WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:24.359 Something's going to happen. What's going to happen? What? On 2 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:27.600 the occult rejects, you only bring in figures who force 3 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.879 a rethink of the whole project, will make you question 4 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:35.399 where science ends and the sacred begins. Jabier Ibin Hayen 5 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:39.560 made the cut because he is that crossroads, an orphan 6 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:43.520 turned court physician, a disciple of Jaafar al Sadik, who 7 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:46.039 wrote like a philosopher and worked like a bench chemist. 8 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:50.240 In his hands, the Olympic wasn't just glassware. It was 9 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:55.399 a lens of creation. He stitched Greek reason to chite esotericism, 10 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:59.600 and he treated experiment as devotion, arguing that the world 11 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:03.840 is ruled by balance, number and hidden sympathies that the 12 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.840 patient mind can weigh. That is why he is on 13 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:12.959 the occult rejects. He embodies our core question, can occult 14 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:19.040 knowledge sharpen not blur the edge of science? Today we'll 15 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.359 walk his path from Yemen and Kufa to Obbosit Baghdad 16 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:27.000 into labs, humming with furnaces and quiet prayer. We'll crack 17 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.000 open the Great Book of the Mercy, the seventy and 18 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:33.319 the one hundred and twelve, the books on the seven medals, 19 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:38.000 then cross the threshold into Talismans specific properties, the veiled 20 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.400 Book of the King and the shadowed rumor of a 21 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:45.120 book of black magic. We'll watch mineral acids bite metal, 22 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.280 trace why the number seventeen mattered in his science of balance, 23 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:53.400 and follow his ideas as they jump languages, from Arabic 24 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:57.480 manuscripts to the Latin Gerber who shapened European labs. If 25 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:00.000 you ever wondered whether the philosopher's stone was a metaphor 26 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:05.680 for a method or both, this is your episode. Jabir 27 00:02:05.799 --> 00:02:12.199 ibin Hayen Arabic often Latinized as Gerber geb r was 28 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:16.479 an eighth century polymath renowned as the father of early chemistry. 29 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:23.639 A deeply learned alchemist, pharmacist, astronomer, philosopher, and physician, Jabir 30 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:26.520 lived in the cradle of the Islamic Golden Age and 31 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:31.560 pioneered the experimental scientific method well before the modern era. 32 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:36.560 Traditionally described as either Arab or Persian in origin, he 33 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:41.400 grew up amid political turmoil and spiritual unrest. His legacy 34 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:45.639 includes hundreds of writings on alchemy, mysticism, and science. The 35 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:50.719 Tiberian Corpus, which influenced both the islomic world and medieval Europe. 36 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:54.879 Jabier's life and work or for a vivid window into 37 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.439 the world of eighth century science, where mystical philosophy and 38 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:03.240 laboratory experiment when in hand. Jabir was born around seven 39 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:06.960 to twenty one CE in the town of tuss And Khurasan, 40 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:12.840 northeastern Persia and modern Iran. His father, Hyen al Asdi, 41 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:15.639 was a pharmacist by trade and a member of the 42 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:19.039 arab As tribe who had emigrated from Yemen to Kufa 43 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:24.960 in Iraq during Umayad times, Hayad became involved in the 44 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:28.840 revolutionary politics of the age. He supported the Abbosit revolt 45 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:32.439 against the ruling Umayad Khalafate in the years leading up 46 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:35.479 to the Abbasid's victory, which occurred in seven p fifty SE. 47 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.280 Hayan was sent east to Kurisan to muster support for 48 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:44.680 the cause. This risky mission ultimately questomed his life. He 49 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:48.800 was discovered by Umayad authorities and executed around seven twenty 50 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:53.599 five SE when Jabir was only a young child. With 51 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.520 his father martyred for the Abbasid cause, Jabir's family fled 52 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.639 for safety. According to a counts preserved by later writers, 53 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:04.840 His mother took him back to Yemen, their ancestral land, 54 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:09.000 after Hayan's death. In Yemen, the boy Jabir grew up 55 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:13.520 in the guardianship of Harabi Alhemyare, a notable local scholar. 