WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.200 --> 00:00:15.519 You see, something's going to happen. What's going to happen? What? 2 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:29.800 Welcome to the occult rejects. In today's episode, we'll be 3 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:34.119 discussing someone who is a figure where history and legend intertwine, 4 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:38.920 a prince of the mighty umaya Kaliphate who later became 5 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:43.039 known as an alchemist and seeker of a cult wisdom. 6 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:48.840 In this episode, we discuss Khalid i've bin Yazib, tracing 7 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:53.920 his noble lineage, dramatic political struggles, and the enigmatic pursuits 8 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:59.640 that earned him the title the first Arab Alchemist. In 9 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:02.920 this episode, we will explore how this young umayad Air, 10 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:09.000 once poised to rule an empire, instead became famous for mysticism, alchemy, 11 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:14.640 and esoteric knowledge. From his upbringing amid the splendor and 12 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:17.920 strife of a rising Islamic empire to the tales of 13 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:22.920 secret teachings under a Christian hermit, Khalid's story is rich 14 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:30.680 with human drama and supernatural appeal. I only pursue this 15 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:35.000 art so that I may enrich my companions and brothers. 16 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:39.359 I once craved the caliphate, and it was denied me. 17 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.000 So I found solace only in attaining the ultimate knowledge 18 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:48.280 of this craft such that no one who's known me 19 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:51.400 will ever need to stand at a ruler's door out 20 00:01:51.439 --> 00:02:00.120 of want or fear. The journey of Khalid is it's 21 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:02.760 not just a historical chronicle, but a window into the 22 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:06.959 occult heritage of early Islam. Why does he deserve a 23 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.520 feature on the Occult Rejects because his life embodies the 24 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:15.199 very crossroads of power and arcane knowledge. A royal alchemist 25 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:19.879 who pursued that which is impossible in the eyes of contemporaries, 26 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:27.039 yet inspired generations of later scientists, mystics, and artists. Today, 27 00:02:27.080 --> 00:02:30.520 we will walk through Khalid's life, his princely youth during 28 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.520 the Second Islamic Civil War, the heartbreak of losing a throne, 29 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:38.520 his retreat into scholarly solitude, and the legacy of texts 30 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:43.199 and legends that sprouted around his name. By the end, 31 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.919 you'll understand how Khalid Iban Yazid's quest for wisdom left 32 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:53.039 an imprint on occult lore, religious thought, and the scientific imagination, 33 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:57.680 making his tale a perfect fit for exploration of the 34 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:04.520 rejected and the arkane. Let us return to the exposition 35 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:10.479 of the three words in which the whole art consists. 36 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:18.240 Khalid was born around six sixty eight CE into the 37 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:24.000 ruling family of the Umayad Kaliphate, a dynasty then consolidating 38 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.879 its grip over the recently expanded Islamic world. His father 39 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:33.360 was Calif Yazid the First, and his grandfather was mu Aweyah, 40 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:38.319 the first founder of the Umayad state. Thus, Khalid grew 41 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:41.919 up in the elite circle of Damascus, to Umayad capital, 42 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:47.599 enjoying the privileges of a princely upbringing. We can imagine 43 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:51.240 him as a child in the lavish courts of Syria, 44 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:55.319 educated by tutors in chronic studies, Arabic poetry, and perhaps 45 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:59.479 even exposed to Greek or Syriac learning through local Christian scholars. 46 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:04.840 His mother, Fikda, was herself from a prominent clan. This 47 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:08.199 noble heritage imbued Kalid with a sense of destiny from 48 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:12.840 an early age. The world Kalid was born into was 49 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:17.360 one of dynamic change and cultural fusion. The Muslim Empire 50 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:20.120 had exploded out of Arabia in the mid seventh century, 51 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:25.360 conquering lands from Persia to Egypt. By Khalid's youth, the 52 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:29.199 Umaya Caliphate stretched across the Middle East and North Africa, 53 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:33.560 ruling over diverse peoples and inheriting centers of ancient knowledge 54 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:39.199 like Alexandria. The atmosphere in Syria was cultured. Arabic was 55 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:42.839 the new official tongue, but Greek and Aramaic intellectual traditions 56 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:49.240 still lingered in schools and monasteries. This environment likely influenced 57 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:54.519 Khalid's later intellectual curiosity. Indeed, the conquest of Alexandria in 58 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:57.040 six p. Forty two had put Muslims in contact with 59 