Preface.

...must be and is a miracle of the world original: "miraculum Mundi"; but much more so because God created him in His own image, which Moses, out of high emotion, repeats in Genesis original: "Genesi" and says: "In the image of God created He him." For these reasons, the dear, highly-enlightened, experienced, and Christian philosopher original: "Philosophus" Theophrastus Paracelsus wrote this work original: "Opus" from the true ground. He did not set his foundation upon the sand, but upon the right cornerstone, the Holy Spirit, who told us of the creation of the world and of Man through Moses in the Holy Scriptures. Without this, the philosopher must wander about in the darkness against the walls. Therefore, he must take from the theologian original: "Theologo" the first and true principle of "let it be done" original: "Principium fiat"; referring to God's creative command in Genesis, through which God created everything out of nothing; which Theophrastus then publicly confesses in this philosophy as a Christian.

But so that the lovers of Theophrastus may see at the very beginning what they shall have in this philosophy, I will briefly and most simply indicate its contents for the sake of the beginning disciples of Theophrastus.

Since there are four ways that are set before Man, and he is engaged in four ways, Man should know in which way he lives, acts, or wanders, so that he may recognize his own works. These four ways Theophrastus calls the four astronomies original: "Astronomias"; here meaning systems of knowledge or celestial influences: the first is of Nature; the second of God; the third of Faith; and the fourth of Satan. In the first three, Man should remain and constantly exercise himself. But the fourth way he should not walk, nor use, but only recognize it, so that he knows how [to guard]...