the iĄaculty oÍ' Graduate Ątudies April, L96[ - MSpace at the ...

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prebation the irnplication j-s: 1l-et no one viho can be
his or¡rn belong to anotherl, or rÜo not be arrything else
bu.t that r,thich is consistent r,'¡ith )¡ourself t ' The
adoption of this motto is sufficient to suggest the
frictions which a tÍtani-c individ-ual could cause r+ithin
his society, and that the ad hominem argument trould
lend itself niost read.ily for coramon use against it.
Paracelsusr victories and ciespair were the resuli' of
faithfu-l adherence to this motto throughoui his life,
and he experienced. the singular phenomenon of aco.uirinA
a legend in his oI^n1 life-time, Through a confusion of
Christian-monotheisl;ic concepts and- polytheisia, Paracelsus
was saÍd to have a devil with him" In t,he tales lthich
surrounded Paracelsus and his students in their striving
for knowledge there was a fusion in the common mind wiLh
+1aa onrr¡-ì lrr mrrf.hnnoei e fi r"ure of Johann Fau-sf , for as
vIIç çV,UA!rJ ¡r¡J w¡rv+vvv+v **Ð'
historícal figures they were conl,erûporary'
In the presenb context it only needs to be added
that Paracelsus i,sas aware of his grolving legend" Re-
ferring particularly io the learned men of his time,
Paracelsus vrrote in the first volume of his Chirurgische
Buecher that: Tt'I'h.ey begrudge the honor I won healing
;orinces and noblerûen, and they say my powers came from
the d.evil-.tr 35" The legend and resultant myth of
Paracelsusi league wiih the devil arose either through