00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:02.120 the bulk of Greek philosophy and science, including alchemy, planting 60 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:06.759 seeds of scientific interest that Khalid would later nurture. One 61 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:11.000 medieval Arab writer Al Jahiz gives us a fascinating glimpse 62 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:16.720 of Khalid's character as a young man. Khalid ibin Yazid 63 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:22.759 was an orator, a poet, and was eloquent, comprehensive of 64 00:05:22.839 --> 00:05:28.120 sound judgment, and extremely well mannered. Such praise suggests he 65 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:31.319 was not only of noble blood, but also carefully educated 66 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:34.959 in rhetoric and literature, standing out among his peers for 67 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:39.879 his intellect. Life in the umaiyard court also meant exposure 68 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:44.240 to politics and warfare early on. Khalid spent his childhood 69 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:47.639 in teens amid the turmoil of the second Fitner Islamic 70 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:51.759 Civil War. When he was about fifteen, his father had 71 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:55.079 died and power passed briefly to Khalid's elder half brother, 72 00:05:55.560 --> 00:06:00.000 Muwayah the Second, but within months his brother also perished, 73 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:05.519 plunging the caliphate into a succession crisis. Though very young, 74 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:11.519 perhaps sixteen, Khalid suddenly found himself a potential candidate for 75 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:16.720 the throne of an empire. Let's get into some of 76 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:22.480 his education and influences. First. Khalit's education unfolded inside at 77 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:26.160 Umayard court that drew on Arab Adab Churonic study and 78 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:31.680 the Syriac Greek learning of Great Assyria. Later Arabic reportages 79 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:34.480 remember him not merely as a prince, but as a 80 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:39.560 seeker who turned from politics toward the divine art. Those 81 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:44.319 same sources pair him with Byzantine monk named Mariannis or Marinus, 82 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:50.079 a reclusive stage of Palestine Assyria. In this classic Arabic 83 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:55.399 dossier later translated into Latin as the Liber Decomposition Alchemy, 84 00:06:56.279 --> 00:07:00.920 Mariannis teaches Khalid and is sustained dialogue, framing the art 85 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:04.279 as both a science of substance and a path of purification. 86 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:10.720 Medieval writers even make Mariannis a pupil as Stephanos of Alexandria, 87 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:15.759 visually stitching Colored into a late antique chain of transmission. 88 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:21.319 It is through this very legend that Khalid's influences come 89 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:28.199 into focus Alexandra and Hermeticism and Neoplatonism, Syriac monastic craft lore, 90 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:34.240 astrological cosmology, and the practical metallurgies of the Eastern Mediterranean. 91 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:40.079 In short, whatever the historical literalness of Mariannas, the dossierre 92 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:43.920 accurately maps the currents of knowledge that fed Arabic alchemy 93 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:49.879 and that medieval readers believed Colored embodied. The Marianis Dialogue 94 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:56.319 later libre decomposition Alchemy is the earliest well documented Arabic 95 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:00.600 Latin alchemy translation and the chief literary source for the 96 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:04.079 college teacher's storyline. It is precisely the text that made 97 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:10.519 Khalid and Mariani's household names among medieval and Renaissance alchemists. 98 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:14.240 For the nature and a pregnant woman is one thing, 99 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:21.600 and in mercury another. In six point eighty four CE, 100 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.480 the Umayad elite gathered to resolve the leadership crisis. Khaled, 101 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.040 though of the ruling house, was still a teenager much 102 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:34.639 younger than other contenders. The Syrian nobles opted to bypass 103 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:41.159 him in favor of an older statesman, Marwuan Iban al Hakam, 104 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:44.120 who held from a different branch of the Umayad clan. 105 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.399 Morman was chosen as caliph on the condition that Khaled 106 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:52.200 would be named Air after him. To seal this pact, 107 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:58.039 Mowan married Khaled's mother, the young widow Faikita, strengthening the 108 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:03.039 familial bond. For a moment, it seemed Khalid's royal ambitions 109 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:08.919 were merely deferred. He might ascend the throne after Moran's reign. However, 110 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:15.200 power struggled intervened. Once firmly in power, Moran reneged on 111 00:09:15.320 --> 00:09:19.840 the deal. He removed Khaled from succession and designated his 112 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:24.639 own sons as heirs instead. When Khaled reminded Moran of 113 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:30.399 the promise, the caliph reportedly publicly insulted Khaled's mother, Fikita, 114 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:36.240 enraged and dishonoured. Fikita is said in later legend to 115 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:40.600 have murdered Morn in revenge by suffocating him with a pillow. 