Pseudo-Geber

persons3 Pseudo-Geber ("false Geber ") is the name assigned by modern scholars to an anonymous alchemist born in the 13th century, sometimes identified with Paul of Taranto a southern italian monk, who is believed to have written a few books on alchemy and metallurgy , in Latin , under the pen name of "Geber", the Latinised version of Jābir ibn Hayyān , the 8th century Islamic alchemist . Pseudepigraphy is very common in alchemical writing. Many works were ascribed to Aristotle and other Greeks (and also Egyptians ) by the early Persian and Arabian alchemists. This trend continues through the entire history of alchemy . Books from the Arabic corpus of Jābir had been translated into Latin during the 11th to 13th centuries, and had made a profound impression on European alchemists. Pseudo-Geber probably adopted the name of his illustrious predecessor in order to capitalize on his reputation. Pseudo-Geber's work also reflects 14th century European alchemical practices based on earlier Arabic ones. Instruments and Experimentation in the History of Chemistry . Openness, secrecy, authorship: technical arts and the culture of knowledge from antiquity to the Renaissance .

Geberi philosophi ac alchimistae maximi de alchimia libri tres , 1531, Chemical Heritage Foundation Geberis philosophi perspicacissimi, summa perfectionis magisterii , 1542 Pseudo-Geber ("false Geber ") is the name assigned by modern scholars to an anonymous European alchemist born in the 13th century (sometimes identified with Paul of Taranto ), who wrote books on alchemy and metallurgy , in Latin, under the pen name of "Geber". "Geber" is the shortened and Latinised form of the name Jābir ibn Hayyān , a ninth century Islamic alchemist . In Europe for many centuries from the 14th century onward it was assumed that "Geber" was identical with Jabir ibn Hayyan and that the books of "Geber" had been translated from Arabic. Arabic alchemy was held in high esteem by 13th century European alchemists. Pseudo-Geber adopted the name of his illustrious Arabic predecessor to attach more stature to his own work. The practice of adopting the name of an illustrious predecessor is called pseudepigraphy and it was not uncommon in the medieval era. Similarly, a wide variety of medieval writings were distributed with the illustrious Aristotle as the stated author , which were not written by the original authentic Aristotle . In the domain of alchemy and metallurgy in late medieval Europe, Pseudo-Geber's output was highly influential, arguably more influential than any other author.

Anonymous 13th century alchemist Geberi philosophi ac alchimistae maximi de alchimia libri tres , 1531, Science History Institute Geberis philosophi perspicacissimi, summa perfectionis magisterii , 1542 Pseudo-Geber (or "Latin Pseudo-Geber") refers to a corpus of Latin alchemical writing dated to the late 13th and early 14th centuries, attributed to Geber ( Jābir ibn Hayyān ), an early alchemist of the Islamic Golden Age . The most important work of the corpus is Summa perfectionis magisterii ("The Height of the Perfection of Mastery"), likely written slightly before 1310, whose actual author has sometimes been identified as Paul of Taranto . The work was influential in the domain of alchemy and metallurgy in late medieval Europe. The historicity of Jābir ibn Hayyān itself is in question, and most of the numerous Islamic works attributed to him are, themselves, pseudepigraphic. It is common practice of historians of alchemy to refer to the earlier body of Islamic alchemy texts as the Corpus Jabirianum or Jabirian Corpus, and to the later, 13th to 14th century Latin corpus as Pseudo-Geber or Latin Pseudo-Geber, a term introduced by Marcellin Berthelot . The "Pseudo-Geber problem" is the question of a possible relation between the two corpora. It is now mostly thought that at least parts of Latin Pseudo-Geber are based on earlier Islamic authors such as Al-Razi .

Anonymous 13th/14th century alchemist Geberi philosophi ac alchimistae maximi de alchimia libri tres , 1531, Science History Institute Geberis philosophi perspicacissimi, summa perfectionis magisterii , 1542 Pseudo-Geber (or " Latin pseudo-Geber") is the presumed author or group of authors responsible for a corpus of pseudepigraphic alchemical writings dating to the late 13th and early 14th centuries. These writings were falsely attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan (died c. 806– 816, latinized as Geber), an early alchemist of the Islamic Golden Age . The most important work of the Latin pseudo-Geber corpus is the Summa perfectionis magisterii ("The Height of the Perfection of Mastery"), which was likely written slightly before 1310. Its actual author has been tentatively identified as Paul of Taranto . The work was influential in the domain of alchemy and metallurgy in late medieval Europe. The work contains experimental demonstrations of the corpuscular nature of matter that were still being used by seventeenth-century chemists such as Daniel Sennert , who in turn influenced Robert Boyle . The work is among the first to describe nitric acid , aqua regia , and aqua fortis . The existence of Jabir ibn Hayyan as a historical figure is itself in question, and most of the numerous Arabic works attributed to him are, themselves, pseudepigrapha dating to c. 850–950. It is common practice among historians of alchemy to refer to the earlier body of Islamic alchemy texts as the Corpus Jabirianum or Jabirian Corpus, and to the later, 13th to 14th century Latin corpus as pseudo-Geber or Latin pseudo-Geber, a term introduced by Marcellin Berthelot . The "pseudo-Geber problem" is the question of a possible relation between the two corpora. It is now mostly thought that at least parts of the Latin pseudo-Geber works are based on earlier Islamic authors such as Abu Bakr al-Razi (c. 865–925). Newman's position is rejected by Al-Hassan 2009 (also online ), who argues that the work was translated from an Arabic original. This is the dating put forward by Kraus 1942–1943 , vol. Lory 2008 , also referring to Kraus 1942–1943.

Anonymous 13th/14th century alchemist Geberi philosophi ac alchimistae maximi de alchimia libri tres , 1531, Science History Institute Geberis philosophi perspicacissimi, summa perfectionis magisterii , 1542 Pseudo-Geber (or " Latin pseudo-Geber") is the presumed author or group of authors responsible for a corpus of pseudepigraphic alchemical writings dating to the late 13th and early 14th centuries. These writings were falsely attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan (died c. 806– 816, Latinized as Geber), an early alchemist of the Islamic Golden Age . The most important work of the Latin pseudo-Geber corpus is the Summa perfectionis magisterii ("The Height of the Perfection of Mastery"), which was likely written slightly before 1310. Its actual author has been tentatively identified as Paul of Taranto . The work was influential in the domain of alchemy and metallurgy in late medieval Europe. The work contains experimental demonstrations of the corpuscular nature of matter that were still being used by seventeenth-century chemists such as Daniel Sennert , who in turn influenced Robert Boyle . The work is among the first to describe nitric acid , aqua regia , and aqua fortis . The existence of Jabir ibn Hayyan as a historical figure is itself in question, and most of the numerous Arabic works attributed to him are, themselves, pseudepigrapha dating to c. 850–950. It is common practice among historians of alchemy to refer to the earlier body of Islamic alchemy texts as the Corpus Jabirianum or Jabirian Corpus, and to the later, 13th to 14th century Latin corpus as pseudo-Geber or Latin pseudo-Geber, a term introduced by Marcellin Berthelot . The "pseudo-Geber problem" is the question of a possible relation between the two corpora. It is now mostly thought that at least parts of the Latin pseudo-Geber works are based on earlier Islamic authors such as Abu Bakr al-Razi (c. 865–925). Newman's position is rejected by Al-Hassan 2009 (also online ), who argues that the work was translated from an Arabic original. This is the dating put forward by Kraus 1942–1943 , vol. Lory 2008 , also referring to Kraus 1942–1943.