Achilles Gasser
Encyclopedia
Achilles Pirmin Gasser was a German physician and astrologer. He is now known as a well-connected humanist scholar, and supporter of both Copernicus and Rheticus.
, he studied mathematics, history and philosophy as well as astronomy. He was a student in Sélestat
under Johannes Sapidus; he also attended universities in Wittenberg, Vienna, Montpellier, and Avignon.
Rheticus lost his physician father Georg Iserin in 1528, executed on sorcery charges. Gasser later took over the practice in Feldkirch
, in 1538; he taught Rheticus some astrology
, and helped his education, in particular by writing to the University of Wittenberg on his behalf.
When Rheticus printed his Narratio prima—the first published account of the Copernican heliocentric system—in 1540 (Danzig), he sent Gasser a copy. Gasser then undertook a second edition (1541, Basel) with his own introduction. The eventual first edition (1543) of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
contained a letter by Gasser, in the form of the introduction to the Narratio Prima of Rheticus which it also contained; in it Gasser writes to Georg Vogelin of Konstanz
about the Narratio.
Other works include:
Gasser belonged with Flacius to the humanist circle around Kaspar von Niedbruck, concerned with the recovery of monastic manuscripts. Others in the group were John Bale
, Conrad Gesner, Joris Cassander, Johannes Matalius Metellus, and Cornelius Wauters.
Life
Born in LindauLindau
Lindau is a Bavarian town and an island on the eastern side of Lake Constance, the Bodensee. It is the capital of the Landkreis or rural district of Lindau. The historic city of Lindau is located on an island which is connected with the mainland by bridge and railway.- History :The name Lindau was...
, he studied mathematics, history and philosophy as well as astronomy. He was a student in Sélestat
Sélestat
Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.-Geography:...
under Johannes Sapidus; he also attended universities in Wittenberg, Vienna, Montpellier, and Avignon.
Rheticus lost his physician father Georg Iserin in 1528, executed on sorcery charges. Gasser later took over the practice in Feldkirch
Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
- Schools :* Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch * Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Feldkirch* Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Schillerstrasse...
, in 1538; he taught Rheticus some astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, and helped his education, in particular by writing to the University of Wittenberg on his behalf.
When Rheticus printed his Narratio prima—the first published account of the Copernican heliocentric system—in 1540 (Danzig), he sent Gasser a copy. Gasser then undertook a second edition (1541, Basel) with his own introduction. The eventual first edition (1543) of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium is the seminal work on the heliocentric theory of the Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus...
contained a letter by Gasser, in the form of the introduction to the Narratio Prima of Rheticus which it also contained; in it Gasser writes to Georg Vogelin of Konstanz
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
about the Narratio.
Works
He prepared the first edition (Augsburg, 1558) of the Epistola de magnete of Pierre de Maricourt.Other works include:
- Comet observations
- Historiarum et Chronicorum totius mundi epitome (1538)
- Prognosticon (1544) dedicated to Thomas Venatorius
- Edition of the Evangelienbuch of Otfried of Weissenburg. His edition did not appear until 1571, under the name of Matthias FlaciusMatthias FlaciusMatthias Flacius Illyricus was a Lutheran reformer.He was born in Carpano, a part of Albona in Istria, son of Andrea Vlacich alias Francovich and Jacobea Luciani, daughter of a wealthy and powerful Albonian family...
who had taken over.
Gasser belonged with Flacius to the humanist circle around Kaspar von Niedbruck, concerned with the recovery of monastic manuscripts. Others in the group were John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, Conrad Gesner, Joris Cassander, Johannes Matalius Metellus, and Cornelius Wauters.
Further reading
- Karl Heinz Burmeister (1970), Achilles Pirmin Gasser, 1505-1577. Arzt u. Naturforscher, Historiker und Humanist. (3 volumes.)
- Karl Heinz Burmeister, Achilles Pirmin Gasser (1505-1577) as Geographer and Cartographer, Imago Mundi Vol. 24, (1970), pp. 57-62; http://www.jstor.org/stable/1150458