116 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:45.600 While historians doubt this dramatic tale, it captures the intensity 117 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:49.200 of betrayal Khaled experience. In the span of a year, 118 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:53.279 he went from the rightful heir of Muawia's lineage to 119 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:56.720 a sidelined prince who had lost both his father and 120 00:09:56.759 --> 00:10:02.519 his promised throne. The Arabic chronic Ahmadi Eni some of 121 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:06.440 the Khalid's plight with the remark that he was pursuing 122 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:11.440 that which is impossible, that is alchemy. Many interpret this 123 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:16.000 as a metaphor Khalid's political ambitions, like the alchemist's stream 124 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:20.679 of turning lead to gold, had proved futile. This quote, 125 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:24.399 possibly misread by later writers, would ironically spark the legend 126 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:29.679 of Khalid the Alchemist. More on that soon. Despite the setback, 127 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:34.600 Khalid adopted fast. He forged a close friendship with Marmon's son, 128 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:39.039 the new Caliph, Abd al al Malik. Rather than rebelling, 129 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:44.120 Khalid served loyally and was rewarded with influential roles. In 130 00:10:44.200 --> 00:10:47.639 sixteen ninety one, during a decisive campaign to reunify the 131 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:51.879 fracture Caliphate, Abod appointed Khalid as a commander in the 132 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:57.159 Siege of Circasium against the rebel faction. He then led 133 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:59.879 the left wing of the Umayad army at the Battle 134 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:05.159 of maskin which crushed the rival Caliphate in Iraq. These 135 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:10.799 victories restored Umayad control over the eastern provinces. Khaled, still 136 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:14.240 only in his early twenties, had proven his medal on 137 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.200 the battlefield and earned the trust of the Caliph. As 138 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:23.600 further affirmation, Abbid married his own daughter Ayesha to Khaled, 139 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:27.840 making Khaled his son in law by blood and loyalty. 140 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:32.519 Khaled was now firmly integrated into the ruling family, even 141 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:36.559 if he would never wear the caliph crown himself. After 142 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:40.919 these eventful years, Khaled made a crucial choice. He withdrew 143 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:44.799 from public life. Around sixteen ninety two or shortly thereafter, 144 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:49.039 Khalid left the political and military arena and settled in 145 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:54.279 Hams in central Syria. Abbid Almalik granted him the governorship 146 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.519 of Hams as a kind of estate, and there Khalid 147 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:00.960 lived out the rest of his life and re relative seclusion. 148 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:06.080 One might speculate on his motives. Perhaps the cutthroat nature 149 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:09.120 of court politics and the trauma of his earlier disappointment 150 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:14.720 left him disillusioned with power. By retiring to Hams, Kalin 151 00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:18.879 gains something he may have longed for, peace and time 152 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:23.799 for intellectual pursuits. Later sources hint that in Harms he 153 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:28.559 engaged in scholarly and artistic activities, such as writing poetry 154 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:34.039 and studying hadith, which is prophetic traditions. We can picture 155 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:37.879 him as a regional prince patron, holding learned discussions in 156 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:42.440 his villa, far from the intrigues of Damascus. This period 157 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:46.480 of quiet retirement set the stage for Klledge's transformation into 158 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:51.960 a legendary wise man. Freed from worldly ambition, he now 159 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:55.720 turned his formidal mind toward the wisdom of the stars 160 00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:00.279 and the secrets of substance. The relative obscurity of his 161 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:04.720 final decade allowed legends to grow. There is scant contemporary 162 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:08.200 record of Colleed's specific activity at Halms, but within a 163 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:11.919 century or two stories began to circulate that this princely 164 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:17.840 dropout had immersed himself in alchemy and occult sciences. As 165 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:21.320 we shall see, what Khaled actually did in Halms is 166 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:25.720 less documented than what later generations imagined he did, and 167 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:30.440 those imaginations ran wild, casting Khaled as the seminal philosopher 168 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:36.120 prince of the Islamic world. By the ninth century, Khaled 169 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:40.720 Ibid Yazid's name had become enshrined in Arabic lore as 170 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:44.360 a master of alchemy and the occult. This is an 171 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:48.519 interesting evolution. In his own time, Khaled was known as 172 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:52.919 a poet, patron, and ex prince, not necessarily an alchemist. 