In the Middle Ages, alchemy covered a large and complex group of operations and theories. Most frequently, alchemy describes “the art and science of transforming base metals into noble metals, silver and gold” (Halleux 134). Alchemy also represented different aspects of each great civilization in which it developed with distinct symbols and purposes. The term “alchemy” evolved from the Arabic “al-kimiya” which transformed during the transition into Latin and later into English (“Alchemy”, New Dictionary). The earliest textual evidence for alchemy dates back to around 400 AD (Grun 31), but probably dates back to the invention of metallurgy itself. Alchemy later developed into the science of chemistry, introduced by Francis Bacon and Robert Boyle who wished to incorporate the principles of alchemy into an actual science (Gribbin 146). Throughout history and throughout the ancient world, alchemists studied alchemy for scientific reasons. Although persecuted in various places and times, alchemists continued to be a powerful force in promoting all three interests well into the Renaissance. Alchemy originated in China, where alchemists strove to create the elixir of life, but their goal transformed as the concept of alchemy moved westward. Many alchemists studied not for personal gain or scientific research, but rather because their religious beliefs compelled them to do so. Families passed down the secrets of alchemy to children or trusted friends. Eventually cults formed around it, whose true practitioners were the priests. Even religions common during the Middle Ages such as Daoism, Gnosticism, and Hermeticism contained elements of alchemy. At the core of religions related to alchemy, many beliefs are born from basic ideas. A popular belief was that a person's soul or spirit is trapped in his body and that alchemy can free it and that this same soul exists in