Brief an einen Gelehrten
Printing History, Manuscripts. The letter is found in a single manuscript volume of authentic theological writings of Paracelsus, dated 1597. The copyist of the volume, Karl Widemann, obtained the letter from Lorenz Dehn or Thenn (1522– 1599), a Paracelsist and goldsmith at Augsburg.
Editions. First published by Sudhoff in 1899. Not edited by Huser, or in the Sämtliche Werke by Sudhoff or Goldammer. Identified and critically edited by Kühlmann and Telle in CP 3 (2013), 300–322, n° 108.
Relationship between different versions. The author of the letter was not Paracelsus but Sebastian Franck, as discovered by Kühlmann and Telle. The original letter (1531) was written in Latin and addressed to Johannes Campanus (ca. 1500–after 1574), an antrinitarian and anabaptist. While only the first part of the original letter survived in a Vienna manuscript, a German translation of the full text was printed in 1563, not addressed to Campanus, but to “N.” The anonymous Paracelsist who copied it and ascribed it to Paracelsus took up about the first sixth of this printed letter. The heading was changed from “Sebastian Franck von Wörd/ an einen Gelehrten” to “Theophrastj Paracelsj vonn hohenhaimb Schreiben ahn einen glertten”. Apart from this, the Pseudo-Paracelsian letter is an almost word-by-word copy of the printed text with only a few different words on the last two pages.
Time of writing. Written in 1531 by Sebastian Franck. Attributed to Paracelsus probably in the mid-1590s.
Manuscripts:
- Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek: Cod. Guelf. 28.4 Aug. 4°, f. 96v–98v
First printed:
- 1563 (in: Von dem Kindertauff/ Bestendiger vnd klarer Gegenbericht/ […] Item zween Sendbrieff Sebstiani Francken, n.p. 1563; VD16 E 4697; not in Sudhoff, Bibliographia Paracelsica) [not attributed to Paracelsus, but to the actual author, Sebastian Franck]
