even have this channel."
That is the quote of the day. Love it. 😅
My dear man, best channel on the app!
Could you name any scholars after thomas aquinas (but before 1490 and not italian) who wrote on fixism (and preferably agreed with it)?
Okay, I just understood where the Crystal Heaven and Fixed Stars from the Divine Comedy came from.
Amazing content as always, maybe King Arthur or Merlin next, your a master! Love your work!
Super good video thank you,have a wonderful weekend.
I love your subtle humor 😅
I'm a sociologist which means i've come upon a lot of 20th century phiosophers and thinkers. And it always strikes me how similar some of the more esoteric authors are to actual esotericism.
In this specific instance your explanation of the stance against alchemy, the inability to actually transmute sparks in my mind Adorno. His concept of mimesis and societal progress through natural domination seems like he might have read something akin to that text and had some disagreements. (I personally hate adorno)
“Alchemy is a gateway to diabolism” is the best Eymerich could come up with? No wonder it fell flat!
I think the biggest take out of all of this is that Fullmetal Alchemist got everything right about the source material and that's why it's the best anime of all time.
Not the best, but it's good. The manga is better...
Miyazaki, Hisoda, Satoshi Kon
The anime trinity.
BRB. I was something else but had to playlist this before it got lost.
Excellent vids!! 👍
Could you do an episode on St. Cyprian of Antioch?
Thanks for sharing this !
7:00
that "h" with a cross symbol at the top left was in the Castlevania show 😏👉
History angers me. It's amazing how some of our ancestral lines survived this far. Especially when I see some of this extremism in my own family of siblings, uncles or grandparents. I shudder as to how they would have seen me back then. So many subjective feelings of hate, envy and jealousy of others drove people to be so stupid and unkind to others.
Snaps 🫰 19:28
Excellent video, sir.
Great job as usual !
Your content is amazing.
A margarita on ice is alchemy too. 🍹
Diamonds can be created in a lab. There is no way to tell the difference between a lab-grown diamond (not the same as cubic zirconia) and a natural diamond, except on a molecular level. They are made from pure carbon atoms. There are also lab-grown gemstones of other kinds. Is that a modern form of alchemy? It is literally taking one mineral substance and creating another from it.
Wonderful as always!
My favorite part of this was learning that, up to a certain point, summoning demons was officially sinful but not heretical lol
"and turn them unto Satan....... but how?" ☠😹
This is probably a far stretch, but for research purposes could someone go through and correct the subtitles for names?
If not, a possible solution in the future would be showing the English spelling of some names.
Then again, perhaps that's the major hurdle for me to overcome; falling into the rabbit hole(s) and seeing where they take me.
As a chemist, I'm not a hundred percent sure I agree with your conclusion. While I wouldn't say it's sorcery or the dark arts or mysticism, there's still a fairly sharp line of superstition and mysticism involved with chemistry that distinguishes it from the earliest chemists. While maybe from some perspective there's a big leap between mysticism and sorcery, from a scientists perspective it's all largely the same.
Medieval theologians: Humans can mimic nature as closely as we are able, but to truly replace it would require knowing the mind of God, which is of course impossible.
Chemists, 500 years later: Hey check out this diamond I made. I think I understand the mind of God now.
Never thought I would hear literal stem cell theory applied to metals, let alone 600 years before the actual thing 😅
I'd love to see you on nebula
Having grown up and watched the transmutation of metal through the late '70s, '80s and '90s. I can honestly say this practice of alchemy doesn't always have good results. With bands like cannibal corpse and corpse grinder I can see how the Inquisition had its work cut out for it. I know this statement might be heretical to some but it honestly proves my point. Thrash metal is still the holiest. My proof: testament.
And yet to this day science is demonized by the religious extremes. Thank you for a other wonderful lecture!
@waaurufu so true. It’s sometimes hard to discuss with straight believers who wouldn’t accept that we have already a lot of scientifically verified explanations to previously christian(or Muslim)”mystères of the world we live in”. “World mysteries” that nowadays,have become just absolutely scientifically predictive basic facts. But still,some people don’t want the objectively demonstrated answers;and always pretend their god’s will is the reason to everything happening on earth,like the destin,etc.
I mean to be fair, you can't turn lead into gold
@Space-DolphinPosadist It is scientifically proven that the vax is experimental bs. That the dogmatic scientific community thinks otherwise is something else.
It was a stroke of luck that the Septuagint and Greek scholarship had taken a back seat to translated latin work. After all, what was translated to sorcery was often by current sources, pharmekia, which was directly medicine and such, tho the hebrew would have argued that a malevolent purpose would be part as well, if I have it right. Not saying I do, as I haven't read into it in a while and could be misremembering the hebrew used. I do know that some translations that became english sorcery did come from greek pharmekia, which if considered more direct, could make an argument that would be a form of alchemy, as it was often so. But language hoping in your doctrine bears that issue.
W's in chat boys and girls, Emrich got owned, alchemy is still kickin'
L + Bad argument + get fired + zealot keeps raving
I really liked this one; gold is best left 👌 untouched
If only they knew and understood radioactive decay
The raw power of suspension of disbelief, I'm no better, still...
Alchemy is, it operates in the bounds of awareness.
I wonder how much of the argument falling flat just came down to too many people liking alchemy? People like it today even though it's a bunch of outmoded nonsense. The gambler's fallacy in play back then must have been unreal. "Just one more distillation bro. Just one more."
Ask and you shall receive.-The Library Angel
I do not care for the term 'pipeline' - I much prefer the phrase, 'Alchemy to Satanism waterslide.'
Oddly disappointed you didn't say they "just kept on alchemizing."
Dropping a little bit of last week's parsha in there!! Shabbat shalom¡!! Love the content as always
Are you referring to any specific inquisitions? Inquisitions weren't centralized and in many cases not fully run by the Catholic Church. But my knowledge is limited.
I wonder what a world today where chemists were all still practicing through some sort of faith
I wonder what the alchemists and the writers of medieval lapidary's would think of modern lab made gemstones?
That they are real gems simply made by art. I think only we fetishize the natural ones.
Friendship is magic and magic is heresy
The inquisition, let’s begin, the inquisition, look out sin.
"Rich" ... didn't see the "iron-y" lmao all thr puns
We all expected the Inquisition, Spanish or otherwise
when in doubt, it's always buried treasure baby hell yeah. life's goal is to survive childhood to find buried treasure by any means neccesary and then die at 45 as a rich old man
i WILL use demons and such in order to get a vision about buried treasure and no clergyman will stop me from this
the children yearn for buried treasure