Johannes Stöffler

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Contemporary portrait of Stöffler from his 1534 commentary on the Sphaera des Pseudo-Proklos (actually Geminos )

Johannes Stöffler (born December 10, 1452, presumably in Justingen near Blaubeuren, † February 16, 1531 in Blaubeuren ) was a southern German astronomer , mathematician , astrologer , sought-after manufacturer of celestial globes and astronomical instruments as well as pastor . He was the first professor for astronomy at the University of Tübingen .

Life

Origin and education

Copper engraving from the workshop of Theodor de Brys , published in 1598 in the 2nd volume of the Bibliotheca chalcographica
Panel painting by Johannes Stöffler in the style of an ideal and status portrait, created in 1614 for the Tübingen Professorengalerie

Johannes Stöffler was born on December 10, 1452 in Blaubeuren or Justingen on the Swabian Alb and attended school in Blaubeuren. Immediately after the University of Ingolstadt was founded , he enrolled there on April 21, 1472, became a Baccalaureus in September 1473 and received his master's degree in January 1476 . After completing his studies, he became pastor of Gundershofen in the Justingen rule , whose patron saints were von Stöffeln . As early as 1473 he had become chaplain of the parish of Justingen, which was probably a kind of scholarship. In 1481 he took over this well endowed parish with an assistant pastor. In the same year, the Ehingen regional chapter elected him dean for Upper Austria .

Stöffler was presumably a descendant (grandson) from an inappropriate association of a Mr. von Stöffeln . This assumption results from the extremely benevolent treatment by the Lords of Justingen (barons of Stöffeln), also from the fact that he carried the same coat of arms as this one, and finally from the obviously derived name.

Pastor, astronomer and instrument maker

He worked as a pastor in Justingen and the surrounding area for 30 years, but also dealt autodidactically with astronomy and astrology. He became known among scientists for his astronomical instruments, which he manufactured in his workshop called Officin . In 1493 the large celestial globe , which has been preserved to this day, was created for Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Zehender of Constance. Three years later, Stoeffler was again at Lake Constance to design a clock for the cathedral in Constance . For the Bishop of Worms Johann III. von Dalberg (1445–1503) he built a celestial globe, whose precisely mapped stars he surrounded with gold.

In 1499, Stöffler published his almanac with the Ulm astronomer Jakob Pflaum , a continuation of the ephemeris by Regiomontanus . He also had close relationships with the humanist Johannes Reuchlin . For the famous Hebraist he made an equatorium to determine the true course of the sun and moon and sent him his conception and natal chart two years later . This activity of Stoeffler in the then highly valued field also increased Stöffler's degree of acquaintance in specialist circles.

Professor in Tübingen

Duke Ulrich of Württemberg became aware of the learned priest, appointed him in 1505 to the advice of house and distressed him, a professor at the University of Tubingen to take over. From 1511 Stöfler was professor at the chair for mathematics and astronomy, which was newly created in 1507 . In addition to his teaching activities, he continued to manufacture astronomical instruments , globes and clocks, including the still functioning astronomical clock on the decorative gable of the Tübingen town hall. After Duke Ulrich was expelled in 1519, Stöffler had to fight for years for his income.

A plague epidemic forced the relocation of university operations to other cities in the country in 1530. Stöffler, who went to Blaubeuren with part of his faculty , died there of the plague on February 16, 1531. He was buried in the choir of the collegiate church in Tübingen . Theodor Reysmann , a student of Stöffler and Melanchthon, who had also moved to Blaubeuren, wrote a poem about Stöffler's death.

Stöffler's successor in Tübingen was Philipp Imsser , who also took over part of his reference library. Some of these books are now in the Badische Landesbibliothek in Karlsruhe.

astronomy

Celestial globe by Johannes Stöffler, 1493; State Museum Württemberg

Long before his professorship, in addition to his church duties, Stöffler dealt with astronomy and astrology as well as the manufacture of astronomical instruments, globes and clocks , for which he also set up a workshop in the parsonage. He quickly made a name for himself with his products. He received an order from the auxiliary bishop of Constance for a celestial globe , his first important work, which he made in 1493. After the globe by Nicolaus von Kues (mid-14th century) and the celestial globe built by Hans Dorn for Martin Bylica von Olkusz in 1480, it is the third oldest surviving instrument of this type. The other globes produced by Stöfler have not survived, but are in described in some publications.

