Medieval Alchemical Manuscript Features Black Angel as Symbol of Spiritual Transformation

A 15th-century alchemical manuscript titled 'Aurora consurgens' contains an illustration of a black-skinned angel with green wings and a glowing red interior. This image challenges conventional medieval associations of moral goodness with whiteness. The manuscript, attributed to pseudo-Aquinas, presents alchemy as a spiritual discipline involving stages of transformation where blackness is not erased but integrated. The angel represents the initial stage of spiritual unmaking that enables the capacity for love. This analysis was presented at the RaceB4Race Symposium at Arizona State University on January 24.