56 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:19.439 Under Harabi's tutelage, Jabir studied the Quran, Arabic literature, mathematics, 57 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:25.000 and perhaps the rudiments of natural sciences. This early education 58 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.920 grounded him in the Islamic faith and the classical knowledge 59 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:31.360 of the time. We can imagine the young Jabir in 60 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:34.959 the lush highlands of Yemen, learning geometry and scripture by 61 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:37.639 day and hearing tales of far off lands and hidden 62 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:41.959 wisdom by night. These formative years gave him a thirst 63 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.759 for knowledge and likely acquainted him with the ancient South 64 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.680 Arabian tradition of alchemy in astrology, for Yemen had old 65 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:54.079 connections to esoteric arts. When the Obbosite dynasty finally overthrew 66 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:58.600 the Umayads in seven fifty se the political climate changed dramatically. 67 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:02.720 The new Abish rulers were more sympathetic to Shiaite Muslims 68 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:06.680 and to learned men like Jabeir's father. With the threat 69 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:10.000 from the Umayads gone, Jabir now a young man, traveled 70 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:13.120 to Iraq, the heart of the Abbasad realm, to pursue 71 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:17.279 his fortunes. He settled in Kufah, a city that was 72 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:20.680 the center of Islamic scholarship. Kufah at this time was 73 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.920 bustling with scholars of theology, philosophy, and science. It was 74 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:29.040 here that Jabir's life would truly take shape. In Kufa, 75 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:33.120 Jabir sort out the finest teachers of the age. He 76 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:37.000 himself later named his teachers in his writings, allowing us 77 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.160 to identify some of them. One was an enimatic stage 78 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:45.600 known only as Urhun Alhemar al Mantiki Donkey's Ear, the logician, 79 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:48.879 perhaps a nickname, who said to be a student of 80 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:54.920 Marinus of Neapolis, a Neoplatonic philosopher. Through such intermediaries, Jabir 81 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.160 may have absorbed elements of Greek philosophy and Hermetic lore, 82 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:04.560 including Pythagorean and Platonic ideas that would surface in his work. However, 83 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:08.240 by far the most influential mentor in Jabir's life was 84 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:12.600 the Imam Ja'afar al Sadik. Jaffar was a great grand 85 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:16.959 set of Prophet Muhammad and the sixth Shi'ite Imam, renowned 86 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:21.759 for his deep knowledge in religious and worldly sciences. Jabir 87 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:24.920 likely met Jafar in the early seven sixties in Kufa, 88 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.800 where the Imam spent some time. Kufa was a stronghold 89 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:33.160 of the Imam's followers. In Jabir's writings, he reverently calls 90 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:37.959 Ja'afar my master and the source of wisdom, crediting him 91 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:42.120 as the original source of all the knowledge he expounds. Indeed, 92 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:46.920 Jabir's entire intellectual system is often presented as esoteric teachings 93 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:50.879 from Imam Jafar, conveyed through an unbroken chain of transmission. 94 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:56.519 Under Jafar's guidance, Jabir delved into religious philosophy, alchemy, and 95 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:01.079 the natural sciences, gaining a unique blend of spiritual scientific training. 96 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:05.680 This apprenticeship not only honed Jabir's intellect, but also rooted 97 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:09.480 him in Shiite Islamic thought, a key to understanding his 98 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:15.720 later writings. Jabir's educational journey likely also included study of medicine. 99 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:18.800 Some accounts say he went to the city of Medina 100 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:23.199 at one point, perhaps accompanying Imam Ja'afar, and there learned 101 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:26.800 medicine and pharmacy. A logical path, given his father's profession 102 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:31.680 and his own later expertise in medicinal chemistry. Another tradition 103 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:36.160 claims Jabir briefly studied with the Umayad prince Khalaid ibin 104 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:39.839 Yazid sound familiar, who is reputed to be an alchemy 105 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:44.160 enthusiast a generation earlier. Regardless, by the time he was 106 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:48.480 an adult, Jabir ibin Hayen had acquired a formidable education 107 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:52.879 for his era. He was well versed in Islamic theology, philosophy, languages, 108 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:56.920 natural science, and alchemical lore, both Islamic and pre Islamic. 109 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:01.920 Around the year seven fifty five, Tabir would have been 110 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:05.000 in his mid thirties, ready to contribute to the Opposid 111 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:09.720 intellectual renaissance. The Obbosids had shifted the empire's capital from 112 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:13.879 Damascus to Baghdad, founded in seven sixty two, and although 113 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:16.839 Kufa was close enough to benefit from Baghdad's rise, the 114 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:21.399 real opportunities lay in the capital. Tabir's talent soon caught 115 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:25.120 the attention of the opposite court. He began practicing as 116 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:28.560 a physician in Kufa, treating the sick and perhaps preparing medicines, 117 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:32.720 which gave him practical experience with chemicals and herbs, his 118 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.919 reputation grew and he gained a powerful patron in the 119 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.919 form of the Barbacid family. The Barbacans were a wealthy 120 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.039 Persian descended clan who served as Grand Vizier's chief minister 121 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:46.960 to the Caliph and were famous patrons of the sciences. 