- Jean de Roquetaillade
:"Johannes de Rupescissa may also refer to Cardinal
Jean de La Rochetaillée "Jean de Roquetaillade [John of
Roquetaillade , Johannes de Rupescissa, Giovanni da Rupescissa.] (date of birth unknown; d. probably atAvignon , 1362) was a FrenchFranciscan alchemist. [ [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08477a.htm John of Roquetaillade (de Rupescissa)] -Catholic Encyclopedia ]After studying philosophy for five years at
Toulouse , he entered the Franciscan monastery atOrléans , where he continued his studies for five years longer.His experiments in distillation led to the discovery of what he termed "
aqua vitæ ", or usually "quinta essentia", and commended as apanacea for all disease. His work as an alchemist forms the subject-matter of "De consideratione quintæ essentiæ" (Basle, 1561) and "De extractione quintæ essentiæ"; likewise "Libellus de conficiendo vero lapide philosophico ad sublevandam inopiam papæ et cleri in tempore tribulationis" (Strasburg, 1659).His false prophecies and violent denunciation of ecclesiastical abuses brought him into disfavour with his superiors, resulting in his imprisonment by
Pope Clement VI (1345) andPope Innocent VI (1356). While there he wrote in 1349 his "Visiones seu revelationes", and in 1356 "Vade Mecum in tribulatione" and "Ostensor" [In Brown, "Fascicula rerum expetendarum et fugiendarum", III, London, 1640.] . His other works include commentaries on the Sentences and on the "Oraculum Cyrilli", "Fragmenta revelationum", "Apologus propheticus", "De famulatu philosophiæ ad theologiam".References
*
Sbaralea , Suppl. ad script. Ord. Min. (Rome, 1806);
*Jeiler in "Kirchenlexikon ", under Johannes von Roquetaillade
*Schnürer in "Kirchliches Handlexikon "Notes
External links
*de icon [http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/j/jean_d_r.shtml BBK page]
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