Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher: A Multifaceted Scholar and Jesuit Polymath
Athanasius Kircher, born on 2 May 1602 and passing on 27 November 1680, left an indelible mark on the world with his vast array of knowledge and scholarly contributions. A German Jesuit, he delved into comparative religion, delved into geology, and made substantial contributions to the field of medicine. Often likened to the intellectual giants Roger Joseph Boscovich and Leonardo da Vinci, Kircher earned the esteemed title "Master of a Hundred Arts." During his tenure of over 40 years at the Roman College, he curated an awe-inspiring wunderkammer, fascinating his students with an extensive collection of artifacts. Remarkably, recent years have witnessed a renewed fascination with Kircher's work among academic circles, signifying his enduring legacy in the realms of knowledge and erudition.
Athanasius Kircher, a prominent scholar of the 17th century, asserted that he had unravelled the enigmatic hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt. Sadly, many of his interpretations were later discredited. Nevertheless, he did successfully connect the ancient Egyptian language with Coptic, thus gaining recognition as a pioneer in Egyptology. Kircher's wide-ranging interests led him to delve into Sinology, as evidenced by his comprehensive work on China. Among other discoveries, he unveiled the ancient existence of Nestorian Christians in China, endeavoring to establish intriguing connections between China, Egypt, and Christianity.
In the field of geology, Kircher delved into extensive research on volcanoes and fossils, paving the way for future understanding of the Earth's structures. A pioneer in microbiology, he astoundingly observed microbes through a microscope during a time when such advancements were rare. Moreover, Kircher's visionary proposal that the plague stemmed from an infectious microorganism and his subsequent preventive measures demonstrated exemplary foresight. Beyond his scientific pursuits, Kircher's passion for technological innovation shone through in his diverse inventions, such as the magnetic clock, automatons, and even the first megaphone. While often erroneously credited with the creation of the magic lantern, his comprehensive study of light and shadow principles in his work "Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae" marks a pivotal contribution to the field.
A prominent figure in the scientific community during his prime, Kircher's legacy was overshadowed by the rise of rationalism spearheaded by René Descartes and his contemporaries. However, in the late 20th century, there was a renewed admiration for the aesthetic merits of his work. Alan Cutler, a modern scholar, hailed Kircher as "a giant among seventeenth-century scholars" and noted his unique capability to claim mastery over all domains of knowledge. Similarly, Edward W. Schmidt referred to Kircher as "the last Renaissance man." Despite some of his ideas being considered eccentric in today's context, as revealed in John Glassie's book A Man of Misconceptions, Kircher's influence as a purveyor of wonder and erudition was undeniable, captivating the minds of intellectuals of his era.
Athanasius Kircher: Early Life
Athanasius Kircher's birth remains shrouded in uncertainty, as he himself was unsure whether it was in 1601 or 1602. His birth took place in Geisa, Buchonia, near Fulda in Thuringia, Germany, endowing him with the epithets Bucho, Buchonius, and Fuldensis, which he occasionally appended to his name. In his formative years, he pursued education at the Jesuit College in Fulda from 1614 to 1618, thereafter embarking on the path of the Society by entering its novitiate.
The youngest among nine siblings, Kircher delved into the study of volcanoes driven by his fervent interest in rocks and eruptions. Alongside his formal education, he received instruction in Hebrew from a knowledgeable rabbi. His pursuit of knowledge led him to immerse himself in philosophy and theology at Paderborn, but the looming threat of advancing Protestant forces prompted his flight to Cologne in 1622. In a harrowing incident during the journey, he narrowly evaded death when he fell through the ice while crossing the frozen Rhine—an episode among many perilous encounters in his life. Further travels to Heiligenstadt brought him face to face with danger once again, as he was apprehended and almost subjected to hanging by a group of Protestant soldiers.
