Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom (1609) - Page 10

A mirror-inverted engraving shows the "Invisible Mountain of the Magi" from Heinrich Khunrath's "Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom." On the left side, a steep, craggy mountain features a long block of Latin text inscribed directly onto its face. Winding paths lead up the slopes, labeled in reverse with words such as "PRAYER" and "WORK." Small figures climb the mountain at various stages. At the base, a group of people in seventeenth-century clothing stand together. Some point toward the peak. The background shows a wide valley with a settlement, a church spire, and distant mountains. A large, gnarled tree sits in the foreground on the right. The entire composition is reversed because of the printing process.

The following text is inscribed on the face of the mountain. It serves as a warning to the unworthy and an encouragement to the persistent seeker. BE GONE FROM HERE YOU UNINITIATED I HAVE HATED AND I KEEP AWAY original: "PRO CUL ESTO HINC PROFANI / ODIVI ET ARCEO." This is a traditional warning found in classical literature, such as Virgil and Horace. It warns that sacred mysteries are not for the common or spiritually unprepared person. ... THUS IS THIS FORTRESS AND WATCHTOWER OF ETERNAL WISDOM; TO WHICH, BARELY ONE IN A THOUSAND SHALL ARRIVE. ... NOT FOR ALL ARE THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE IN THIS AMPHITHEATER OF ETERNAL WISDOM ... TO EMBRACE WITH YOUR HEART SOUL AND MIND

A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL ADMONITION CONCERNING THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS TO BE PERFORMED IN THIS AMPHITHEATER OF ETERNAL WISDOM, OF THE ONLY TRUE CHRISTIAN-KABBALISTIC,

Christian Kabbalah is a tradition that uses Jewish mystical methods to interpret Christian scripture and theology.

DIVINE-MAGICAL, AS WELL AS PHYSICO-CHEMICAL, THRICE-BLESSED:

Divine-Magical refers to spiritual operations performed with God's aid. Physico-Chemical refers to the study of nature and alchemy.

BY HEINRICH KHUNRATH OF LEIPZIG, LOVER OF THEOSOPHY AND DOCTOR OF MEDICINE.

Theosophy here means "divine wisdom," or knowledge of God through nature and spiritual experience.