Les logoi spermatikoi et le concept de semence dans la minéralogie et la cosmogonie de Paracelse

What is it about?

Paracelsus's concept of seeds is an important contribution to Renaissance matter theories. Unlike the alchemical notion of metallic seeds, it has a strong Christian orientation, based on a particular interpretation of the biblical Creation story. It is in this cosmogonical aspect that Paraclesian seeds are more akin to the seminal reasons of Augustine to the "logoi spermatikoi" of the Stoics or Plotinus. The present study examines the Augustinian backgrounds of this Paracelsian concept and Marsilio Ficino's intermediary role in its genesis. 1. Introduction : la doctrine des logoi spermatikoi 2. Le principe séminal chez les Stoïciens, Plotin et Augustin 3. Le concept de semence dans la minéralogie de Paracelse 4. Les semences dans l’interprétation paracelsienne de la Genèse 5. Le rôle intermédiaire de Marsile Ficin 6. Conclusion

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