From 1622 to 1624, Kircher embarked on his regency period in Koblenz, assuming the role of a teacher. Following this, he was stationed in Heiligenstadt, where his teaching repertoire expanded to encompass mathematics, Hebrew, and Syriac. Notably, he curated an impressive display of fireworks and moving scenery for the visiting Elector Archbishop of Mainz, illuminating his early inclination towards mechanical contrivances. Subsequently ordained to the priesthood in 1628, Kircher ascended to the position of professor, lecturing on ethics and mathematics at the University of Würzburg, while continuing his tutelage in Hebrew and Syriac. It was during this period that his fascination with Egyptian hieroglyphs commenced, marking the beginning of his profound interest in this enigmatic script.
In 1631, Johann Kircher, still residing in Würzburg, reportedly experienced a premonition of a radiant light and a battalion of armed horsemen within the city. Soon after, Würzburg fell victim to an assault and was overtaken. This uncanny foresight led to Kircher gaining recognition for his astrological prediction, although he maintained privately that astrology did not inform his vision. During this tumultuous period, Kircher's inaugural publication, the Ars Magnesia, where he chronicled his magnetism studies, emerged. However, the Thirty Years' War upheaval compelled him to seek refuge at the papal University of Avignon in France. In 1633, an imperial summons beckoned him to Vienna to assume the role of Mathematician to the Habsburg court in place of Kepler. Yet, due to the intervention of Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, this appointment was revoked, redirecting Kircher to Rome to resume his scholarly pursuits, although he had already journeyed towards Vienna.
On his journey, his ship was unexpectedly blown off course, and he found himself in Rome without any prior knowledge of the altered destination. Settling in the city, he established a permanent residence, dedicating himself to teaching mathematics, physics, and Oriental languages at the Collegio Romano starting from 1634. After a number of years, he was granted the opportunity to focus solely on his research pursuits. His in-depth studies encompassed malaria and the plague, during which time he assembled a remarkable assortment of antiquities. These valuable artifacts, alongside his own ingenious inventions, were put on display in the Museum Kircherianum.
In 1661, the eminent scholar and polymath Kircher stumbled upon the ancient remains of a church, purportedly built by the Emperor Constantine at the very spot where Saint Eustace beheld a miraculous vision of a crucifix nestled within a stag's antlers. Driven by a fervent determination, Kircher rallied funds for the resurrection of this divine edifice, which ultimately emerged as the renowned Santuario della Mentorella. Following his demise, a poignant tribute to his enduring spirit, his heart found its eternal resting place within the hallowed confines of this hallowed sanctuary.
Frontispiece to Kircher's Latium.
The Coptic alphabet, from Prodromus Coptus sive aegyptiacus.
Map of China, China Illustrata.
Frontispiece to Kircher's Oedipus Ægyptiacus; the Sphinx, confronted by Kircher's learning, admits he has solved her riddle.
Athanasius Kircher, a prominent scholar, was a prolific writer who delved into diverse fields like Egyptology, geology, and music theory, among others. His unifying approach disregarded the conventional limitations of academic disciplines. Notably, his renowned work, Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652–54), stands as a comprehensive examination of Egyptology and comparative religion, showcasing his extensive studies and interdisciplinary insights.
Giambattista della (also known as Athanasius Kircher) was an influential figure in the 17th century, and his works, composed in Latin, were highly esteemed and widely distributed. While his books played a significant role in the widespread sharing of scientific knowledge during that era, Kircher himself is not acknowledged for making substantial original contributions. It's worth noting that certain findings and creations, such as the invention of the magic lantern, have occasionally been inaccurately linked to him.
Kircher's interest in Egyptology was piqued in 1628 when he encountered a collection of hieroglyphs at the library in Speyer. His fascination deepened as he delved into learning Coptic, culminating in the publication of the first Coptic grammar, the Prodromus coptus sive aegyptiacus, in 1636. Breaking away from Horapollon's interpretation of hieroglyphs, Kircher presented his own vision in Lingua aegyptiaca restituta, contending that Coptic retained the essence of ancient Egyptian. His pioneering work, predating the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone, led to him being hailed as the genuine "founder of Egyptology". Moreover, Kircher astutely discerned the connections between hieratic and hieroglyphic scripts.