173 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:57.600 So how did this legend take shape? A combination of 174 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:02.000 later historical writings, synonymous t an oral tradition built the 175 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:07.000 image of Khaled as the first Muslim alchemist. One early 176 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:12.200 thread came from the historian al Baladuri in eight ninety two, who, 177 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:17.919 as noted, quoted his teacher Al Madaini's witty description that 178 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.759 Khalid busied himself with alchemy in the figurative sense. It 179 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:26.080 appears that al Baladuri took it literally, or at least 180 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:29.759 helped spread the anecdote that Khalid was pursuing that which 181 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:35.200 is impossible alchemy. Later writers seized on this as evidence 182 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:39.720 that Khalid dabbled in the art. Soon all the prominent 183 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:45.399 scholars repeated the association. The great Adib al Jahiz praised 184 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:49.639 Khalid's learning and explicitly wrote that he was the first 185 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:54.480 in Islam who ordered the translation of works on astronomy, medicine, 186 00:14:54.480 --> 00:15:01.960 and alchemy. This claim, though historically dubious, hugely influential. It 187 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:05.399 portrayed Khalid as a pioneer of science, a royal patron 188 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.799 who kickstarted the translation of Greek knowledge into Arabic. In 189 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:14.440 popular imagination, Khalid became the Arab ermes, a conduit of 190 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:18.360 ancient wisdom into the new Muslim Empire. Another key figure, 191 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:23.679 the bibliographer Abid alan Dadim, firmly cemented Khalid's alchemical reputation 192 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:28.679 and his famous catalog al fist. Iban alan Dadeim wrote, 193 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:33.159 the first Muslim alchemist was Kalid Ibid Yazid, who is 194 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:37.679 said to have studied alchemy under the Christian Mariannus Marianus 195 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:42.200 of Alexandria. This succinct statement packs in the core of 196 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:46.120 the legend Khalid as a disciple of the mysterious Christian 197 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:52.080 Sage learning the secrets of alchemia. We'll examine that story momentarily. 198 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:58.000 Iban al Dadim also listed several alchemical books attributed to Kalid, 199 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:01.919 indicating that by nine eighty Si seven CE, a substantial 200 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:08.000 corpus bore Khaled's name. Why Kalid specifically, Scholars have theorized 201 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:12.879 on the legend's origins. One view, man forred Omens, is 202 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:17.799 that a simple misunderstanding gave birth to it. Al Madaini's 203 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:21.879 quip about Khaled pursuing the impossible was glossed by al 204 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:27.080 Baldo Hurri as a literal alchemy, thereby accidentally inaugurating the myth. 205 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:32.440 Another view, Pierre Lauri's, suggests the texts attributed to Khaled 206 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:37.200 were actually composed in humbler circles, perhaps by earlier occultists 207 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:40.759 who lacked the noble patriarge and then ascribed to a 208 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:44.799 prince to grant them prestige. By attaching their work to 209 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.919 the famous Umaid royal, these eighth ninth century alchemists gave 210 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:53.519 their writings an aura of antiquity and authority in any case. 211 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:58.120 From the eight hundreds onward, Arabic writings frequently mentioned Khaled 212 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:02.759 as an alchemist. Authors like al Jahizz al Tabari and 213 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:06.400 Abu Faraj all name dropped him as a pioneer in 214 00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:11.839 the occult arts. The legend had eclipsed reality. At the 215 00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:15.400 heart of Khalid's alchemical lore is the captivating tale of 216 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:21.200 his mentorship under Mariannus, often called Mariannas in Arabic. This 217 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:23.720 story is the closest thing we have to a personal 218 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:27.480 antidote about Khaled's mystical wanderings, and it reads almost like 219 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:33.160 spiritual adventure literature. According to later accounts, Khaled, in his 220 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:36.240 quest for the secrets of creation, learned of a Greek 221 00:17:36.359 --> 00:17:40.880 monk and hermit named Mariannas or Marianus, who dwelt in 222 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:46.240 Palestine or Syria. Mariannus was said to be a reclusive sage, 223 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:51.480 an ancient adept and hermit of Jerusalem, rumoured to possess 224 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:55.119 the Philosopher's Stone and able to produce gold each year 225 00:17:55.200 --> 00:18:01.319 from base metals. Intrigued, Prince Khaled dispatched messengers and personally 226 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:06.880 sought out this wise hermit. Eventually, he found Mariannus living 227 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:11.440 in the wilderness near Jerusalem. In a dramatic meeting, Khalid 228 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:16.519 invited the elderly monk to his court. Mariannus, clad in 229 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:20.319 a coarse hair shirt and exuding an aura of wisdom, 