The Sacrificial Body And the Day of Doom ― Alchemy And Apocalyptic Discourse in the Protestant Reformation

In eastern German cities associated with the Protestant reform during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, explains Szulakowska (art history, U. of Leeds), an intricate visual world of alchemical symbols appeared in the printed literature, inspired by the theosophy of Paracelsus and by pagan Hermetism and the Christian kabbalah. She contextualizes Paracelsian alchemy within the history of the German Reformation, particularly within the various disputes over the nature of the Eucharist and the accompanying terror of the Day of Judgment, which was believed to be imminent in the Last Times of the late 16th century. She includes 54 monochrome plates. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Urszula Szulakowska is a Lecturer in art-history at the University of Leeds. She has produced many publications on the history of alchemical illustration including The Alchemy of Light (Brill, 2000).