Johann Scheffler
Johann Scheffler, born in 1624 in Breslau, Silesia (now Poland), was a notable figure during a tumultuous period marked by the Thirty Years' War. As the son of a Protestant nobleman, he faced personal loss early in life, being orphaned by the age of 14. Despite these challenges, Scheffler received a robust humanistic education, excelling as a student and poet. He pursued higher education in medicine at prominent universities, including Strasbourg, Leiden, and Padua, earning both his M.D. and Ph.D. by 1648.
In 1653, Scheffler converted to Roman Catholicism, adopting the name Johann Angelus Silesius, and publicly articulated his reasons for leaving Lutheranism in a published work. His interests in mysticism had previously led to his being labeled a heretic by Lutheran authorities, complicating his literary pursuits. In 1657, he published two contrasting poetic collections: one featuring spiritual themes and the other comprising epigrams intended for religious reflection. Scheffler's legacy is enriched by his contributions to poetry and mysticism, reflecting the complexities of his faith and experiences during a period of significant religious conflict.
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Johann Scheffler
Poet
- Born: December 1, 1624
- Birthplace: Breslau, Silesia (now in Poland)
- Died: July 9, 1677
- Place of death: Breslau, Silesia (now in Poland)
Biography
Johann Scheffler was born in 1624 in Breslau, Silesia (now in Poland), in the midst of the Thirty Years’ War. He was the first of the three children of Stanislaus Scheffler, a Protestant nobleman, and Maria Hennemann Scheffler, thirty-eight years her husband’s junior. In 1639, the fourteen-year-old Scheffler was orphaned by the death of his mother, his father having died two years before. Though it is unclear who cared for the boy, he received a solid humanistic education at the Elisabeth Gymnasium in Breslau, where he studied under poetry scholar Christoph Köler and proved to be an intelligent student and poet.
After leaving the school in 1643, he enrolled at the University of Strasbourg for one year before transferring to the University of Leiden, where he studied medicine and also engaged his interests in mysticism. Moving to the University of Padua in September, 1647, he earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. in 1648. Scheffler served as the doctor for the ruler of the Silesian principality of Oels from 1649 to 1652. In 1653, he converted to Roman Catholicism and took the name Johann Angelus Silesius. At that time, he also published Gründtliche Ursachen und Motiven, warumb err von dem Lutherthumb abgetretten, und sich zu der Catholischen Kirchen bekennet hat, an explanation of why he abandoned Lutheranism to become a Catholic. He had been viewed as a heretic by the Lutheran church because of his interest in mystical texts, and some of his works were refused publication.
In 1657, Scheffler published two markedly different books of poetry: Heilige Seelen-Lust: Oder, Geistliche Hirten-Lieder, der in ihren Jesum verliebten Psyche, a collection of spiritual pastorals, and Geistreiche Sinn-und Schlussrime, known after the second edition as Cherubinischer Wandersmann: Oder, Geist-Reiche Sinn-und Schluss-Reime zur Göttlichen beschauligkeit anleitende. The latter was a collection of epigrams and apothegms conducive to religious contemplation.