Kircher
Kircher Athanasius, an eminent German Jesuit, and quite prominent as a philosopher, was born near Fulda, Germany, in 1601. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1618, and taught mathematics and metaphysics in the college at Wirzburg. During the inroads of the Swedes he fled before the Protestant powers, and, after a short stay in France, went to Rome, and became a professor at the Propaganda. He died in 1680. His writings, which extend over the different departments of the natural sciences, philosophy, philology, history, and archeology, evince great talent, but are often fanciful in their theories. His principal works of interest to us are, (Oedipus AEgyptiacus, etc. (Rome, 1652, etc., 4 vols. fol.): — Mudus subterranceus, in xii libros digestus, etc. (Amsterdam, 1665, fol.):-Arca hoe, in tres libros digesta, etc. (Amst. 1675):-Liber philologcicus de sono artificioso, sice musica, etc. (in Ugolino's Thesauurus, 32:353):-Liber diacriticus de Musurgia, antiquozmoderna (Ugolino, 32:417):-China, monumentis, qua sacris, qua profanis, illustrata (Amst. 1667, fol.) Turris ueabel, sive Archontologia, etc. (Amst. 1679, fol.); etc. See his Autobiography and Letters (Augsb. 1684); Wetzer und Welte, Kirchen- Lex. vol. 6:s.v.; Darling, Encyclop. Bibliog . .v. (J. II. W.)
