The Scope of Paracelsus Studies

Although Theophrastus of Hohenheim (1493/94-1541), called Paracelsus, belongs to the most well known figures of history, the scientific research regarding his
works is surprisingly neglected. They cover a vast range including medicine, natural philosophy, alchemy, astronomy, magic and theology. The scholarly focus of the last decades was rather on Paracelsus's influence on the development of the sciences than on the very origins: his life and works. This is drastically reflected by the fact, that a whole quarter of his numerous writings - mostly theological ones - have never found their way into print. The situation looks hardly better for the printed medical and philosophical writings. For the most part they lack a scientific edition coming with a critical apparatus and extensive explanations. The Zurich Paracelsus Project and the New Paracelsus Edition were founded to give an impetus to meet these pending problems.

Research Objectives

• Promotion of studies regarding the works of Paracelsus
• Scientific edition of the still unprinted theological works within the
  New Paracelsus Edition
• Commented re-edition of selected medical, prophetic and magical works
• Compilation of a general index of Paracelsus's complete works
• Preparation of a Paracelsus Dictionary as a reference source for reading Paracelsus