Franz Reinzer (1661–1708) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

professor of

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and Krems. His ''Meteorologia philosophico-politica, in duodecim dissertationes per quaestiones meteorologicas & conclusiones politicas divisa, appositisque'' was first published in 1697. A third edition was published posthumously in 1709. His ''Meteorologia philosophico-politica'' is, as its title indicates, a meteorological, astrological, and political compendium. It comprises 12 dissertations – most of which follow Athanasius Kircher. Subjects covered include

comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

meteor A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

s, bodies of water, and subterranean treasures and secrets of the earth. Illustrations in the 1709 edition were done by Wolffgangus Josephus Kadoriza. Reinzer intended that this work be read by

Emperor Joseph I , father = Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg , birth_date = , birth_place = Vienna, Austria , death_date = , death_place = Vienna, Austria , burial_place = Imperial Crypt, Vienna , r ...

, who was nonetheless hostile towards the Jesuits. His 12 dissertations are subdivided into 84 "questions." These questions not only consider various natural phenomena but also the application of appropriate political policy and behavior in reaction to them. Thus, in his examination on comets, which deals with the appearance of every notable comet from 1500 to 1688, Reinzer discusses the predicted political upheavals and other political events that came in their wakes, and asks that Joseph be a wise and just ruler.

Sources

Pirages Books
* ''Meteorologia philosophico-politica : das ist philosophische und politische Beschreib- und Erklärung der meteorischen, oder in der obern Lufft erzeugten Dinge ... ; anjetzo ... aus dem Lateinischen in das Teutsche übersetzt''. Wolff, Augspurg 1712
digital

External links

*
Meteorologia philosophico-politica, in duodecim dissertationes per quæstiones meteorologicas et conclusiones politicas divisa, appositisque symbolis illustrata
From the Collections at the Library of Congress {{DEFAULTSORT:Reinzer, Franz 17th-century Austrian Jesuits Academic staff of the University of Vienna Austrian scientists Austrian meteorologists 1661 births 1708 deaths Jesuit scientists

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