The Virgin Mary and the Universal Reformation of Paracelsus

Abstract

The first dated writings of Paracelsus are theological treatises on Mary, the Trinity, church criticism and scriptural interpretation. They were written in Salzburg in 1524/25. Paracelsus defended the purity and eternity of Mary and saw her as a goddess. The writing De genealogia Christi fulfilled the promise of metaphysical explanations. An anticlerical polemic written on the eve of the Peasants War meant a turn towards the Radical Reformation. Following the example of the church reformation, Paracelsus attempted in 1527 in Basel a reform of medieval medicine with experience in the first place.