Geestelyke natuurkundeAmsterdam, Petrus Schenk, 1735, large folio, full leather binding, ribbed and goldtooled spine with titleplate, decorated edges, 8 volumes in 4 bindings, engraved printer's mark on the titlepages (each binding has one titlepage): Omnia tempore nota (Wandelaar inv. et fec. 1733), titlepages printed in red and black, with lovely decorative initials and endpieces. The leather on the spine of the first binding is damaged (less so on the other bindings) and there are some stains and damages, but overall very nice copies with clear printwork (in two columns) and beautiful engravings. Specifics of each volume:I) [48]+151 pp,, volume 1 and 2, frontispiece: Soli gloria (Joh. Daniel Preusler del., Hieronymus Sperling sculps.), portrait (mezzotint) of Scheuzer (I.H. Heidegger pinx., T. Laub sculp.), portrait (mezzotint) of Pfeffelius (Georg. de Marees pinxit, Ioan. Georg. Pintz sculp.), richly decorated with numbered engravings outside of the collation (1-100) by various artists (I.A. Friderich, I.A. Corvinus and M. Tyroff among others), with contemporary handwritten note on the front flyleaf: "Deertien banden van Scheutzers geestelijke natuurkunde, op een auctie gehouden anno April 1779 in 't heere logement Orange in de Lange Delft te Middelburg voor mij ingekocht voor fl. 30:5:1 door den boekverkooper Van de Sanden".II) [4]+152-310 pp., volume 3 and 4, richly decorated with numbered engravings outside of the collation (101-200) by various artists (G.D. Heüman, H. Sperling and I.G. Pinz among others).III) [4}+311-484 pp., volume 5 and 6, richly decorated with numbered engravings outside of the collation (201-300) by various artists (H. Sperling, P.G. Harder and I. Stridbeck among others).IV) [4]+485-636 pp., volume 7 and 8, richly decorated with numbered engravings outside of the collation (301-400) by various artists (B.S. Sedlezky, M. Tyroff and G.D. Heüman among others).l Dutch translation of the Latin work by J.J. Scheuchzer (1672-1733), 8 volumes in 4 bindings. Original title: Physica Sacra. In this work Scheuchzer tries to explain supernatural events from the bible with laws of nature and physics. The complete work contains 15 richly decorated volumes. The first 13 volumes concern the Old Testament, the last 2 volumes concern the New Testament. His work has been called a fairytale combining faith and primitive scientific knowledge. By many it was seen as heresy and it was banned from production in Scheuchzer's home country Switzerland. It was printed between 1731 and 1735 in Augsburg. Before his death in 1733 the Latin and German editions were completed. The French and Dutch editions followed after his death. (source: Teylers Museum Haarlem)