Johann Schreck

Johann(es) Schreck,alsoTerrenzorTerrentius Constantiensis,Deng Yuhan Hanpo đặng ngọc hàm,Deng Zhen Lohan,(1576,Bingen, Baden-WürttembergorConstance– 11 May 1630,Beijing) was a GermanJesuit,missionary to China andpolymath.He is credited with the development of scientific-technical terminology in Chinese.

Early life

Thefield millin the Chinese bookYuanxi Qiqi Tushuo Luzui(Collected Diagrams and Explanations of the Wonderful Machines of the Far West), compiled and translated by Johann Schreck and his Chinese colleague Wang Zheng in 1627

Schreck studied medicine starting in 1590 at theAlbert Ludwigs University of Freiburg,theUniversity of Altdorf.After graduating, he is also known to have worked as an assistant to the mathematicianFrançois Viètein Paris in around 1600. After Viète's death in 1603, he moved to theUniversity of Padua,where he was a student ofGalileo Galilei,but studied medicine.

Schreck had an exceptional facility with languages; he spoke German, Italian, Portuguese, French and English. Like most educated men of his time, he wrote his letters inLatin.He also mastered Ancient Greek, Hebrew andBiblical Aramaic.Later in his life, he learned Chinese.

Sojourn in Rome

He became a highly respected medic and was affiliated to theAccademia dei LinceiinRome,which he joined on 3 May 1611,a few days afterGalileo Galilei.Together with two other German-speaking members of the Accademia,Giovanni FaberandTheophilus Müller,he worked on the encyclopaedia ofbotanyRerum medicarum Novae Hispaniae Thesauruswhich had been begun decades before byFrancisco Hernández de Toledoand purchased, incomplete, byFederico Cesi.This work did not occupy him for long however, as he decided to join theJesuitorder, taking his vows on 1 November 1611. Galileo described his decision as "Una gran perdita"–" a big loss ".

Passage to China

The founder of the Jesuit mission in China,Matteo Ricci,had sent his colleagueNicolas Trigaultback to Europe to search out new missionaries who could share the most advanced scientific ideas with the Chinese.Trigault met Schreck in Rome in 1614, while Schreck was studying theology, and persuaded him to go to China.To raise money and equipment for their mission, they travelled around Europe in 1616, soliciting donations and collecting books, mechanical equipment and scientific instruments.One of their donors was CardinalFederico Borromeoof Milan, who gave them what was to be the first western telescope in China.

In April 1618, Schreck sailed fromLisbonwith a group of Jesuits Trigault had assembled, includingGiacomo RhoandJohann Adam Schall von Bell.After several pirate attacks and outbreaks of disease Schreck arrived atGoain October 1618.He continued on his way, collecting samples of flora and fauna wherever he stopped en route;Giulio Alenilater claimed that alone he had discovered more than five hundred new plants. His plan was to produce a compendium with the titlePlinius Indicus(The IndianPliny), similar to Hernandez's volume on Mexico. He worked on this project throughout his stay in China, and expanded it to include descriptions of more than 8,000 varieties of plant,but his early death meant it was never finished. His manuscripts were preserved, perhaps into the eighteenth century, in the collections of the Portuguese College in Beijing, but are now lost.

Early work in China

Schreck reachedMacauon 22 July 1619 during a period towards the end of the reign of theMingEmperor Wanli,when Jesuits had been expelled from Beijing andNanjing.He, therefore, spent nearly two years in Macau learning Chinese before continuing toHangzhouin June 1621. There, probably in collaboration with a Christian convert named Li Zhizao,he wroteTaixi renshen shuogai(An Outline of Western Theories of the Human Body), based onTheatrum anatomicumbyCaspar Bauhin.This work described the human body, the senses and language, including an outline ofMatteo Ricci's famousmemory palace.The book was edited by another convert, Bi Gongchen, and published after Schreck's death.

After reaching Beijing in late 1623 Schreck began collaborating closely with a judge and military inspector fromShaanxinamed Wang Zheng.In 1627 the two of them publishedYuanxi Qiqi Tushuo Luzui(Viễn tây kỳ khí đồ thuyết lục tối), (Diagrams and explanations of the wonderful machines of the Far West).

Astronomy

Matteo Riccihad asked Trigault to bring back missionaries with a knowledge of astronomy and, as Schreck was the ablest of the new recruits, much of the work translating and explaining astronomical works fell to him.For help in this task, Schreck wrote for advice toJohannes Keplerwho replied in 1627, explaining how predictions could be improved by using an elliptical model for the Moon's orbit,and enclosing a copy of his newRudolphine Tables.In advance of the solar eclipse of 21 June 1629 over Beijing, Schreck andNicolò Longobardocompeted with Chinese astronomers to predict the timing with the greatest accuracy. The Jesuits' calculations were more accurate, and on this basis, the EmperorChongzhenasked them to undertake a revision of the Chinese calendar.

Schreck also produced plans for building astronomical instruments, which were approved by the Emperor. However he died shortly afterwards, and the project was completed byJohann Adam Schall von BellandGiacomo Rho.Schall also published a manuscript by Schreck containing much of his knowledge of astronomy and related mathematics, calledCe tian yue shuo(Trắc thiên ước thuyết) (Brief Description of the Measurement of the Heavens). This describes the basics of astronomy, the movements of heavenly bodies, the working of the telescope, andsunspots,although the existence of these had been known in China for some time.Schall likewise revised and published two works by Schreck ontrigonometry,Da ce(Đại trắc) (The Great Measurement) andGe-yuan ba-xian biao(Cát viên bát tuyến biểu) (A Table of Eight Lines),the latter together with Rho.

Death

Schreck is said to have died as a result of a medical experiment on himself. He is buried in theZhalan Cemeteryin Beijing.

See also

• Jesuit China missions

External links

• Claudia von Collani (1995). "Johann Schreck". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.).Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL)(in German). Vol. 9. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 919–922.ISBN3-88309-058-1.
• "Johannes Schreck-Terrentius Constantiensis. Wissenschaftler und Chinamissionar" (HWTG Konstanz)
• Rainer-K. Langner:Kopernikus in der Verbotenen Stadt. Wie der Jesuit Johannes Schreck das Wissen der Ketzer nach China brachte.S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt 2007ISBN978-3100439321
• Isaïa Iannaccone:L'ami de Galilée2008 Livre de PocheISBN2253120111
• Digital version of Schreck's 'Yuanxi Qiqi Tushuo Luzui' (1627)Archived2017-08-26 at theWayback Machine
• Isaia Iannaccone: "Johanns Schreck Terrentius. Le scienze rinascimentali e lo spirito dell'Accademia dei Lincei nella Cina dei Ming", Napoli 1998, Ed. by Istituto Universitari Orientale, 147 PP.