230 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:24.440 agreed to share his knowledge. It is said that Khalid 231 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:27.519 visited Marianna's daily, sitting at the feet of the hermit 232 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:32.920 to discuss philosophy, history, and the hidden arts. Over time, 233 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:37.880 Mariannus initiated Kalad into the deepest secrets of alchemy, the 234 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:42.880 knowledge of transmuting metals and achieving inner purification. This master 235 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:47.880 disciple relationship echoes the archetypal transfer of Hermetic wisdom from 236 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:52.920 the fading Byzantine world to then ascent Arabic world. One 237 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:57.720 Arabic source even provides a chain of transmission. Jabir ibin Hayen, 238 00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:01.640 the eighth century father of his Life Alchemy, mentions that 239 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:04.000 he studied alchemy under a monk who was a pupil 240 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:08.599 of Mariannas, the tutor of Khalid Ibid Yazid. In other words, 241 00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:13.920 Jabir claims his teacher's teacher was Khalid's teacher, forming a 242 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:18.039 neat lineage of occult knowledge from Alexandria to the Umayard 243 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:22.000 court via Kalid, and then to the opposite era via Jabir. 244 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:27.400 This lineage may not be historically true, but it was 245 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:32.319 psychologically true for the medieval alchemists who craved continuity and antiquity. 246 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:36.440 Through Khalid, they linked themselves to the ancient Hermetic tradition, 247 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:41.799 going back to Hermes Trismegistus, The tale of Khalida Moriennis 248 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.920 was immortalized in a book that became extremely influential in 249 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:50.400 both the Islamic and European alchemical corpus Khalid's questions to 250 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:56.240 the monk Mariannas. In this dialogue, Khalid poses queries and 251 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:00.240 Mariannis reveals the answers, essentially laying out the step to 252 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:05.039 create the electure or philosopher's stone. The text was translated 253 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:08.240 into Latin in eleven forty four by Robert of Chester 254 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:14.440 under the title Liber Decomposition Alchemy, notable for being the 255 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:19.200 first Arabic alchemical work ever rendered into Latin, and the 256 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:23.400 preface the translator explains the novelty of the science to 257 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:29.119 the West. Since what alchemia is and what its composition 258 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:32.920 is your Latin world does not yet know, I will 259 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:37.319 explain it in the present book. The content that follows 260 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:42.079 introduced European readers to the mystical dialogue of Khalid and Mariennis, 261 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:47.720 describing all chemical concepts in allegorical language. For example, Mariannis 262 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:52.279 tells Khaled that the thing o King is extracted from THEE. 263 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:55.680 With THEE it is found by THEE it is received, 264 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:59.480 hinting that the ingredients of the work come from the 265 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:03.039 nature and the self, and that the king himself Khalid 266 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:08.039 holds the key within Such cryptic wisdom would fascinate alchemist's 267 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:14.200 for centuries. So powerful was the legend of Khalid's tutelage 268 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:18.319 that his and Marianus's names became revered in the medieval alchemy. 269 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:22.880 One historian writes that the names of Mariennis and Kalid 270 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:26.920 became well known to all alchemists in Europe. Their importance 271 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:31.920 matched that of al Razi, Ibinsina and Jabir. In other words, 272 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:38.279 European alchemical texts placed Khalid rex King Khalid alongside luminaries 273 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.720 like Razi's Evncia and Gerber and engraving from the seventeenth 274 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:47.240 century even depicts Mauriennis to Greek in King Khalid Ibid 275 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:52.480 Yazid sitting together, symbolizing the handoff of esoteric knowledge, an 276 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:57.960 image often reproduced in alchemy compendiums of that era. With 277 00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:02.960 the legend firmly established, Khalid Ibid Yazid's historical persona was 278 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:07.240 transformed to the later eyes. He was no longer primarily 279 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:10.240 a failed claimant to the caliphate or a provincial governor. 