Στεφάνου Ἀλεχανδρέως οἰκουμενικοῦ φιλοσόφου καὶ διδασκάλου τῆς μεγάλης καὶ ἱερᾶς τέχνης περὶ Χρυσοποιϊͅας πρᾶξις σὺν Θεῷ πρώτη

Ste'phanus

3. A native of Alexandria, author of a short Greek treatise on Alchemy, who must have lived in the early part of the seventh century after Christ, as part of his work (p. 243) is addressed to the Emperor Heraclius (A. D. 610-641).

Works

Treatise on Alchemy

The Treatise on Alchemy consists of nine πράξεις or Lectures (see Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xii. p. 694, note, ed. vet.), the first of which is entitled Στεφάνου Ἀλεχανδρέως οἰκουμενικοῦ φιλοσόφου καὶ διδασκάλου τῆς μεγάλης καὶ ἱερᾶς τέχνης περὶ Χρυσοποιϊͅας πρᾶξις σὺν Θεῷ πρώτη, where it is not quite clear whether Περὶ Χρυσοποιΐας, De Chrysopoeia, is meant to be the title of the whole work, or merely of the first section of it. Reinesius (apud Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xii. p. 757) speaks highly of the work, but notices that the author falls into (p. 231 ) the common error of the Eastern and Greek churches of that age respecting the procession of the Holy Ghost. The writer was evidently a religious man, as appears from the way in which he uses his numerous quotations from the New Testament. * He quotes (p. 225) a mystic enigma in six verses from the Sibylline oracles (lib. ii. p. 115, ed. Amstel. 1689), which is wrongly printed as prose, and of which several solutions have been attempted (but with doubtful success) in modern times. See Fabr. l.c. p. 696

Latin Editions

The work was first published in a Latin translation by Dominic Pizimentus, Patav. 1573. 8vo. together with Democritus, Synesius. and other writers on the same subject.

Editions

The Greek text is to be found in the second volume of Ideler's Physici et Medici Graeci Minores, Berol. 8vo. 1842.

Commentaries on Hippocrates and Galen ascribed

Fabricius (l.c. p. 693) and others think that this Stephanus was the same person as the commentator on Hippocrates and Galen, who may have been called (say they) Atheniensis from being born at Athens, and Alexandrinus form having settled at Alexandria; but this conjecture seems improbable.

Further Information

See Fabric. l.c. ; Lambec. Biblioth. Vindob. vol. vi. p. 380, ed. Kollar.)