Christopher Wittich or Christophorus Wittichius (1625, Brieg

Brieg

Brieg may refer to:* Brzeg , in Silesia, Poland** Duchy of Brzeg, a duchy of Silesia from 1311 – 1675* Briec , a town in Brittany...

 - 1687, Leiden) was a Silesian

Silesian

Silesian or Upper Silesian is considered either a dialect of the Polish language , or a separate Slavic language of the Lechitic group spoken in the region of Silesia...

-born Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 theologian. He is known for attempting to reconcile Descartes' philosophy with the Scriptures.

Life

He studied theology in Bremen

Bremen

The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

, Groningen and Leiden, and taught theology, mathematics, and Hebrew at Herborn

Herborn

Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses; Herborn is located on the German...

 (1651-3), Duisburg

Duisburg

- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...

 (1653-5), Nijmegen

University of Nijmegen (1655-1680)

The University of Nijmegen was the first university in Nijmegen, Netherlands and existed between 1655 and ±1680....

 (1655–1671) and Leiden (1671–1687). Starting from his 1653 publication Dissertationes Duæ he defended a non-literal interpretation of the Bible texts that were quoted by Voetius to prove the unscriptural nature of Descartes' Copernican

Copernican

Copernican means of or pertaining to the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus* For the Copernican system of astronomy, see heliocentrism* For the philosophical principle, see Copernican principle* For the lunar geological period, see Copernician...

 beliefs, and tried to reconcile philosophy and theology.

Works

• Dissertationes Duæ, Amsterdam, 1653.
• De Stylo Scripturae, Amsterdam (?), 1656
• Consensus veritatis in Scriptura divina et infallibili revelatae cum veritate philosophica a Renato detecta, Nijmegen, 1660
• Theologia pacifica, Leiden, 1671.

External links

• Willem Frijhoff, Marijke Spies Dutch Culture in a European Perspective 1: 1650: Hard-Won Unity, Uitgeverij Van Gorcum 2004, pp 310–11.