An Detur Materia Prima Diversa ab Elementis? Sources and Context of Jean Chrysostôme Magnen's Atomism

This article reconstructs the atomistic theory of matter proposed by the physician and natural philosopher Jean Chrysostôme Magnen in his Democritus reviviscens sive de Atomis (1646). Drawing on Democritean doctrine, Magnen advances a theory of matter that openly breaks with the Aristotelian-Scholastic concept of prime matter. Starting from this opposition, the article explores the fundamental aspects of Magnen's atomism, highlighting both his engagement with the Aristotelian doctrine and his modern sources. Particular attention is given to Magnen's atomistic reinterpretation of Aristotle's theory of the elements, to the Scholastic background of his views on the relationship between matter and quantity, and to the medical sources that inform his theory of mixtures and his use of substantial forms. This analysis demonstrates how, through his restoration of ancient atomism, Magnen developed an atomistic model to address the challenges of medicine and natural philosophy in his time.