122 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:52.200 Sometime in the seven seventies, he moved his base to Baghdad, 123 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:55.320 the glittering city of Peace, to work more closely with 124 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:59.440 the court. There, the Barbacands provided him with the resources 125 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.799 to conduct research. It said that Jabir had a well 126 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:05.519 equipped laboratory in which he could carry out experiments in 127 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:09.519 alchemy and chemistry. He also had access to the House 128 00:09:09.559 --> 00:09:12.720 of Wisdom and other libraries, where Greek and Syriac manuscripts 129 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:17.200 were being translated into Arabic at the Callous Behest. In fact, 130 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:21.440 later Lare claims that Caliph Hurran al Rashid commissioned the 131 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:25.559 translation of Greek scientific works at Shabir's suggestion to aid 132 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:30.240 in Jabir's research. While this cannot be verified, it underscores 133 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:35.200 Jabir's perceived importance at court. By seven to seventy six CE, 134 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:39.480 Jabir was reportedly already renowned enough in Kufa that historical 135 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:42.600 notes indicate he was engaged in alchemy there at the time. 136 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:47.639 This suggests that even before moving fully to Baghdad, Jabir 137 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:50.679 was conducting experiments and perhaps writing down some of his 138 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:55.159 early treaties. We might picture Jabir during this period as 139 00:09:55.159 --> 00:09:58.960 a dynamic figure, during the day serving as a court 140 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.320 physician and healer, maybe even treating the callous family or 141 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:06.120 the nobility, and by night retreating to his workshop to 142 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:10.120 heat and distill substances in pursuit of al chemical transformations. 143 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:14.480 He was one of the first to apply an experimental 144 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.360 methodical approach to these investigations, in contrast to the more 145 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:24.240 recipe and ritual based alchemy of predecessors. Jabier's life, however, 146 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.519 was not destined to remain in royal favor permanently. His 147 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:31.480 fortunes were tied to the Barbicans, and this family's fate 148 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:36.000 took a sharp turn in aight o three CE, Caliph 149 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:39.799 Haran fell prey to court intrigues and abruptly disgraced and 150 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:45.039 destroyed the Barbacans, an event that shocked the empire. The 151 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:49.279 Vizier Ja'afar al Barmaque was executed and his relatives imprisoned 152 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:55.399 or exiled. With his powerful patrons gone, Jabier's position became uncertain. 153 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.159 Sources indicate that he was placed under house arrest in 154 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:03.200 Kufa around the Sad time. The reasons are not entirely clear. 155 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:07.440 Possibly the callous officials feared that Jabir, with his esoteric 156 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:12.279 knowledge and Barbacut connection, could be dangerous or disloyal. It 157 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:16.080 is testament to Jabir's stature that he wasn't executed outright 158 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:21.639 as some Barbacad associates were, but rather confined. Thus, in 159 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.720 his later years, Jabir lived in relatively obscurity back in Cufa, 160 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:31.799 reportedly under surveillance, yet seemingly still devoted to scholarship. Despite 161 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:35.360 these setbacks, Jabir continued writing and teaching until the end 162 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:39.840 of his life. He died in Kufa circa eight fifteen CE, 163 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:43.279 during the reign of Caliph al Mamun. He would have 164 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:47.399 been in his nineties, a remarkably long life for that epoch, 165 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:51.000 which adds a legendary ore to his story. By the 166 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:54.519 time of his death, Jabir ibin Hayen had already slipped 167 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:59.960 partly into the realm of legend. Interestingly, no contemporary biography 168 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:03.639 of Jabir were written while he lived. The first biographical 169 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:07.039 notes about him appear in the tenth century, well after 170 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:11.559 his death. This has led some historians, both medieval and modern, 171 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:16.240 to question aspects of his life. Nonetheless, the hundreds of 172 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:20.080 treaties bearing his name began to circulate widely, ensuring that 173 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:25.279 Jaber the Schala would be remembered for centuries. Medieval bibliographers 174 