Johann Albrecht Widmannstetter
Encyclopedia
Johann Albrecht Widmannstetter (1506 in Nellingen
/Blaubeuren
near Ulm
– March 28, 1557 in Regensburg
), was a German humanist, orientalist, philologist, and theologian.
. After 1527, he continued his studies in Italy
, in Turin
, Naples
and Rome
, focusing on Syria
n and Arabian. In 1533, Widmannstetter became secretary of the pope, first Pope Clement VII
, then Pope Paul III
. In the same year, he delivered a series of lectures in Rome, outlining Nicolaus Copernicus
' theory to the pope and the cardinals.
After 1535, Widmannstetter was secretary of Cardinal Nikolaus von Schönberg. Impressed by Widmannstetter's lessons, the Cardinal wrote a letter to Copernicus in 1536, urging him to publish (which he would do only in 1543, shortly before his death).
The rest of his career was focussed on orientalism
, to which he contributed a lot, collecting hundreds of manuscripts in Hebrew
and Arabic
. Widmannstetter is considered to be a founder of European orientalism.
Nellingen
Nellingen is a municipality in the Alb-Donau district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany....
/Blaubeuren
Blaubeuren
Blaubeuren is a town in the district of Alb-Donau near Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.It has 11.963 inhabitants as of December 2007.-Coat of arms:...
near Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
– March 28, 1557 in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
), was a German humanist, orientalist, philologist, and theologian.
Life
Widmannstetter studied law, theology and oriental languages in TübingenTübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
. After 1527, he continued his studies in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, focusing on Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n and Arabian. In 1533, Widmannstetter became secretary of the pope, first Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
, then Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
. In the same year, he delivered a series of lectures in Rome, outlining Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
' theory to the pope and the cardinals.
After 1535, Widmannstetter was secretary of Cardinal Nikolaus von Schönberg. Impressed by Widmannstetter's lessons, the Cardinal wrote a letter to Copernicus in 1536, urging him to publish (which he would do only in 1543, shortly before his death).
The rest of his career was focussed on orientalism
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
, to which he contributed a lot, collecting hundreds of manuscripts in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. Widmannstetter is considered to be a founder of European orientalism.
Selected work
- 1541/42: Sacrarum ceremoniarum sive rituum ecclesiasticorum sanctae romanae ecclesiae libri tres
- 1543: Notae contra Mohammedis dogmata
- 1552: Von den geistlichen und weltlichen Wappen eines Ritters (Dillingen)
- 1555: Liber sacrosancti Evangelii de Jesu Christo Domino et Deo nostro (ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) - 1555: Syriacae linguae ... prima elementa (Vienna); also published in Antwerpen in 1572
Literature
- Max Müller (1907): Johann Albrecht von Widmanstetter 1506-1557. Sein Leben und Wirken. Bamberg.
- Hans Striedl (1952): Die Bücherei des Orientalisten Johann Albrecht Widmanstetter.
- In: Hans Joachim Kissling (ed.): Serta Monacensia. Leiden. Pages 200-244.
- Hans Striedl (1953): Der Humanist Johann Albrecht Widmanstetter als klassischer Philologe.
- In: Festgabe der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek für Emil Gratzl. Wiesbaden. Pages 96-120.