Between 1650 and 1654, Athanasius Kircher, a prominent figure in Coptic studies, released four extensive volumes purporting to decipher hieroglyphs. However, expert opinion, particularly from Steven Frimmer, denounces these works as a misrepresentation of the original texts. In his monumental work Oedipus Aegyptiacus, Kircher postulated that ancient Egyptian was the primordial language of Adam and Eve, equated Hermes Trismegistus with Moses, and believed that hieroglyphs embodied esoteric symbolism translatable only through marks and figures. Consequently, he interpreted the seemingly simple ḏd Wsr ("Osiris says") as "The treachery of Typhon ends at the throne of Isis; the moisture of nature is guarded by the vigilance of Anubis."
Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge mentioned Kircher as the foremost of writers who "pretended to have found the key to the hieroglyphics" and called his translations in Oedipus Aegyptiacus "utter nonsense, but as they were put forth in a learned tongue many people at the time believed they were correct." Despite Kircher's fundamentally mistaken approach, some modern commentators have credited him as the pioneer of the serious study of hieroglyphs. His collected data later aided Champollion in his successful efforts to decode the script, leading Joseph MacDonnell to note that it was "because of Kircher's work that scientists knew what to look for when interpreting the Rosetta stone." Another scholar of ancient Egypt, Erik Iversen, concluded:
It is, therefore, Kircher's incontestable merit that he was the first to have discovered the phonetic value of an Egyptian hieroglyph. From a humanistic as well as an intellectual point of view Egyptology may very well be proud of having Kircher as its founder.
Kircher's involvement in the erection of the Pamphilj obelisk extended to adding his own "hieroglyphs" in the empty spaces. In his analysis, Rowland 2002 confirmed that Kircher applied Pythagorean principles to decipher the hieroglyphs on the obelisk and also used this method for interpreting scripture.
Kircher's fascination with China was evident early in his career as he expressed his desire to become a missionary to the country in 1629. His profound interest culminated in the 1667 publication of "China monumentis, qua sacris qua profanis, nec non variis naturae & artis spectaculis, aliarumque rerum memorabilium argumentis illustrata," commonly known as China Illustrata. This comprehensive treatise, a blend of accurate cartography and mythical accounts like the study of dragons, extensively relied on the accounts of Jesuit scholars, notably Michael Boym and Martino Martini, who were engaged in valuable work in China.
China Illustrata by Athanasius Kircher, published in the 17th century, extensively delved into the intertwining of Christian elements and Chinese history. In the book, not only was the early existence of Nestorian Christians highlighted through a Latin translation of the Nestorian Stele of Xi'an by Boym and his Chinese compatriot, Andrew Zheng, but it also asserted that the Chinese lineage traced back to the sons of Ham. Furthermore, it suggested that Confucius was a manifestation of Hermes Trismegistus/Moses and contended that the Chinese characters were derived from abstracted hieroglyphs.
In Kircher's system, ideograms were inferior to hieroglyphs because they referred to specific ideas rather than to mysterious complexes of ideas, while the signs of the Maya and Aztecs were yet lower pictograms which referred only to objects. Umberto Eco comments that this idea reflected and supported the ethnocentric European attitude toward Chinese and native American civilizations:
"China was presented not as an unknown barbarian to be defeated but as a prodigal son who should return to the home of the common father". (p. 69)
During a trip to southern Italy in 1638, the ever-curious Kircher's bold spirit led him to be lowered into the crater of Vesuvius, which was on the brink of eruption, in order to examine its mysterious interior. This daring expedition was not the only instance of his fascination with natural phenomena, as he was also intrigued by the subterranean rumbling he heard at the Strait of Messina. Kircher's insatiable curiosity and bold exploration culminated in his renowned work Mundus Subterraneus, published in 1664, where he put forth the groundbreaking idea that the tides may be caused by water moving to and from a subterranean ocean.