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:28.960 like Abin al Nadim cataloged Jabier's work and noted the 175 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:32.960 astonishing range of subjects they covered. A few skeptics in 176 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:36.960 the tenth century even whispered that Jabier might never have existed, 177 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:41.559 that the name was a pseudonym, but Ibin al Nadim 178 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:45.360 and others rejected this, insisting that such a scholar did 179 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:50.080 walk the earth. Indeed, Jabir's contemporaries may have overlooked him, 180 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:55.080 but history would not. Whether penn by one man or 181 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:58.360 compiled by a school of followers, the writings attributed to 182 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:03.679 Jabir formed the most desensive alchemical literature of the Islamic world. 183 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:07.799 In later Islamic references, Jabir was said to have authored 184 00:13:08.039 --> 00:13:12.600 hundreds of books, by one count over three thousand treatises, 185 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.960 while modern scholars doubt that one individual could have written 186 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.799 so many. About two hundred and fifteen works still survive 187 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:25.519 under Jabir's name, indicating a massive corpus, even in distilled form. 188 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:32.039 These works, often called the Jiberian Corpus, cover not only 189 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:37.879 alchemy and chemistry, but also magic, astrology, medicine, philosophy, and 190 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:42.759 even grammar. It is as if Jabir aimed to encapsulate 191 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:46.559 all knowledge of his time within a grand encyclopedia of 192 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:52.360 esoteric wisdom. Within the corpus, several major collections of texts 193 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:55.679 can be distinguished, each with its own focus and flavor. 194 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.960 Here we will cover some of Jabir's most important works 195 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:03.200 and collections with the brief overview of their content. The 196 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:06.720 Great Book of Mercy. This was considered by the scholar 197 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:10.039 Paul Krauss to be the oldest work in Jabiir's corpus. 198 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:16.279 It is a comprehensive alchemical manual and perhaps Jabiir's foundational text. 199 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.519 The title Book of Mercy reflects Jabier's stated motivation for 200 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:24.720 writing it. In the introduction, he expresses pity for those 201 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:28.360 alchemists who seek to make gold by fraudulent shortcuts or ignorance. 202 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:32.559 I've seen people giving themselves over to the search for 203 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:37.080 the art of transmuting gold and silver in ignorance. They 204 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:41.600 are of two classes, the deceivers and the deceived. I 205 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.879 am filled with the feelings of mercy and compassion for them, 206 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:48.080 because they waste their money which God has given them, 207 00:14:48.279 --> 00:14:51.200 and wary their bodies in a fruitless search, he writes. 208 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:56.720 Jabiir explains that out of rama compassion, he decided to 209 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:00.000 lay out the alchemical art clearly so the sincere seekers 210 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:05.639 would not be fooled by Charlatan's Fittingly, this work gives 211 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:11.159 relatively straightforward descriptions of materials and processes. It was significant 212 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:14.039 enough that the great chemist al Razi later wrote a 213 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:17.080 commentary on it, now lost, and it was one of 214 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:20.440 the Jiberian works translating into Latin in the thirteenth century. 215 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:25.120 That Katib al Rama thus stands as an early cornerstone 216 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:29.000 of Jabir's legacy, a text intended to guide and save 217 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:34.320 aspiring alchemists from folly. Then we have the one hundred 218 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:37.240 and twelve Books. This is a collection of one hundred 219 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.480 and twelve short treatises that function like chapters in a 220 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:45.159 large handbook. Each treatise deals with a different practical aspect 221 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:48.600 of alchemy, often framed as an explanation of the symbolic 222 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:53.320 riddles left by ancient sages. A prominent theme across these 223 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:56.600 is the use of organic materials in alchemy, plant and 224 00:15:56.679 --> 00:16:02.720 animal substances, not just minerals. For example, one treatise might 225 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:05.879 explain how to derive a certain elixir from herbs, another 226 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:09.600 from blood or hair. The theoretical underpinning here is similar 227 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:13.759 to the classical four element theory. Jabir reduces bodies to 228 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:18.000 the elements fire, air, water, earth, and those to the 229 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:24.639 four elementary natures hot, cold, moist, and dry. However, in 230 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:28.080 the one hundred and twelve books the exposition is less 231 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.840 systematic and more expository than in Jaber's later works. The 232 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:36.799 instructions read as practical recipes with measured quantities and step 233 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:42.399 by step guidance, more cookbook and less philosophizing, indicating these 234 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:48.360 texts were meant to teach experimentation. Interestingly, the collection opens 235 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:51.559 with the Book of the Element of the Foundation, a 236 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:55.320 treatise which even continues an Arabic version of the legendary 237 00:16:55.399 --> 00:17:00.120 emerald tablet of Hermes, bridging hermetic law with Hbir's own teachings. 