Editing Microcosm–macrocosm analogy (section)

=== Middle Ages ===
[[Medieval philosophy]] was generally dominated by [[Aristotelianism|Aristotle]], who &ndash; despite having been the first<ref>{{harvnb|Kraemer|2007|p=178}}.</ref> to coin the term "microcosm" &ndash; had posited a fundamental and insurmountable difference between the region below the Moon (the [[Sublunary sphere|sublunary world]], consisting of the [[Classical element#Greece|four elements]]) and the region above the Moon (the superlunary world, consisting of a [[Aether (classical element)|fifth element]]). Nevertheless, the microcosm–macrocosm analogy was adopted by a wide variety of medieval thinkers working in different linguistic traditions: the concept of microcosm was known in [[Arabic]] as {{Transliteration|ar|ʿālam ṣaghīr}}, in [[Hebrew]] as {{Transliteration|he|olam katan}}, and in [[Latin]] as {{lang|la|microcosmus}} or {{lang|la|minor mundus}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Kraemer|2007|p=178}}; on the Latin terminology, see {{harvnb|Finckh|1999|p=12}}.</ref> The analogy was elaborated by [[alchemy|alchemists]] such as those writing under the name of [[Jabir ibn Hayyan]] ({{circa|850–950 CE}}),<ref>{{harvnb|Kraus|1942–1943|loc=vol. II, pp. 47, 50}}.</ref> by the anonymous [[Shi'ite]] philosophers known as the [[Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity|Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ]] ("The Brethren of Purity", {{circa|900–1000|lk=no}}),<ref>See, e.g., {{harvnb|Widengren|1980}}; {{harvnb|Nokso-Koivisto|2014}}; {{harvnb|Krinis|2016}}.</ref> by Jewish theologians and philosophers such as [[Isaac Israeli ben Solomon|Isaac Israeli]] ({{circa|832|932|lk=no}}), [[Saadia Gaon]] (882/892–942), [[Solomon ibn Gabirol|Ibn Gabirol]] (11th century), and [[Judah Halevi]] ({{circa|1075–1141|lk=no}}),<ref>{{harvnb|Jacobs|Broydé|1906}}; {{harvnb|Kraemer|2007}}.</ref> by [[School of Saint Victor|Victorine]] monks such as [[Godfrey of Saint Victor]] (born 1125, author of a treatise called ''Microcosmus''), by the [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] mystic [[Ibn Arabi]] (1165–1240),<ref>{{harvnb|Aminrazavi|2009–2021}}.</ref> by the German cardinal [[Nicholas of Cusa]] (1401–1464),<ref>{{harvnb|Miller|2009–2017}}.</ref> and by numerous others.

[[File:Paracelsus.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|left|[[Paracelsus]] (1494–1541)]]