Sixt Birck
Encyclopedia
Sixt Birck, as Xystus Betuleius (February 24, 1501 – June 19, 1554) was a German humanist of Augsburg
, "a notable German scholar of the New Learning
".
At the end of his schooling in Augsburg the Protestant Reformation
began. He continued his theological studies at Erfurt
, Tübingen
and Basel
before returning to Augsburg as director (Magister) of the Gymnasium.
Among his numerous plays in Latin are Susanna, (Augsburg 1537; Zurich 1538), originally written in German but recast in Latin so as to make an essentially new play; De vera nobilitate, a dramatized version of Buonaccorso da Montemagno
's Dialogus de nobilitate concerning meritocracy
and the inherent virtues of the nobility, recast by Betuleius in play form, still in Latin, and published at Augsburg in 1538; and Sapientia Solomonis ("the Wisdom of Solomon"), published at Basel
in 1547; an adapted version was acted before Queen Elizabeth and Princess Cecilia of Sweden in their common language, Latin, 17 January 1565.. Other Latin plays by Birck are direct translations of his German plays.
In 1545 Betuleius published at Basel an edition of eight books of the Sibylline oracles
with a preface dating from perhaps the sixth century. As a philologist
, he made his mark with the first Greek concordance
to the New Testament
which he published at Basel in 1546.
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, "a notable German scholar of the New Learning
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
".
At the end of his schooling in Augsburg the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
began. He continued his theological studies at Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
and Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
before returning to Augsburg as director (Magister) of the Gymnasium.
Works
His theatrical output is in both German and Latin: in Basel he produced a wide variety of German theater pieces with a Reformation subtext; in Augsburg he wrote a notable series of pedalogical school dramas in Latin, designed for student presentation and intended to improve morality and Latin alike..Among his numerous plays in Latin are Susanna, (Augsburg 1537; Zurich 1538), originally written in German but recast in Latin so as to make an essentially new play; De vera nobilitate, a dramatized version of Buonaccorso da Montemagno
Buonaccorso da Montemagno
Buonaccorso da Montemagno was the name shared by two Italian scholars from Pistoia in Tuscany. The elder Buonaccorso da Montemagno was a jurisconsult and ambassador who made a compilation of Pistoia's statutes in 1371...
's Dialogus de nobilitate concerning meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
and the inherent virtues of the nobility, recast by Betuleius in play form, still in Latin, and published at Augsburg in 1538; and Sapientia Solomonis ("the Wisdom of Solomon"), published at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
in 1547; an adapted version was acted before Queen Elizabeth and Princess Cecilia of Sweden in their common language, Latin, 17 January 1565.. Other Latin plays by Birck are direct translations of his German plays.
In 1545 Betuleius published at Basel an edition of eight books of the Sibylline oracles
Sibylline oracles
The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters ascribed to the Sibyls, prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in a frenzied state. Fourteen books and eight fragments of Sibylline Oracles survive...
with a preface dating from perhaps the sixth century. As a philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, he made his mark with the first Greek concordance
Concordance
Concordance can mean:* Concordance , a list of words used in a body of work, with their immediate contexts* Concordance , the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins...
to the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
which he published at Basel in 1546.