238 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.200 All in all, the one hundred and twelve books portray 239 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:07.839 an alchemist busy in the laboratory, deciphering ancient secrets and 240 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:14.359 trying mirrored techniques. Then we have the seventy books. The 241 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:18.359 Book of seventy is perhaps Jiber's most famous set of writings. 242 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:21.680 Unlike the one hundred and twelve books, the seventy books are 243 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:26.119 highly organized into a single opus. They are divided into 244 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:30.640 seven parts, each containing ten treaties, hence seventy in total. 245 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:35.559 The structure covers the full spectrum of Giberian alchemy. The 246 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:39.359 first three parts deal with preparing the alchemical Electir from 247 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:42.519 each of the three kingdoms of nature, one part on 248 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:47.920 animal derived ingredients, one on vegetable, one on mineral. Two 249 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.640 parts are devoted to the classical four elements, one theoretical, 250 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:55.440 one practical. The remaining two parts focus on detailed techniques 251 00:17:55.519 --> 00:18:00.119 for using specific animal substances in specific mineral metal substances 252 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:05.000 in the art. Together, the seventy books present a systematic 253 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:09.039 exposition of Jabir's alchemical theory, with each treatise building on 254 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:13.599 the previous. This collection was highly regarded in later centuries. 255 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.759 It was translated into Latin by Gerard of Kremona in 256 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:22.640 the twelfth century, bringing Jabir's ideas to European scholars. Medieval 257 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:26.759 Latin alchemists quoted the Book of seventy extensively. Even the 258 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:30.599 thirteenth century pseudo Gerber, who wrote his own influential alchemical 259 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:34.640 text under Jabir's name, was familiar with the mutilated Latin version. 260 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:39.400 In a sense, the seventy books represent Jabir's magnum opus 261 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:43.400 as an alchemical teacher, a complete course from fundamentals to 262 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:50.119 advanced practice. Following the seventy, Jaberian lists mentioned an appendix 263 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:52.720 of the Ten Books added to the seventy, and another 264 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:58.000 separate set called the Ten Books of Rectifications. Only fragments 265 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:03.680 of these survive. Surviving texts. The Book of Clarification critiques 266 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:07.440 other philosophers for focusing only on minerals and neglecting plant 267 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:12.279 and animal methods for the elixir. Another fragment, the Book 268 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:16.119 of Rectification of Plato, is intriguing. It's written as if 269 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:20.319 Plato's understanding of alchemy is being corrected, and it enumerates 270 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:26.039 various multi step operations using mercury and other medicines. These 271 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:29.200 Rectification books suggest Jabir engage in a bit of an 272 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:35.480 intellectual game, retrospectively crediting Greek luminaries like Pythagoras, Socrates, Homer, 273 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:40.599 and Aristotle with alchemical contributions, then adding his own improvements 274 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:44.839 in their voice. It reflects his desire to link his 275 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:48.839 science to a venerable ancient tradition, while still asserting that 276 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:54.880 his knowledge surpassed that of the ancients. And next we 277 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:58.000 have the Books of the Balances. This is a large 278 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.960 collection of one hundred and forty four tree which mark 279 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:05.720 a shift to a more philosophical and universal approach. Here 280 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:09.839 Jabir applies his science of the balance to a vast 281 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:14.759 array of topics. The extent Balance Treatises seventy nine are 282 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:18.720 known by name forty four to five cover not just alchemy, 283 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:27.160 but also cosmology, music, theory, medicine, logic, metaphysics, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, 284 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:32.480 and grammar. In each domain, the idea is to reduce 285 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:37.039 phenomena to a quantitative balance of fundamental properties. For example, 286 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:41.039 a balanced treatise might attempt to quantify the temperament of 287 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:45.000 humors in medicine, or the tuning of musical notes, or 288 