Calvisius, Seth, or Kalwitz

Calvisius, Seth, Or Kalwitz, a celebrated chronologist, was born at Gorschleben, Thuringia, Feb. 20, 1556. He studied at Frankenhausen and Magdeburg, where he gained his bread by singing in the streets, and laid by enough to support him at the Academy of IIelmstaidt, whither he went in 1579, and thence to Leipsic. He gained a profound knowledge of music, chronology, astronomy, and Hebrew. He died at Leipsic Nov. 23, 1615, leaving, besides other works, Enodatio duarum qucestionum circa annum Nativitatis et temnpus Ministerii Christi (Erfurdt, 1610, 4to); also, Elenchus Calendarii Giegoriani (Heidelberg, 1612). But his principal work is entitled Opus Chronologicum, "ex auctoritate potissimum Sanct. Scripturme et historicorum fide dignissimorum, ad motum luminarium coelestium tempora et annos distinguentium" (Frankfort, folio, 1604 and 1684). In this work he 'endeavored to supply the defects and correct the errors of Scaliger and other chronologists, by having recourse to astronomical calculations, in order to fix the precise time of different events. For this purpose he calculated more than one hundred and fifty eclipses. John Kepler, David Pareus, and others warmly attacked his work on its appearance, but Scaliger spoke of it in the highest terms, declaring it, in a letter to Isaac Casau- bon, to be accuratissimum chronicon. Calvisius's works are inserted in the Roman Index. — Hoefer, Biog. Generale, 8:278; Landon, Ecclesiastes Dictionary, 2:505.