
Originally Posted by
zoas23
The Rosicrucian perspective is interesting. I won't waste time looking for the exact paragraphs because I am lazy today, but:
-Fama o Confessio explains that the Rosicrucians know how to heal ANY sickness, and yet they CAN'T extend their lives beyond the day that God has chosen for them to die and they can't even known WHEN they are going to die (they make an exception with C. Rosenkreuz, who knew WHEN he was going to die, but not how to "cheat death"). In short, they propose a healthy life, but explicitly say that it won't be longer than the life they would have had without alchemy (simply "free from the pain of the sicknesses"). They also give C.R. a relatively long life, 106 years... but not 350 years.
-The Speculum Sophicum Rhodostauroticum claims that the Ergon (Stone) will make the author "some day" go to Heaven... but he never says that he will live longer... he wants the Stone to cause a "redemption".
-Daniel Cramer in his 40 Emblems (later extended to 50) is VERY pessimistic about this world and proposes a Stone that also gives "redemption"... not a longer life (which he certainly does not want).
There are other examples, but I think it's interesting that they go so strong against the idea of extending the life (they are skeptic about it, besides from not wanting it).
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