The Little Golden Olympic Treasury

[God] created [him]; and not from common red clay, as many wish to insist upon according to the literal word.

One might, however, reproach me here and say: it is not untrue that the human body is the most magnificent substance among all other creatures; nonetheless, it was at first only common clay, and it would have been possible for God to create a magnificent body out of humble earth, since he created the entire world out of nothing. To this I answer: Because of God’s omnipotence, I must confess that it would certainly have been possible for God to create a magnificent body out of common earth. However, because God created all things—in short, the whole of nature—according to the wisest philosophical order The author argues that God works through the laws of nature and "spiritual chemistry" rather than through random, chaotic miracles., and not confusedly against the order of nature; and as He still daily maintains nature in its right order and acts as a creator and multiplier through it until the end of the world—acting according to nature and not against nature—it is at least probable that in the creation of man or his Body original: "Corporis", God did not act against nature by making that noble body out of the coarsest element of the earth.

I grant that the form and appearance of the matter of the Limbus The "Limbus" is an alchemical term for the "edge" or "border" matter—the refined extract of all elements used to build the human form. looked like an earth; but for all that, it was not common earth. Instead, the most subtle essence of the entire Cosmic Machine original: "Machinæ mundi" was brought together into one Body original: "Corpus", which looked similar to the soil of the earth.

For the earth is a mother of all elements; therefore she can be impregnated by all the others. It follows necessarily from this that her birth was then the Microcosm original: "Microcosmus," the "little world" or man as a reflection of the universe., or a new little world that went forth, as a Practical Philosopher original: "Philosophus practicalis," likely referring to an alchemist or natural philosopher who learns through experiment. proves when he says: Earth is the mother of the elements, which proceed from the earth and return to the earth. original Latin: "Terra est mater elementorum, quę de terra procedunt, & ad terram reuertuntur." Also: After separation and impregnation, it shall ascend into heaven and return to its earth, and shall possess the power of both higher and lower things. original Latin: "Post separationem & imprægnationem ascendet in cœlum, & reuertetur in terram suam, & habebit vim superiorum & inferiorum." This is a famous passage from the Emerald Tablet, a foundational text of alchemy.

In short, God created all things according to the right order of nature and nothing against nature, with the exception of the First Matter original: "Prima M." or Prima Materia, the chaotic, formless substance that existed before the world was shaped. from which everything was thereafter created. That same matter was made out of nothing, which is why it is also called the Abyss original: "Abyssus", that is, the Womb of the World original: "Matrix mundi", or the Water from which everything was subsequently created; that same substance was created or made out of nothing.

If God had wished to create something against nature from this material—or the Water over which the Spirit of God hovered—He would not have required six days to do so, nor would He have separated one thing after another according to the precise order of nature. Instead, He could easily have created all creatures in a single moment outside of the Water. But God did not want to make spirits, but rather natural creatures. Therefore, He first took the "casing" The "Kasten" or box refers to the physical frame or container of the material world. before Him...