Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs

Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs (illustration from the Bibliotheca chalcographica by Jean-Jacques Boissard ).

Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs (* 1511 in Merckenstein , † 1575 in Freiburg im Breisgau ) was a mathematician and astronomer , rhetorician , humanist and Hebraist .

Life

Sebastian Munster's student became a professor of mathematics, rhetoric and Hebrew at the University of Tübingen and then at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1550 .

He dealt u. a. with the new planet theory Novae theoreticae planetarum by the Vienna astronomy professor Georg Peuerbach , on which he published a commentary in 1556 together with the Tübingen astronomer Philipp Imsser .

In 1566 the second edition of Nicolaus Copernicus ' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium was printed by Munster's stepson in Basel. According to Pierre Gassendi 's biography of Copernicus from 1654, he was aware of his main work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, published in 1543, and was an early follower of his heliocentric worldview. He created an instrument with which he could illustrate both systems, which Tycho Brahe thought was impossible. The records in the University Archives Freiburg im Breisgau can be found:

In the spring of 1575 Erasmus Oswald began to be ailing. He died in August 1575. After his death on October 22, 1575, the university had valuable books and instruments selected from his estate. He also owed 100 guilders in money from the university. At this time, his son Laurentius was called back to Freiburg at the instigation of the University of Ingolstadt. He should be the successor of his father here (in class). On July 25, 1575 Laurentius had already taken over the lectureship in mathematics for his father. In April 1579 there is (finally) an inheritance and division contract between Erasmus Oswald's widow and his 11 children. (Erasmus Oswald had 12 children with his first wife - and a son with the current widow as the last child. This contract is probably the reason why the year of his death was given as 1579 in several publications, including the copper engraving shown. In the dissertation by Horst Ruth, however, is given the correct year of death.)

When his teacher Sebastian Münster died of the consequences of the plague on May 26, 1552, the terrifying fox, who was a close friend of him, gave a memorial speech in Hebrew.

Works

• Arithmetica of Elias Levita. 1546, Petri, Basel
  Translation of the work
• Sphaera Mundi by Rabbi Abrahamo. 1546, Petri, Basel
  Translation into Latin by EOSchreckenfuchs, drawings by Sebastian Münster
• Pelusiensis Alexandrini omnia ... Claudii Ptolemaei. Petri, Basel 1551. Translation of the work
• Cantica canticorum et Ecclesiastes Salomonis paraphrasticos. 1553. Translated from the Chaldean into Latin and Hebrew.
• Commentaria in Sphaeram ... J. de Sacrobusco. Petri, Basel 1553.
• Commentaria in novas theoricas planetarum Georgii Purbachii . Petri, Basel 1556.
• Annotationes in Procli de Sphaera. Petri, Basel 1561.
• Primum Mobile. Petri, Basel 1567.
• Reprint of the edition: Commentaria in Sphaeram Joannis de Sacrobosco accuratissima. Petri, Basel 1569.
• Opus novum nobilissimum gentium ... Calendaria. Petri, Basel 1574.
• Opus posthumum, exactissimam praecipuarum in orbe terrarum gentium, ...; Laurentii Schreckenfuchsii, ... opera editus aeternaeque memoriae, ac posteritati dicatus. Petri, Basel 1576. This great work, on which Erasmus worked, deals with the chronology of all civilized peoples. It was only published by his son Lorenz.

literature

• Siegmund Günther :  Schreckenfuchs, Erasmus Oswald . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 32, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1891, p. 467 f.
• Nikolaus Reusner: ICONES sive IMAGINES VIRORVM LITERIS ILLVSTRIVM, QVORVM FIDE ET DOCTRINA RELIGIONIS ET BONARVM literarum studia, nostrâ patrum'que memoriâ, in Germaniâ praesertim, in integrum sunt restituta. ADDITIS EORVNDEM ELOGIIS diversorum auctorum. Ex Secunda recognitione NICOLAI REVSNERI IC. Strasbourg, Bernhard Jobin, 1590.
• Heinz Schröckenfuchs: Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs 1511–1575 and his descendants

Individual evidence

1. ^ Adam Mosley: Bearing the heavens. Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-83866-5 , p. 272.
2. ↑ Horst Ruth: The structure of persons and offices at the University of Freiburg (1520-1620) [1]
3. ↑ see web link to PDF file of the University of Giessen

Web links

• Edward Rosen: Copernicus and His Successors [2]
• Moritz Cantor : Lectures on the History of Mathematics, 1913 [3]
• The Horror Fox's funeral speech for Sebastian Münster (PDF file; 1.28 MB)
• Heinz Schröckenfuchs: Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs 1511–1575 and his descendants [4]