Golden Builders. Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and the First Freemasons

In this book, Tobias Churton traces 1600 years of hermetic spiritual and philosophical development. He sheds light on the origins of gnostic alchemy, Freemasonry before the Grand Lodge, and the mysterious Brotherhood of the Rose and the Cross (Rosicrucians). He thoroughly introduces readers to great representatives of the esoteric tradition, such as Paracelsus, Kaspar Schwenkfeld, Johann Valentin Andreae, and others. The first part of this book presents a broad study of the hermetic current and its transmission from Hellenistic Alexandria to the era of Paracelsus. The second part is dedicated to the Rosicrucian movement. Finally, the third part is devoted to Elias Ashmole, an English scholar, alchemist, astrologer, and early freemason, who developed the hermetic stream during the Renaissance.