John of Głogów

John of Głogów (Polish: Jan z Głogowa, Jan Głogowczyk; German: Johann von Schelling von Glogau[1]) (c. 1445 – 11 February 1507[2]) was a notable Polish polyhistor at the turn of the Middle Ages and Renaissance—a philosopher, geographer and astronomer at the University of Krakow.

He variously styled himself Johannes Glogoviensis, Glogerus, de Glogovia and Glogowita; but while he may have been of German extraction, he never used the name "Schelling.

[2] John of Głogów was an adherent of the Cologne Thomism, a philosophical school that upheld the legacy of Thomas Aquinas.

His numerous extant works cover medicine, grammar, logic, philosophy, geography, astronomy and astrology.

He won fame in the latter field with his "prognostications"; in one of these, he predicted the advent of a "black friar" who would bring disarray to Christianity.

[8] John wrote a work entitled Introductio in artem numerandi (Latin: Introduction to the Art of Using Numbers; 1497).

[10] When John finished his studies and began lecturing, the University of Krakow, at that point, was heavily influenced by Averroistic views, which he did not support.

He favored the Ptolemic model of the universe, subscribing to the belief of geocentrism and the existence of physical celestial spheres on which the planets revolved on.

The following summer, Copernicus attended a course on geography given by John of Głogów which was found by the Almanach that the University yearly produces.

[13] John had two main objections, the first point being along the lines of anything can follow from the impossible (which was reportedly supported by Aristotle’s work).

This was during the time that John of Głogów was writing his commentary on Peter of Spain (late 1400s and early 1500s), which consists of five treatises.

[14] Johannes Virdung, a celebrated sixteenth century astrologer, also attended John’s lectures at Krakow in 1486.

[15] They both composed many of these forecasts that would tell people the best time to travel or bathe as well as the daily elemental conditions and their disposition.

[9] John of Głogów became a very prominent teacher, so much so that up to twenty years after his death, his published works were still being taught.

[13] As such an influential presence in the university, it is heavily believed that many of his students went on to become instructors of higher education themselves.

In his commentary, John, along with Michael of Biestrzycowa, rejected the paradoxes of strict implication based on the notion of everyday law.

[8] In addition, John goes on to explain that the Sun is in a eccentric orb, moved by its annual motion, and rotates slowly.