280 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.559 He was the wise prince who chose wisdom of a 281 00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:18.279 worldly power. In a sense, Kalid became an occult role model, 282 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:20.960 a man who turned his back on the throne to 283 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:26.000 seek enlightenment in the hidden arts. This dramatic art full 284 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:30.240 of mystical lore, ensued that Khaled's name lived on far 285 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:34.480 longer than many actual callous Next we will cover the 286 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:37.720 writings attributed to him, the body of work that cements 287 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:43.519 his status as an author of our chemical doctrine. Water 288 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.200 is said to preserve the fetus in the womb for 289 00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:51.599 three months, air warms it for three months, fire guards 290 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:58.720 it the same span. A large number of alchemical treaties, epistles, 291 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:02.880 and poems are credited to Kalid in various manuscripts. Modern 292 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:06.160 scholars generally view these texts as works written by unknown 293 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:09.200 authors between the eighth and tenth century, but ascribed to 294 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:13.599 Kalid to lend them authority. Nonetheless, they form a fascinating 295 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:17.359 corpus reflecting early Islamic alchemical thought. Here I will touch 296 00:23:17.400 --> 00:23:20.799 on some of his major works. And first we have 297 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:24.839 The Registry of the Stars and the Paradise of Wisdom, 298 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:27.839 and that is described as a collection of alchemical poems 299 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:31.920 and treaties attributed to Calid. These titles suggest a cosmic 300 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:36.559 or philosophical framing of alchemical knowledge. In essence, it is 301 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:40.759 an anthology of didacted poetry on alchemy, likely interspersed with 302 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:45.559 short prose sections. One Arabic source explicitly calls this a 303 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:50.000 dewan of poetry in Alchemy, indicating that this work chiefly 304 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:55.400 consists of verse odes expounding chemical lore. These poems probably 305 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:59.119 employ rich symbolism of stars, minerals, and the wisdom paradise 306 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:03.799 of alchemy's sets. For example, one verse as tcribed to 307 00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:09.359 Kalid emphasizing keeping alchemical wisdom hidden truly, I conceal from 308 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:12.759 people what I harbor of knowledge, for fear that a 309 00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:18.359 spiteful rival might enrich himself by it. This couplet reflects 310 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:23.160 the esoteric ethos of the text, alchemy's truths availed to 311 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:28.559 prevent misuse by the unworthy. The Registry of the Stars 312 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:31.400 is believed to have been compiled at a relatively late date, 313 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:35.279 perhaps thirteenth to fifteenth century, by later alchemists drawing on 314 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:40.640 earlier materials. It may incorporate poems circulating in alchemical circles 315 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:44.079 and compile them under Khalid's name to create a prestigious legacy. 316 00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:48.000 The original language is Arabic, and no medieval Latin version 317 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:53.119 is recorded, while medieval bibliographers like Haji Khalifa mentioned the 318 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:56.240 Registry of the Stars among Khaled's work. There is no 319 00:24:56.440 --> 00:25:01.640 evidence Khaled himself wrote this anthology. It is consider legendary attribution. 320 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:05.559 And then we have the Book of his Testament to 321 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:09.000 his Son on the Art. This work is known as 322 00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:12.359 Khalid's Spiritual and Practical Advice to his Son regarding the 323 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:16.799 art of alchemy. It is essentially a testament or lengthy 324 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:20.240 letter in which a father hands down al chemical doctrine 325 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:23.960 to the next generation. This text is not widely published. 326 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:28.200 Abin al Nadine in his Fearist records, having seen the 327 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:30.480 Book of the Testament to his Son on the Art 328 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:35.359 among four works of Kalid, this indicates writings existed by 329 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:38.799 the tenth century. Its original language is Arabic and it 330 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:43.680 was never translated into Latin, suggesting a primarily Middle Eastern circulation. 331 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:48.480 Scholars unanimously regard the text as a later writer's creation. 332 00:25:49.319 --> 00:25:51.640 It may date from the ninth or tenth century, when 333 00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:55.119 the legend of college as an alchemist was flourishing. The 334 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:59.200 didactic father to son genre was a known literary device, 335 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:03.680 often used to convey secret knowledge. Thus, a later alchemist 336 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:07.720 likely adopted Khaled's persona to lend authority to his own teachings. 337 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:12.720 Man fren Omen and Sebastian Moreau note that such attributions 338 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:15.839 reflect the image of Khaled as a sage carefully instructing 339 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:19.119 his heir, which aligns with the narrative of him being noble, 340 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:24.559 minded and deeply enamoredive sciences. Unlike the more popular college 341 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:27.680 Questions to the Monk Marianos, which we'll talk about next, 342 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:30.160 The Book of His Testament to his Son on the 343 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:34.160 Art is less widely attested. It was certainly extent in 344 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:38.640 the medieval period, but many copies have been lost. Modern 345 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:42.880 researchers have identified at least one manuscript. A copy of 346 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:46.200 the writing was noted by Fae sign as an item, 347 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:48.759 and a PDF of a manuscript was circulated in a 348 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:53.000 private forum in twenty eighteen, implying it survives in a collection. 