Valentinus (English spelling) Basilius Valentinus

Japanese: ウァレンティヌス（英語表記）Basilius Valentinus

A semi-legendary monk who is said to have been active in Germany in the early 15th century. His birth and death years are unknown. He was famous as an alchemist and physician, and is said to have been the first to use antimony as a medicine. A large number of works on alchemy are attributed to him, but the authenticity of many of them is uncertain. These have titles such as "The Mysteries of the Microcosm and Macrocosm," "Azotus, or the Dawn of the Philosopher," "The Twelve Secret Keys of Alchemy," and "The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony," and all were published in the early 17th century. He can be said to be a person who stood at the intersection of alchemy with modern chemistry and medicine.

Valentinus

Gnostic religious philosopher who was born in Alexandria around the 2nd century and was active in Rome. Dates of birth and death unknown. Founded the Valentinian sect and had a great influence on early Christian theology. He taught that the entire universe has a hierarchical order consisting of an outflow of fullness (pleroma). The earth is merely the lowest level of the dark world, and that the Creator God is none other than the power of evil. He taught that the salvation of the soul is to escape from this world and return to fullness, and that this is possible only through spiritual awareness (gnosis).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

15世紀初頭にドイツで活躍したとされる半伝説的な修道僧。生没年不詳。錬金術師，医師として有名で，初めてアンチモンを医薬品として用いたと伝えられる。錬金術に関する膨大な著作が彼に帰されているが，真偽の定かでないものが多い。それらは《小宇宙と大宇宙の密儀》《アゾトまたは哲学者の曙》《錬金術の12の秘鍵》《アンチモンの凱旋戦車》などの表題を持ち，いずれも17世紀初めに刊行された。錬金術と近代化学･医学との接点に立つ人物と言えよう。

ウァレンティヌス【Valentinus】

2世紀ごろ，アレクサンドリアで生まれ，ローマで活躍したグノーシス主義の宗教哲学者。生没年不詳。ウァレンティヌス派を創立し，初期キリスト教神学に多大の影響を与えた。全宇宙は充実(プレロマplērōma)の流出からなる位階秩序をもっている。地上はその最下層の暗黒世界にすぎず，創造神は悪の力にほかならない。魂の救済とはこの世からのがれて再び充実の中へと帰ることであり，それは霊的認識(グノーシスgnōsis)によってのみ可能であると説く。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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