Father Athanasius Kircher's Fascination with Fossils
Father Athanasius Kircher, the enigmatic scholar, found himself entranced by the enigmatic puzzle of fossils. Within the petrified remains of ancient creatures, he discerned a tantalizing connection to the bygone epochs. His mind wrestled with the enigma, attributing colossal bones to legendary races of titanic humans. However, not all the enigmatic remnants he sought to unravel were indeed fossils, leading to a diverse tapestry of conjectures. To Kircher, the majestic undulations of mountain ranges were the Earth's own skeletal forms, laid bare by the relentless erosion of time.
Mundus Subterraneus by Athanasius Kircher, a comprehensive work on subterranean phenomena, delves into various aspects of the legendary island of Atlantis. The book features an intriguing map adorned with the Latin inscription "Situs Insulae Atlantidis, a Mari olim absorpte ex mente Egyptiorum et Platonis Description," which translates to "Site of the island of Atlantis, in the sea, from Egyptian sources and Plato's description."
In 1646, the renowned scholar Kircher released Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae, delving into the presentation of images on a screen through a contraption reminiscent of the magic lantern developed by Christiaan Huygens and his contemporaries. Within his publication, Kircher intricately outlined the development of a "catoptric lamp" that utilized reflection to cast images onto the wall of a dimmed enclosure. While Kircher did not originate this device, he made notable enhancements and proposed techniques for presenters to maximize its efficacy. Notably, Kircher’s work holds significance for his methodical approach in demystifying projected images.
Expanding on Kircher's Caution Regarding Supernatural Image Displays
Previously, such deceptive images had been utilized throughout Europe in an attempt to replicate supernatural phenomena, with Kircher himself referencing the historical use of displayed images by the rabbis in the court of King Solomon. Kircher emphasized the utmost importance of exhibitors ensuring that onlookers were clearly informed that these visual creations were entirely naturalistic in nature, intentionally steering clear of any magical connotations.
In his Magnes (1641), Kircher elaborated on the construction and function of a magnetic clock, originally designed by Fr. Linus of Liege and described by a colleague in 1634. Under the patronage of Peiresc, Kircher highlighted the clock's significance in supporting the Copernican model by illustrating how the magnetic sphere within the timepiece was influenced by the sun's magnetic force, reinforcing the clock's celestial alignment.
In his exploration of celestial mechanics, Kircher's model effectively disproved the hypothesis by revealing that the motion could be attributed to a water clock located within the device's base. Despite his initial contradiction of the Copernican model in his work Magnes, where he favored Tycho Brahe's model, his later publication Itinerarium exstaticum (1656, revised 1671) presented various systems, including the Copernican model, as potential explanations. Caroline Bouguereau, in partnership with Michael John Gorman, successfully reconstructed the clock, which is now showcased at the Green Library within Stanford University.
The Musurgia Universalis (1650) presents Kircher's fascinating perspective on music, asserting that its harmony mirrors the cosmic proportions. It also offers detailed designs for water-powered automatic organs, bird melodies notations, and musical instrument schematics. Moreover, Kircher's exploration includes a comparison of human and animal ears. In his subsequent work, Phonurgia Nova (1673), he delves into the potential techniques for transmitting music across great distances.
Renowned for his remarkable inventions, Athanasius Kircher conceptualized and crafted an impressive array of machines, including an aeolian harp known for its haunting melodies, lifelike automatons like a statues exquisitely designed to speak and listen through a sophisticated speaking tube, as well as a seemingly perpetual motion machine that baffled many. One of his most infamous designs was the Katzenklavier, a peculiar instrument rumored to drive spikes into the tails of cats, causing them to produce specific pitches through their distressed yowls. Although surrounded by controversy and speculation, there is no definitive evidence that Kircher ever brought this bizarre creation to life.