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.039 the grammatical properties of language, all using a unified scale 289 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:54.200 of values. This was Jabir's grand philosophical vision that all 290 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:58.680 existence is structured by measure, weight, and number, and almost 291 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:04.720 Pythagorean or pro ro scientific outlook. Notably, in these treaties, 292 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:08.319 Jabir also makes cryptic allusions to the appearance of two 293 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:13.240 mysterious figures. He calls the two Brothers, a doctrine which 294 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:17.720 later alchemists like Aben Yumal took up as allegory. The 295 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:22.680 balances represent the theoretical culmination of Jabir's thought, tying together 296 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.720 the worldly and the spiritual through the concept of balance. 297 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:32.920 We also have the Five Hundred Books. This enormous collection 298 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:37.839 of five hundred treatises is largely lost, but titles suggest 299 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:42.720 it dealt with moral and religious allegories via alchemy. Jabir 300 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:46.279 appears to have used these writings to expound schite eschatology 301 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:52.400 and emmology, and an alchemical metaphorical framework. For instance, one 302 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:57.000 extent fragment, the Book of Kingship, survives partly in Latin 303 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:00.200 and likely used the notion of ruling kingship as an 304 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:05.880 allegory from mastering nature. In these texts, the boundary between 305 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:12.759 alchemy and theology blurs. Chemical symbols stand in for spiritual concepts. Unfortunately, 306 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:15.880 only fifteen of the five hundred or existence, so we 307 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:21.079 can only glimpse the depth of Jabir's mystical allegories. Next, 308 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:24.759 we have the books on the Seven Metals. True to 309 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:28.319 the classical idea of seven planetary metals, Jabir devoted a 310 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:37.079 set of seven treatises to the seven known metals of antiquity, gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, 311 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:42.200 and possibly zinc or an alloy resembling it. Each treatise 312 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:45.920 in this group discusses one metal in detail, its properties, 313 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:49.039 how it can be purified or transmuted, and its role 314 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:53.839 in the overall al chemical scheme. Because Jabier linked metals 315 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:58.400 to planetary influences, these treaties likely also touch on astrology 316 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:03.039 and cosmology as they pertain to each metal. In one 317 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:06.440 manuscript tradition, the metal treaties are followed by a three 318 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:10.599 part book of Concision, which might summarize the seven in 319 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:14.599 a unified theory. The focus on the individual metals shows 320 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:19.599 Jabir's almost scientific thoroughness, examining each substance on its own terms, 321 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:26.359 an approach that prefigures later metallurgical science. Beyond these collections, 322 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:30.200 there are many standalone works attributed to Jabier on specific 323 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:35.559 aspects of alchemy. Paul Kraus, in cataloging the Corpus, placed 324 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:39.279 about two hundred treatises in a category of diverse alchemical works, 325 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:44.240 which he cannot confidently assign to a particular collection. These 326 00:23:44.359 --> 00:23:48.279 likely include monographs on topics such as preparation of mercury, 327 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:52.440 the various colors of sulfur, properties of particular compounds, and 328 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:58.839 manuals on alchemical apparatuses. Some titles from this miscellaneous set 329 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:03.240 are The Fire of the Stone, which suggests detailed treatises 330 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:07.599 on components of the philosopher's stone operation. There are also 331 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:12.279 texts named after legendary figures dialogues like Questions of Calid 332 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:16.240 to Marianos the Monk, which tie Jabir's teachings to earlier 333 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:21.920 alchemical legends. These diverse treatises indicate that Jabir's alchemical output 334 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:26.200 was encyclopedic. If a topic or technique existed, he likely 335 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:30.079 wrote about it. Many might have been instructional booklets for 336 00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:35.000 students in his circle, while others were theoretical musings. We 337 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:38.960 do have writings on magic and the occult. Jabir's corpus 338 00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:42.720 also includes a subset of works that veer into magic, talismans, 339 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:47.160 and hidden properties of things. These showed Jabir applying his 340 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:51.480 knowledge to what we would call the occult sciences. We 341 00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:54.160 have the Book of the Search, also known as the 342 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:57.839 Book of Extracts, and it is a long treatise laying 343 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:01.519 out the philosophical basis of tali somatic magic, or the 344 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:05.839 science of talismans. It reads like a learned discourse on 345 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:10.160 how and why talisman's work, evoking the ideas of astral 346 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:16.319 influences and sympathies. Fascinatingly, this work cites a wide range 347 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:23.599 of Greek authorities by name Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Gallant, 348 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:28.920 and even mystical figures like Apollonius of Tyana. This demonstrates 349 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:32.880 Jabir's broad understanding. He was linking his talisman theory to 350 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:38.119 the legacy of Greek philosophy, perhaps to give it intellectual legitimacy. 