Spiritual alchemy: when did new readings appear?
Later spiritual interpretations deserve study in their own right. They cannot be assigned to ancient recipes and experiments without evidence.
What story does this book tell?
Spiritual Alchemy: From Jacob Boehme to Mary Anne Atwood identifies the figures and intellectual history considered by the study. The scope gives a boundary to the question. Oxford University Press ↗
Keep interpretation dated
A later spiritual reading of an alchemical image or process is historical evidence for that reading. It does not by itself establish what the earliest author intended. Oxford University Press ↗
Trace a particular reinterpretation
Compare a later commentary with its cited text. Record who made the comparison, when, and which features were changed or emphasized. Oxford University Press ↗