Matthias Bernegger ( la, Bernegerus, also ''Matthew'';Jerzy Dobrzycki: ''The reception of Copernicus' heliocentric theory'', International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science. Nicolas Copernicus Committe

/ref> born 8 February 1582 in

Hallstatt Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut ...

Salzkammergut The Salzkammergut (; ; bar, Soizkaumaguad, label=Central Austro-Bavarian) is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mou ...

, died 5 February 1640 in Strasbourg) was a German

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

, university professor and writer of

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 ...

works.

Life

Bernegger's

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

family was, like other so called ''exulanten'', expelled from Habsburg monarchy during the

counter reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

. They settled in Regensburg, where Bernegger attended the Gymnasium. In 1599, the 17-year-old began studies in Strasbourg, mainly in the fields of

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

and

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

. He was fascinated by

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and was in contact with Johannes Kepler and

Wilhelm Schickard Wilhelm Schickard (22 April 1592 – 24 October 1635) was a German professor of Hebrew and astronomy who became famous in the second part of the 20th century after Franz Hammer, a biographer (along with Max Caspar) of Johannes Kepler, claim ...

. Already in 1612, Bernegger had translated a 1606 Italian-language work of

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

's into Latin, as ''Tractatus de proportionum instrumento''. In 1632, via their mutual friend Élie Diodati, Galilei asked Bernegger to translate his Italian-language ''Dialogo'' (

Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems The ''Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'' (''Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo'') is a 1632 Italian-language book by Galileo Galilei comparing the Copernican system with the traditional Ptolemaic system. It was tran ...

) into Latin. In order to protect Galilei's involvement, it was statedSiegfried Wollgast: ''Philosophie in Deutschland zwischen Reformation und Aufklärung, 1550-1650''

/ref> in the preface that one of

Peter Crüger Peter Crüger or Peter Krüger (20 October 1580 – 6 June 1639) was a mathematician, astronomer, polymath, and teacher of Johannes Hevelius. Life Crüger was born in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia, a fief of the Kingdom of Poland. In scientifi ...

's pupils, Benjamin Engelcke, had traveled in 1632 to Italy, had met Galilei, and had brought Galilei's book to Bernegger to persuade him to translate, without Galilei's permission. Bernegger was known for his editions of classic writers like

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

and for his correspondence with scholars. Among his students were the Silesian Daniel Czepko von Reigersfeld (1605–1660), Johannes Freinsheim,

Johann Michael Moscherosch Johann Michael Moscherosch (7 March 1601 – 4 April 1669), German statesman, satirist, and educator, was born at Willstätt, on the Upper Rhine near Strassburg. His bitterly brilliant but partisan writings graphically describe life in a G ...

Martin Opitz Martin Opitz von Boberfeld (23 December 1597 – 20 August 1639) was a German poet, regarded as the greatest of that nation during his lifetime. Biography Opitz was born in Bunzlau (Bolesławiec) in Lower Silesia, in the Principality of ...

and the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

Robert Roberthin (1600–1648). Since 1607, Bernegger taught, like his colleague

Caspar Brülow Caspar Brülow (1585-1627) was a Pomeranian scholar and dramatist who wrote in Latin and German. He is remembered for his Latin language dramas on Biblical and Classical subjects which were performed by his students. Born in Falkenburg, he moved t ...

(1585–1627), at the Protestant Gymnasium, before he was called in 1616 to the Straßburg Academy which was raised in 1621 to a university. Bernegger was also interested in politics, and during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

tried to negotiate with the French. As a pacifist, he opposed Caspar Schoppe who called for a holy war against Protestants.

Works (selection)

: se
list
* ''Manuale Mathematicum … Allen Bau- vnd Kriegsverständigen … vnd andern Kunstliebenden in Teutscher Sprach''. Straßburg 1612 * ''Tuba Pacis, occenta Scioppiano Belli Sacri Classico.'' Straßburg 1621 (against Caspar Schoppe) * ''Systema cosmicum, Authore Galilaeo Galilei''. Straßburg 1635 (Latin translation of Galilei's Italian language ''Dialogo'' (

)Journal for the history of astronomy, 2005
/ref>)

Correspondence

* '' Hugonis Grotii & Matthiae Berneggeri Epistolae''. Straßburg 1667 * ''Epistolae J. Keppleri & M. Berneggeri''. Straßburg 1672 * ''Epistolae W. Schickarti & M. Berneggeri.'' Straßburg 1673

References

External links

*
The Correspondence of Matthias Bernegger
i
EMLO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernegger, Matthias German philologists 17th-century German astronomers 17th-century German mathematicians University of Strasbourg alumni Academic staff of the University of Strasbourg 1582 births 1640 deaths 17th-century German writers 17th-century German male writers

Life

Works (selection)

Correspondence

References

Further reading

External links