Zosimos and Theosebeia: An Erotics of Alchemical Pedagogy

This paper fleshes out the relationship of the third-century alchemist Zosimos of Panopolis and his colleague, Theosebeia, which was later dramatized in the Book of Pictures, an illustrated Arabic manuscript (thirteenth century) that depicts the couple crowned with the sun and moon, representing var...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gnosis
Main Author: Grimes, Shannon 19XX- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill 2022
In: Gnosis
Further subjects:B Theosebeia
B Alchemy
B Book of Pictures
B Muṣḥaf aṣ-ṣuwar
B Zosimos of Panopolis
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This paper fleshes out the relationship of the third-century alchemist Zosimos of Panopolis and his colleague, Theosebeia, which was later dramatized in the Book of Pictures, an illustrated Arabic manuscript (thirteenth century) that depicts the couple crowned with the sun and moon, representing various alchemical processes. Their relationship provides an important window into the historical development of erotic themes in alchemical literature. I argue that there is an erotics of pedagogy at work in this text, rooted in alchemical allegories of the fusion of male and female substances and Islamic notions of the initiatory relationship between teacher and student.
ISSN:2451-859X
Contains:Enthalten in: Gnosis
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/2451859X-00701001