At the end of the 1490s, Stöffler calculated a continuation of Regiomontan's Ephemeris and constructed an equatorium for Johannes Reuchlin - an analog calculating machine for finding the position of a planet at a given point in time. In connection with a table for the mean anomaly, it shows the Ptolemaic epicycles of the moon and planets on the ecliptic. He published a detailed table, the Tabulae astronomicae , in 1514.

His work Elucidatio fabricae ususque astrolabii from 1513, which was published in several editions, was long regarded by astronomers and surveyors as the standard work on the use of the astrolabe . His proposal for calendar reform dates from 1518 and appeared in Latin and German. A commentary on the astronomical conceptions of Proclus (412–485) was not printed posthumously until 1534.

astrology

Stöffler became known throughout Europe, partly under the name Master Hans Justinger derived from his place of work , through the almanac he wrote together with the Ulm pastor Jakob Pflaum and published in 1499 , a highly accurate ephemeris . It also contained astrological predictions, including a. about the approaching end of the papacy (such prophecies were widespread at the time because of discontent with the state of the church).

His prediction for 1524 was particularly effective. There he wrote the following about a rare meeting of all five planets as well as the sun and moon in the zodiac sign of Pisces :

"In the month of February, 20 conjunctions occur, 16 of which occur in a watery zodiac sign, which undoubtedly mean change, change and movement in pretty much the entire world in terms of weather, kingdoms, provinces, constitution, dignity, livestock, marine animals and all rural dwellers. as they have certainly hardly been noticed by historians or by the masses for centuries. Therefore lift up your heads, you Christians! "

Stöffler did not speak specifically of floods , but in general of mutatio , variatio and alteratio . But he announced earth-shattering events here: A large number of areas and groups were to be affected, it was something that had not been there for centuries, and at the end he alluded to the words of Jesus in his eschatological address ( Lk 21:28  EU ). In combination with the reference to a “watery sign”, it made sense to think of dramatic floods as well. The horror caused by Stöffler's prediction was made by the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano the subject of his historical miniature "The Flood".

The discussion triggered by Stöffler's tip is considered to be the most intense in the entire history of astrology in view of the many writings published on it. The Viennese astronomer Georg Tannstetter countered extreme fears - and polemicized against the "autor ephemeridum" without naming Stöffler. Stöffler responded with his own justification, already mentioning Tannstetter in the title ( Expurgatio , 1523) and defending himself by stating that he had not predicted anything concrete anyway.

Colleagues and students

Stöffler conducted extensive correspondence with important humanists of his time, including Johannes Reuchlin , for whom he created an equatorium and created horoscopes . At the instigation of Duke Ulrich von Württemberg , he was given the newly created chair for mathematics and astronomy at the University of Tübingen in 1507 , but he did not accept the appointment until 1511. There he developed a lively teaching and publishing activity and was elected rector in 1522 . Philipp Melanchthon and Sebastian Münster are among his best-known students .

Honors

Moon map from Almagestum novum astronomiam with Stoefler

Giovanni Riccioli named a lunar crater Stoefler in the selenographic map Francesco Grimaldiss published by him in 1651 in the Almagestum novum astronomiam . The spelling of the Stöfler crater was retained in later maps and was officially confirmed by the International Astronomical Union in 1935 .

