Editing Philosopher's stone (section)

==Antiquity==
The earliest known written mention of the philosopher's stone is in the ''Cheirokmeta'' by [[Zosimos of Panopolis]] ({{Circa|300 AD}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ede |first1=Andrew |title=A History of Science in Society: from philosophy to utility |last2=Cormack |first2=Lesley |publisher=University of Toronto Press}}</ref>{{rp|66}} Alchemical writers assign a longer history. [[Elias Ashmole]] and the anonymous author of ''Gloria Mundi'' (1620) claim that its history goes back to [[Adam]], who acquired the knowledge of the stone directly from God. This knowledge was said to have been passed down through biblical patriarchs, giving them their longevity. The legend of the stone was also compared to the biblical history of the [[Temple of Solomon]] and the rejected cornerstone described in [[Psalm 118]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Patai |first=Raphael |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1165547198 |title=The Jewish Alchemists : A History and Source Book |date=14 July 2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-6366-2 |oclc=1165547198}}</ref>{{rp|19}}

The theoretical roots outlining the stone's creation can be traced to Greek philosophy. Alchemists later used the [[classical element]]s, the concept of ''[[anima mundi]]'', and Creation stories presented in texts like [[Plato]]'s [[Timaeus (dialogue)|''Timaeus'']] as analogies for their process.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Linden |first=Stanton J. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/694515596 |title=The alchemy reader : from Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-79234-9 |oclc=694515596}}</ref>{{rp|29}} According to [[Plato]], the four elements are derived from a common source or ''[[prima materia]]'' (first matter), associated with [[chaos (cosmogony)|chaos]]. ''Prima materia'' is also the name alchemists assign to the starting ingredient for the creation of the philosopher's stone. The importance of this philosophical first matter persisted throughout the history of alchemy. In the seventeenth century, [[Thomas Vaughan (philosopher)|Thomas Vaughan]] writes, "the first matter of the stone is the very same with the first matter of all things."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mark |first=Haeffner |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/957227151 |title=Dictionary of Alchemy From Maria Prophetessa to Isaac Newton |date=2015 |publisher=Aeon Books Limited |isbn=978-1-904658-12-2 |oclc=957227151 |access-date=19 November 2021 |archive-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316063543/https://worldcat.org/title/957227151 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|211}}