In his work Phonurgia Nova, which translates to "new methods of sound production," Kircher delved into an array of acoustic phenomena. Among his studies, he scrutinized the utilization of horns and cones in enhancing sound for architectural purposes. Additionally, he delved into the investigation of echoes within variously shaped rooms, including the investigation of the sound-dampening properties of an elliptical dome originating from Heidelberg. Notably, a segment of his research was dedicated to probing the potential therapeutic impacts of music on tarantism, a phenomenon prevalent in southern Italy.
For the majority of his professional career, Kircher stood as one of the preeminent scientific figures of his time. Historian Paula Findlen lauds him as "the first scholar with a global reputation," highlighting his dual significance: his own groundbreaking experiments and research complemented by insights from over 760 correspondents, including scientists, physicians, and fellow Jesuits across the world. Described as a "one-man intellectual clearing house" by the Encyclopædia Britannica, Kircher's meticulously illustrated works gained widespread popularity, enabling him to sustain himself through book sales, a feat unprecedented for a scientist of his era. Despite his initial acclaim, Kircher's influence waned later in life with the ascendance of the rationalist Cartesian approach, with René Descartes himself belittling Kircher as "more quacksalver than savant."
As only a few of Kircher's works have been translated, there has been a contemporary focus on their aesthetic appeal rather than their actual content. A series of exhibitions have underlined the beauty of their illustrations, garnering admiration from historians and artists alike. Renowned figures such as Anthony Grafton and Umberto Eco have expressed fascination with the enigmatic nature of Kircher's work. Grafton likened it to "the setting for a Borges story that was never written," while Eco referenced Kircher in his novel The Island of the Day Before and his non-fiction works. Additionally, Kircher's influence extends to modern literature, such as in the historical novel Imprimatur by Monaldi & Sorti, where his ideas about the healing power of music become central to the plot. Even in contemporary art, as seen in Cybèle Varela's exhibition Ad Sidera per Athanasius Kircher, Kircher's legacy continues to inspire creative expression and exploration.
The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles boasts a dedicated hall showcasing the fascinating life and works of Kircher, the enigmatic polymath. For those seeking a deeper dive into his ethnographic collection, a visit to the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography in Rome is a must, where Kircher's remarkable legacy is on full display.
John Glassie's intriguing book, A Man of Misconceptions, carefully maps out the intricate web of connections linking Kircher to eminent figures such as Gianlorenzo Bernini, René Descartes, and Isaac Newton. Moreover, it eloquently hints at the profound impact Kircher had on the creative minds of Edgar Allan Poe, Franz Anton Mesmer, Jules Verne, and Marcel Duchamp, painting a comprehensive picture of his enduring influence across diverse fields.
In the end, Glassie writes, Kircher should be acknowledged “for his effort to know everything and to share everything he knew, for asking a thousand questions about the world around him, and for getting so many others to ask questions about his answers; for stimulating, as well as confounding and inadvertently amusing, so many minds; for having been a source of so many ideas—right, wrong, half-right, half-baked, ridiculous, beautiful, and all-encompassing.”
In popular culture
Kircher's life and research are central to the plot of James Rollin's 2015 novel The Bone Labyrinth.
He is also mentioned in The Book of Life, the third book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
He further appears in two separate episodes in Daniel Kehlmann's novel Tyll (2017).
The permanent exhibition The World Is Bound with Secret Knots at the Museum of Jurassic Technology is based on the life and work of Kircher and uses elaborate 3D technology to highlight the magical quality of many of his ideas and images.
He is also a character (though largely off-stage, he is often mentioned by other characters) in the "Ring of Fire" alternate history series (published by Baen). In it, he was sent back to Germany in the early 1630s, where he became the unofficial pastor of the Catholic church in the temporally-transplanted town of Grantville, Thuringia-Franconia.
Kircher features as a favourite author of Father Chmielowski in Olga Tokarczuk's The Books of Jacob.