Works

  • 1493: A celestial globe for the Bishop of Constance. This celestial globe is the only surviving and most important product from his workshop that is exhibited in the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart.
  • 1496: An astronomical clock for the Konstanz Minster .
  • 1498: A celestial globe for the Bishop of Worms .
  • 1499: An almanac written in collaboration with the Ulm astronomer Jakob Pflaum (A lmanach nova plurimis annis venturis inservientia , Ulm by Johann Reger ) as a continuation of the ephemeris by Regiomontanus . This almanac had 13 editions by 1551 and, with its widespread use, had a great influence on the astronomy of its time.
  • 1510: An astronomical clock for the Tübingen town hall to display possible lunar and solar eclipses . It has been fully functional renovated since 1993.
  • 1513: Writing on the construction and use of the astrolabe ( Elucidatio fabricae ususque astrolabii ), of which 16 editions were published up to 1620. (An English translation was edited by Alessandro Gunella, John Lamprey: Stoeffler's Elucidatio . Bellvue, CO: Self-published by John Lamprey 2007.)
  • 1514: Astronomical Tables ( Tabulae astronomicae ). Digitized
  • 1518: proposal for calendar reform; this formed a basis for the Gregorian calendar reform : Calendarivm Romanvm Magnum, Cæsare [ae] maiestati dicatum , D. Ioanne Stœffler Iustingensi Mathematico authore. Jakob Köbel, Oppenheim 1518.
  • 1523: Justification against the criticism of Tannstetter regarding the fears for 1524: Expurgatio adversus divinationum XXIIII anni suspitiones a quibusdam indigne sibi offusas, nominatim autem a Georgio Tannstetter Collimicio. Tübingen 1523 (18 sheets)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stöffler's indication of his origin in the register of the University of Ingolstadt (today LMU Munich): "Plabewrn". Related Stöfflers are proven in Blaubeuren.
  2. ↑ This assumption is derived from an assumed direct descent from one of Stöffeln.
  3. ↑ In Blaubeuren there was both a monastery school and a municipal Latin school, both of which are possible.
  4. ↑ The poem was edited by Dirk Kottke. Cf. Theodor Reysmann (1531), De obitu Ioannis Stoefler Iustingani mathematici Tubingensis elegia (Augsburg 1531): A poem on the death of the Tübingen astronomer Johannes Stöffler (1452-1531) . Edition, translation and commentary with a directory of Reysmann's poetic works by Dirk Kottke. Hildesheim, Zurich a. a .: Olms, 2013. (Spudasmanta, vol. 156). ISBN 978-3-487-15091-8 .
  5. ↑ Ralf Kern: Scientific instruments in their time . Volume 1: From astrolabe to mathematical cutlery . Cologne 2010. p. 313. ISBN 978-3-86560-772-0 .
  6. ^ Translated in Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer : Humanism between court and university. Georg Tannstetter (Collimitius) and his scientific environment in Vienna in the early 16th century . Vienna 1996, p. 136 (there also the original Latin text).
  7. ↑ Eduardo Galeano: Time that speaks . Hammer, Wuppertal 2005. ISBN 3-7795-0027-2 . P. 87.
  8. ↑ On the discussion at that time and in particular Tannstetter's statement, see Graf-Stuhlhofer: Humanism between Court and University. 1996, pp. 135-140.
  9. ↑ This Günther Oestmann : fate interpretation and astronomy: The celestial globe of Johannes Stoeffler of 1493 . Exhibition catalog. Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart 1993. ISBN 3-929055-28-7 .
  10. ^ Francis B. Brévart: Pflaum, Jakob. In: Author's Lexicon . Volume VII, Col. 578-580; here: col. 579.

literature

  • Gerhard Betsch: M. Johannes Stöffler and the beginnings of mathematical sciences at the University of Tübingen. In: Algorismus, Volume 53 (2006), pp. 28-40.
  • Gerhard Betsch: The beginnings of mathematical science at the University of Tübingen - Johannes Stöffler and Philipp Imsser. In: Sönke Lorenz (Ed.): Tübingen in teaching and research around 1500. On the history of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2008 (Tübinger Baussteine ​​zur Landesgeschichte, Volume 9), pp. 127–158, ISBN 978-3- 7995-5509-8 .
  • Karl Hartfelder:  Stöffler, Johannes . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 36, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1893, p. 317 f.
  • JC Albert Moll: Johannes Stöffler von Justingen. A character picture from the first half century of the University of Tübingen , in: Writings of the Association for the History of Lake Constance and its Surroundings , 8th year 1877, pp. 1-77 ( digitized version )
  • Karin Reich : Johannes Stöffler. Melanchthon's teacher in mathematics and astronomy at the University of Tübingen . In: Sönke Lorenz u. a. (Ed.): From student of Burse to "teacher of Germany". Philipp Melanchthon in Tübingen , Tübingen 2010 (Tübingen Catalogs, Volume 88), pp. 139–151, ISBN 978-3-941818-00-2 .
  • Theodor Reysmann / Dirk Kottke: De obitu Iohannis Stoefler lustingani mathematici Tubingensis elegia (Augsburg 1531). A poem on the death of the Tübingen astronomer Johannes Stöffler (1452 - 1531) , Olms, Hildesheim 2013 (Spudasmata, Volume 156), ISBN 978-3-487-15091-8 .

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Stöffler, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steffler; Stoeffler; Stoefflerinus; Stoefflerinus; Stoefflerius; Stoefflerus; Stoeflerus; Stöffel; Stoffler; Stoffler; Stofflerinus; Stofflerius; Stöfler; Stoflerinus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, pastor and manufacturer of astronomical instruments, rector of the University of Tübingen
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1452
PLACE OF BIRTH Blaubeuren or Justingen
DATE OF DEATH February 16, 1531
Place of death Blaubeuren