What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy? Alchemy has long fascinated people with its mystical and transformative properties. From ancient times to the modern era, alchemists have sought to unlock the secrets of transmutation, turning base metals into gold and pursuing immortality. But what does the Bible say about alchemy? Is it considered a sin? Can a Christian practice alchemy? In this article, we will explore these questions and delve into the biblical perspective on alchemy.
What the Bible Says About Alchemy
What the Scripture Says About Alchemy
The Origins of Alchemy
To understand the biblical stance on alchemy, we must first explore its origins. Alchemy traces its roots back to ancient Egypt, where alchemists engaged in the production of alloys, jewelry, perfumes, and even substances used in the embalming process. However, alchemy was not solely focused on material transformations. From its inception, alchemy involved a philosophical and religious pursuit of hidden wisdom.
Understanding Alchemy
To fully grasp what the Bible says about alchemy, we first need to comprehend what alchemy truly is. Alchemy is often viewed as the predecessor to modern chemistry. In the times before scientific enlightenment, alchemists endeavored to devise a method to transform base metals like lead into precious ones like gold. They sought to concoct elixirs that could cure any disease or even bestow immortality.
These efforts of alchemy were not limited to the physical realm. Alchemists believed in the spiritual transformation of the human being, aiming to turn the ‘lead’ of the human soul into ‘gold’ – an enlightened entity.
The pivotal goal of alchemy is often referred to as the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ – a mystical substance believed to transmute common metal into gold and bestow immortality and enlightenment on its possessor.
Alchemy and Hidden Wisdom
Alchemy has always been more than just a scientific endeavor. It encompasses a spiritual quest for enlightenment and the purification of the spirit. Alchemists sought to turn the metaphorical “lead” of the human soul into the “gold” of an enlightened being. In their pursuit of hidden wisdom, alchemists relied on dreams, visions, altered states of consciousness, and symbols imbued with power.
While the physical transformation of substances was a significant part of their practice, alchemy also had a philosophical and spiritual component. They believed in the pursuit of hidden wisdom and spiritual enlightenment.
In recent times, alchemy has seen a resurgence within the New Age movement. It remains more than just a scientific pursuit. It involves a philosophical and spiritual search for hidden wisdom. Alchemy is often linked with Hermeticism, a pagan religion claiming to hold the oldest and most desirable wisdom. Other influences within alchemy include astrology, numerology, Kabbalah, and Rosicrucianism.
The spiritual aspect of alchemy sought to purify the spirit, expand consciousness, and allow touch with the divine. Alchemy propagated the belief that only those with a higher consciousness, those who have gained insight into the universe’s mysteries, can affect the transmutation of earthly things.
The Prohibition of Alchemy in the Bible
The Old Testament also addresses the practice of divination, fortune-telling, and sorcery, which are closely related to alchemy. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 explicitly prohibits these practices, stating that they are abominations to the Lord. This prohibition highlights the biblical stance against engaging in activities associated with sorcery and occult wisdom.
The Biblical View on Earthly Treasures
Jesus taught not to lay up treasures on earth but in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). This teaching stands in stark contrast with the goals of alchemy, which aimed at creating earthly treasures like gold and longevity. This divergence further underlines the Biblical disapproval of alchemy.
A Focus on Spiritual Treasures
One of the key principles emphasized in the Bible is the importance of focusing on spiritual treasures rather than earthly riches. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus encourages his followers not to lay up treasures on earth but to lay up treasures in heaven instead. This teaching suggests that the pursuit of earthly wealth and longevity, which are often associated with alchemy, is not aligned with the Christian faith.
Alchemy, Sorcery, and Idolatry
Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 warns against practices like divination, fortune-telling, omens interpretation, sorcery, or necromancy, considering them an abomination to the Lord. These practices, often linked with alchemy, are seen as sinful according to the Bible.
Alchemy and Modern Pop Culture
The concept of alchemy has found its way into modern pop culture. For instance, the first book of the Harry Potter series, contains numerous references to alchemy.
