[tyclislavaify]

This is an odd topic, to say the least. And an odd post, which implies that there is no contradiction between Orthodoxy and alchemy, and, oh, by the way, let's not even address that problem! -- which reminds me of the Marxist prohibition of questions.

A lot of things went on in the so-called Byzantine Empire that was inconsistent with Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy existed alongside all kinds of paganistic beliefs and practices for a long time -- including the circus. To imply that there was a legitimate philosophical tradition of alchemy because it may have existed within the Orthodox Empire is quite a stretch.

I see nothing in Patristic writings that would confuse the Christian doctrine of deification or divinization with the alchemical belief in divinization. The two are quite contradictory. Alchemy is the belief that humans can control the cosmos and transform its basic elements. I know of no explicit Patristic critique of alchemy, probably because the mere idea of alchemy would be an absurdity for the Church Fathers. Plato wrote the definitive critique of alchemy, which is found in The Symposium. It is not so much a critique per se, but the alternative.