351 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:42.039 This book indicates that Jabir saw magic as a serious, 352 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:48.799 quasi scientific discipline grounded in philosophy and nature's laws. Then 353 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:51.839 we have the Book of Fifty. Only fragments of this 354 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:55.039 work remain, but it's thought to be the great Book 355 00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:59.640 of talismans under another name from what survives we know 356 00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:03.960 it to say, discussed astrology, demonology, and specific occult properties. 357 00:26:05.079 --> 00:26:09.119 For example, it likely enumerated how different stars and constellations 358 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:13.359 could be used in talisman making, or how certain incantations 359 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:18.400 and symbolic figures might summon or repel spiritual entities, gins 360 00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:23.880 or demons. The inclusion of demonology shows Jabir ventured into 361 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:28.759 areas we consider magical or supernatural. Yet he probably approached 362 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:33.480 it systematically, attempting to categorize spiritual beings and their interactions 363 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:37.640 with the material world. And we also have the Great 364 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.119 Book on Specific Properties. This is Jabir's chief work on 365 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:46.440 what we might term occult properties, the hidden powers inherent 366 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:50.839 in minerals, plants, and animals. In antiquity, in the Middle Ages, 367 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:54.319 it was believed that God plays secret virtues in natural objects. 368 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:58.440 For instance, a certain stone might cure poison, a certain 369 00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:03.640 plant might bring good luck. Jabir compiled these secrets, effectively 370 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.319 creating a tome of wonders and recipes. How to use 371 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:10.920 a toad's bone to attract money, of which herb cures 372 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:14.839 a fever when worn as an ambulant, and so on. Crucially, 373 00:27:15.079 --> 00:27:18.559 Jabir didn't treat this as a mere folklore. He intempted 374 00:27:18.599 --> 00:27:21.640 to analyze these properties with the same science of the 375 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:26.400 balance approach he applied elsewhere. Parts of this book include 376 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:29.759 chapters that apply numerical balancing to understanding why a plant 377 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:34.000 has a particular effect, thus trying to rationalize the mysterious. 378 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:39.079 This work demonstrates Jabbar's role as a bridge between science 379 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:42.680 and magic. He collected empirical knowledge of art effects a 380 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:46.160 proto science of pharmacology in a way, yet framed it 381 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:51.079 in a theoretical construct. And next we have the Book 382 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:55.440 of the King, a short text focusing on the efficacy 383 00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:59.480 of talismans. It may have been a succinct guide, perhaps 384 00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:02.839 dedicated to a patron the King, on how to effectively 385 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:07.799 craft talismans for various purposes. It indicates Jabir could summarize 386 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:11.559 his magical knowledge in digest form when needed, perhaps to 387 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:15.319 advise a ruler or wealthy client on protective and beneficial charms. 388 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:20.759 And finally we have the Book of Black Magic. This 389 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:25.920 ominously titled treatise stands out Al Jafar in Islamic context 390 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:30.400 refers to a mystical compendium of knowledge. According to Shiai tradition, 391 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:34.119 Al Jafar was a secret book of imam Ali, full 392 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:39.279 of esoteric lore, calling something the Black Jaffar suggests forbidden 393 00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:43.880 or dark knowledge. Little is known about this work beyond 394 00:28:43.960 --> 00:28:48.160 the title, and interestingly, no other Jiberian text references is it, 395 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:52.599 implying it might have been particularly secret or even apocryphal. 396 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:57.319 Its inclusion in Jabir's corpus hints that he or those 397 00:28:57.319 --> 00:29:01.079 writing under his name explored the furthest edges of the occult, 398 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:06.119 perhaps dealing with black magic or apocalyptic prophecy. The very 399 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:09.359 fact that Jabir's legend includes a black magic manual shows 400 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:11.680 how he was later seen as a master of hidden arts, 401 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:17.519