The Dangers of Alchemy
Apart from its spiritual implications, alchemy also poses practical dangers. Throughout history, many alchemists pursued the transmutation of metals and the creation of elixirs in their search for immortality. However, these pursuits often resulted in the consumption of toxic substances and dangerous experiments. From a biblical perspective, the focus on attaining immortality through alchemy detracts from the true source of eternal life found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Alchemy and Christianity
Given the biblical warnings against sorcery, occult practices, and the pursuit of earthly treasures, it is clear that alchemy is not compatible with the teachings of Christianity. While alchemy may have historical and scientific significance, its spiritual and mystical aspects go against the principles outlined in the Bible.
Alchemy and the Bible
So, Is Alchemy a Sin? and What Did Jesus Teach About Alchemy? Interestingly, the Bible does not explicitly mention alchemy. However, several verses indirectly condemn practices linked to alchemy. For instance, Revelation 21:8 refers to ‘sorcerers’ – a term often associated with alchemists – as destined for damnation.
In Colossians 2:8, the Bible warns against being taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit, in line with human tradition and not according to Christ. This verse can be interpreted as a disapproval of practices such as alchemy, which are based on human tradition and not on Christ’s teachings.
A Holistic Approach to Understanding Alchemy
While the Bible does not explicitly address alchemy by name, its teachings provide a framework for understanding the biblical stance on the practice. By examining passages related to sorcery, occult practices, and the pursuit of earthly treasures, we can discern that alchemy is viewed unfavorably from a biblical perspective. It is important for Christians to be discerning and prioritize their relationship with God over the pursuit of worldly wisdom and material gains.
In conclusion, the Bible discourages the practice of alchemy due to its association with sorcery, occult practices, and the pursuit of earthly treasures. As Christians, it is crucial to align our pursuits with the teachings of Christ and focus on spiritual treasures rather than material gains. Alchemy may offer insights into the history of science and human curiosity, but it is not a path that aligns with the Christian faith.
Remember, it is always important to seek guidance from trusted spiritual leaders and rely on the wisdom found in the Bible when evaluating practices or pursuits that may conflict with our faith.
What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy?
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Proverbs 27:21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.
Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
1 John 3:1-24 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. …
Exodus 4:1-31 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” …
Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Matthew 4:1-25 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple …
Romans 12:1-21 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. …
Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Isaiah 60:17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness.
Exodus 7:17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.
Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Genesis 2:22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Psalm 106:22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Genesis 27:28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Numbers 6:1-9:23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. …
John 2:1-21:25 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” …
Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Mark 9:49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
Exodus 32:19-20 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.
Genesis 28:22 And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Matthew 5:1-7:29 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …
Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Deuteronomy 33:8 And of Levi he said, “Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
Isaiah 51:1-2 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.
Zechariah 11:3-5 The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined! Thus said the Lord my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them.
Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Deuteronomy 32:2 May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.
Genesis 27:39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.
Genesis 1:29-30 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Revelation 2:26-29 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Colossians 2:1-23 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. …
Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Ezekiel 22:19-22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have poured out my wrath upon you.”
Deuteronomy 33:18-19 And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents. They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
Deuteronomy 4:19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Numbers 31:21-24 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”
Exodus 16:14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.
Colossians 2:20-23 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Deuteronomy 33:13-16 And of Joseph he said, “Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that crouches beneath, with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months, with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills, with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
Leviticus 20:6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.
Leviticus 19:31 “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 32:6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Revelation 9:1-21 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, …
Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Acts 17:10-11 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Matthew 25:1-46 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. …
Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
2 Chronicles 33:17 Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
Matthew 2:1-23 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: …
2 Chronicles 30:27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.
2 Chronicles 29:34 But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves.
Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Alchemy
Exodus 4:11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
John 21:16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
2 Chronicles 26:18 And they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.”
Also Read
- What Does the Bible Say About Eternal Life?
- What Does the Bible Say About Life After Death?
- Bible Verses About the Messiah
- Bible Verses About A New Creation
- What Does the Bible Say About Following Jesus Christ?
- What Does the Bible Say About Judgment Day?
- Bible Verses About Heaven
- Bible Verses About Hell
- What Does the Bible Say About Wisdom?
- What Does the Bible Say About Resurrection?
