Conrad Lycosthenes (8 August 151825 March 1561), born Conrad Wolffhart, was an Alsatian

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

and

encyclopedist An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

of Saint Leonard in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, professor of

grammar In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...

and

dialectics Dialectic (; ), also known as the dialectical method, refers originally to dialogue between people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to arrive at the truth through reasoned argument. Dialectic resembles debate, but the ...

, Lycosthenes had a passion for the study of nature and

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

Life

Conrad Wolffhart was born in

Rouffach Rouffach (; German and Alsatian: ''Rufach'') is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Rouffach lies along the Alsatian wine route (''Route des Vins d'Alsace''). Its vineyards produce one of the finest A ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

on 8 August 1518, the son of Theobald Wolffhart and Elizabeth Kürsner, sister of the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Conrad Pellicanus. He later changed his German name, Wolffhart, to the humanist name Lycosthenes. From 1535 to 1539, Conrad studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

. In 1542, he left Heidelberg for

where he began teaching Grammar and Dialectics. In 1545, at the age of 27, he became Deacon in the Church of Saint-Leonard. On 21 December 1554, he suffered from

hemiplegia Hemiparesis, also called unilateral paresis, is the weakness of one entire side of the body ('' hemi-'' means "half"). Hemiplegia, in its most severe form, is the complete paralysis of one entire side of the body. Either hemiparesis or hemiplegia ...

and lost the ability to use his right hand. He learned to write with his left hand and continued his literary works until his death from apoplexia on 25 March 1561 at the age of 43. In the meantime he had married Chretienne Herbster, sister of the famous Basel book printer Johannes Oporinus (Oporin) and widow of Leonard Zwinger, father of

Theodor Zwinger Theodor Zwinger the Elder (2 August 1533 – 10 March 1588) was a Swiss physician and Renaissance humanist scholar. He made significant contributions to the emerging genres of reference and travel literature. He was the first distinguished repre ...

, author of the ''Theatrum vitae humanae''.

Works

One of the numerous

polyhistor A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

s of the 16th century, Lycosthenes mastered Latin and Greek, and was particularly fond of

curiosities Curiosity (from Latin , from "careful, diligent, curious", akin to "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals. Curiosity helps human development, ...

. His varied works include editions, translations, and compilations. * 1547 Commentaries on ''De viris illustribus'', Basel, in-8°. * 1551 ''Elenchus scriptorum omnium'', Basel, in-4°. * 1551 ''Gnomologia ex AEneae Sylvii operibus collecta'', Basel, edit.1555, in 4°. * 1552 ''Iulii Obsequentis Prodigiorum liber, ab urbe condita usque ad Augustum Caesarem, cujus tantum extabat Fragmentum, nunc demum Historiarum beneficio, per Conradum Lycosthenem Rubeaquensem, integritati suae restitutus''. Basileae, ex off. Ioannis Oporinii, Anno Salutis humanae, M.D.LII. Mense Martio, in-8°. * 1552 ''J. Ravisii Textoris officina'', Basel. * 1555 ''Apophthegmatum sive responsorum memorabilium, ex probatissimis quibusque tam graecis quam latinis auctoribus priscis pariter atque recentioribus, collectorum Loci communes ad ordinem alphabeticum redacti'', Basel, in fol. * 1557 ''Epitome Stobaei Sententiarum'', Basel, in -8°. * 1557 ''Parabolae sive similitudines ex var. auct. ab Erasmo collectae, in locos communes redactae'', Berne in-4°; Basel, 1575, 1602, in-8°. * 1557 ''Prodigiorum ac ostentorum chronicon, quae praeter naturae ordinem, et in superioribus et his inferioribus mundi regionibus, ab exordio mundi usque ad haec nostra tempora acciderunt''. Basileae per H. Petri, fol, 672 p. fig. et pl. (64). * 1559 ''Dom. Brusonii Facetiarum lib. VII'', Basel, in-4°. * 1560 ''Regula investigationis omnium locorum in tabula Helvetiae contentorum'', Basel, in-4°.

External links

* �

��. ''Philosophengalerie''. Philosophisches Institut der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Abteilung für Wissenschaftstheorie.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lycosthenes, Conrad 1518 births 1561 deaths People from Rouffach German Calvinist and Reformed theologians German Renaissance humanists

Life

Works

Further reading

External links

Notes