Theophrastus von Hohenheim (1493–1541), better known as Paracelsus, was one of the more flamboyant figures of the sixteenth century. A controversial, but not unsuccessful doctor, and prolific, but little published author during his own lifetime, Paracelsus' somewhat esoteric natural philosophical views became much more widely known after his death. In this detailed study Charles Webster traces Paracelsus' career and the controversies that surrounded his work, although – perhaps inevitably, given the lack of sources relating to his life – he leaves Paracelsus a somewhat enigmatic figure. Webster argues that Paracelsus' numerous and extensive theological works form the proper context for understanding the better known writings in medicine and prognostication. Paracelsus believed that those who followed Christ's call to baptise all people would be granted the power of healing. The curative properties of creation would thus be revealed to the true disciple of Christ, and this Paracelsus believed himself to be. Although Webster perhaps underestimates the extent to which Paracelsus' profound sense of the imminence of the end of time was shared by Luther and other magisterial reformers, he none the less argues persuasively that Paracelsus should be placed in the spiritual wing of the radical reformation, rejecting the authority of clergy, whether Catholic or Lutheran, and emphasising the importance of direct revelation alongside the reading of Scripture. Webster locates Paracelsus in the medical, humanist and theological disputes of his day; however, he does not explain how the unpublished medical works of Paracelsus became so well known; nor does he account for the survival of the theological works of a figure whom he paints as isolated in his views and aware of the danger of allowing them to be discovered. This is a fascinating book, which shows vividly the urgency with which Paracelsus engaged with the world in which he lived, and the complexity of that world. It will doubtless become a standard work for those dealing with this complex figure.