[The idea that there is a substance – in this case a drink – that will restore health and youth and vigor has entranced humans. It is found in ancient texts, in the foundations of alchemy, and in religion. In the biblical story of the Garden of Eden we find there are two trees – one being the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, from which our unfortunate ancestors took a bite, and the other the Tree of Life, which we assume, would confer long or eternal life.]
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3
[Some alchemists, such as Flamel (below), were believed to have found such an elixir. There are stories of others, such as the Compte de St. Germain, who were reputed to be too long-lived and youthful to be naturally so. Are there people living among us who are far older than they appear to be; who have lived generations past their own natural lifetimes? Such a potion is one of the apparently undiscovered secrets of God, which many Faustian types have sought after for millennia. We always think we might be close to finding it. Not Faust, though. He had agreed to spend eternity in the realm of Hell, thinking, perhaps, he’d enjoy the company better. A good Christian, too, might forgo the joys of eternal life on Earth if it meant never entering into the presence of God.]
From Wikipedia on the elixir of life:
“The elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality and sometimes equated with the philosopher’s stone, is a mythical potion that, when drunk from a certain cup at a certain time, supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to be able to create life. Related to the myths of Thoth and Hermes Trismegistus, both of whom in various tales are said to have drunk “the white drops” (liquid gold) and thus achieved immortality, it is mentioned in one of the Nag Hammadi texts. Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means of formulating the elixir.”
From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life>
“Comte de St. Germain, an 18th-century nobleman of uncertain origin and mysterious capabilities, was also reputed to have the Elixir and to be several hundred years old. Many European recipes specify that elixir is to be stored in clocks to amplify the effects of immortality on the user. Frenchman Nicolas Flamel was also a reputed creator of the Elixir.”
From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life>
‘Some view it as a metaphor for the spirit of God (e.g., Jesus’s reference to “the Water of Life” or “the Fountain of Life”). “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) ‘