349 00:26:54.359 --> 00:26:56.440 The Book of His Testament to his Son on the 350 00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.759 Art has not yet seen a printed edition or translation, 351 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:05.039 remaining accessible only through manuscript studies. Libraries in the Middle 352 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:09.079 East could possibly hold unstudied copies under variant titles. Often 353 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:12.200 works of this genre are simply titled Wisia phi el 354 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:18.119 Camia in catalogs. And next we have Khaled's Questions to 355 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:22.000 the Monk Marianos, also known as the Epistle of the 356 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:27.319 Wise Monk Marianos to Prince Khalib, This is perhaps the 357 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:31.319 most famous work attributed to Khalid. This is a dialogue 358 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:35.559 between Prince Khalid and a Byzantine monk, Mariannos, who instructs 359 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:40.000 him in alchemy. In the Arabic, it is framed as 360 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:45.039 an epistolary discourse often titled Epistle of the Wise Monk 361 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:49.200 Mariannas to Khalid, consisting of questions by Kalid and answers 362 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:54.559 by Mariannas. The text opens with a narrative prolog. Khalid, 363 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:58.599 eager to learn alchemy, hears of a Christian hermit in Jerusalem. Mariannas, 364 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:03.440 famed for his mess of the art Colled, sends for him. 365 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:08.279 Mariannus comes to Damascus to become his teacher. This dramatic 366 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:12.799 encounter is vividly described. I dwell in Jerusalem, the man 367 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:16.079 tells cold, and I know of a hermit called Mariannus, 368 00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:19.319 the monk who has achieved the art. He comes each 369 00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:24.119 year to Jerusalem, giving great sums to the poor. Called 370 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:27.200 entreats Marianus for knowledge, and the core of the text 371 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:31.119 ensues Mariannus reveals the secrets of the great Work in 372 00:28:31.160 --> 00:28:37.759 a series of didactic exchanges. Oh, Mariannus, know that I 373 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:41.480 have long sought the superior or great work, but found 374 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:45.799 none to counsel me in this matter. Therefore I earnestly 375 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:49.400 request that you prepare me for some portion of your 376 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:53.559 magis theory. You shall have for me, then whatever you 377 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:56.240 may ask, and I will see to it that you 378 00:28:56.359 --> 00:29:02.880 return to your own land, God willing. The dialogue covers 379 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:07.240 classical alchemical doctrine, the nature of the Philosopher's Stone, the 380 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:11.400 unity of metals, the stages of transmutation, and allegorical descriptions 381 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:17.119 of chemical operations. Mariannas uses cryptic imagery, describing the one 382 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:20.720 thing that conquers all, the marriage of sun and moon, 383 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:25.759 gold and silver, and the generation of the elixir. For example, 384 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:28.279 he explains that the stone is composed of a spirit 385 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:32.759 and a body united, which must be repeatedly dissolved and coagulated. 386 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:39.119 The Latin translation famously includes the line Arabic Appalachia elixir 387 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:43.880 when introducing the Philosopher's Stone. This book is structured as 388 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.519 questions by Kalipe and answers by the Monk, often in 389 00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:51.960 elaborate metaphor. At one point, Marianis declares take one part 390 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.920 of the sun and one of the moon, indicating gold 391 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:59.559 and silver as ingredients couched in hermetic symbolism. The dialogue 392 00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:03.640 emphasized this is divine inspiration. Mariannus attributes the power of 393 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:07.759 transformation to God's will, aligning the mystical aspect of alchemy 394 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:11.799 with its practical instructions. By the end calladists who have 395 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:15.319 said to have grasped the divine secrets of the Magistrate, 396 00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:20.759 having received Mariannas's Testament of Wisdom. Though set in the 397 00:30:20.839 --> 00:30:24.599 late seventh century, the text itself was written much later. 398 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:28.799 Scholarly consensus place it in the early to mid tenth century. 399 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:33.519 Pierre Lauri even proposed an eighth century origin for some parts, 400 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:37.519 but more recent analysis by Marian Dapson's suggests a tenth 401 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:42.839