Friedrich Dedekind (1524 – February 27, 1598) was a German

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

theologian 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 ...

, and

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of libra ...

. Born in

Neustadt am Rübenberge Neustadt am Rübenberge ( nds, Niestadt) is a town in the district of Hannover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. At , it is the 9th largest settlement in Germany by area (following Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne), though only about 45,000 inhabitants ...

, he was educated at the universities of Marburg (1543) and

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north o ...

, where he studied

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 ...

. At Wittenberg, his talents were recognized by Philipp Melanchthon. As ''magister'', he became in 1575 a minister and inspector of churches in

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...

. He wrote

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

and in later years became involved in mediating theological disputes. He died on February 27, 1598, at Lüneburg.

Dedekind's ''Grobianus''

Dedekind was the author of ''Grobianus et Grobiana: sive, de morum simplicitate, libri tres'' (

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, 1558). This work had first been published in 1549 as ''Grobianus'', but it appeared with additions known as ''Grobiana'' in 1554. A poem in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

elegiac The adjective ''elegiac'' has two possible meanings. First, it can refer to something of, relating to, or involving, an elegy or something that expresses similar mournfulness or sorrow. Second, it can refer more specifically to poetry composed in ...

verse, it was first published in two books in 1549, and revised form and enlarged to three books in 1552. Dedekind's work had an immense popularity across Continental

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. The work describes the fictional Saint Grobian as a counselor who teaches men on how to avoid bad manners, gluttony, and

drunkenness Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main ...

. Dedekind's work appeared in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1605 as ', published by one "R.F.". The "Schoole" was imagined as a place where one was instructed to use one's greasy

finger A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...

s to grab at the nicest portions of any dish and snatch food belonging to fellow diners. Holding back the desire to

urinate Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...

fart Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...

, and

vomit Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenterit ...

is taught to be bad for one's health; thus, one has to indulge freely in all three activities. The work also inspired Thomas Dekker's ''The Guls Horne-Booke'' (1609). The Portrait of Friedrich Dedekind was found in Hannover (2008) by: Eberhard Doll, hidden for more than 400 years under the front cover of his own personal Bible, at the Gottfried Whilhelm Leibniz Library. This portrait was painted in beautiful water colors and underneath, a hand-written autograph in Latin was dedicated to his elder son Euricius. Signed by Friedrich, Luneburg 1589.

Plays

* ''Der christliche Ritter'' ("The Christian

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

") (1576) * ''Papista conversus'' (1596)

External links

Polybiblio: Grobianus et Grobiana: sive, de morum simplicitate, libri tres

*
Biographischer Artikel zu Friedrich Dedekind im BBKL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dedekind, Friedrich 1524 births 1598 deaths People from Neustadt am Rübenberge German Renaissance humanists 16th-century German Lutheran clergy German booksellers Literature of the German Renaissance German male writers