Valentin Naboth

Valentin Naboth (also spelled "Valentine Naibod") (February 13, 1523 – March 3, 1593; known by the latinized name Valentinus Naiboda) was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer.

Life and work

Valentin Naboth was born in Calau (Niederlausitz) to an originally Jewish family. He was the younger brother of the Lutheran theologian and author Alexius Naboth. [ Schmitt, Heinz: " [http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/n/naboth_a.shtml NABOTH, Alexius] " in "Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon", Band XXIX; Verlag Traugott Bautz, Nordhausen 2008. In German.] [cite book |last= Cremer |first= Hermann |title= Greifswalder Studien |publisher= Gütersloh: Bertelsmann |year= 1895 | pages= 27 | oclc= 40242148 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=bZQAAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA27#PRA1-PA27,M1 ] In 1544, Valentin immatriculated [cite book |last= Brieger |first= Theodore |title= Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte |publisher= Gotha: F.A. Perthes |year= 1879 | pages= 304 | oclc= 949350 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=HVIMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA304#PPA304,M1 ] at the University of Wittenberg, at the time Philipp Melanchthon, Erasmus Reinhold, Johannes Bugenhagen, Paul Eber, and Georg Major taught there. In 1550 he transferred to the University of Erfurt. [cite book |last= Hendel |first= Otto |title= Acten der Universität |publisher= Universität Erfurt |year= 1884 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=kUcBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP4#PPA380,M1 page 380]

From 1553 Valentin Naboth taught mathematics at the University of Cologne.cite paper | first = Claudia | last = Zonta | title= Schlesier an italienischen Universitäten der Frühen Neuzeit 1526-1740 | publisher = Historisches Institut der Universität Stuttgart | date = 2000 | url= http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=961627476&dok_var=d1&dok_ext=pdf&filename=961627476.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate= 2008-08-09 page 267] When he arrived at Cologne he began teaching mathematics as Privatdozent, since that discipline was not included in the university curriculum. He made such an impression that he was offered a University position, remunerated for his private lessons, and made ordinary professor. Dutch mathematician Rudolph Snellius was one of his students in Cologne.

Naboth was the author of a general textbook on astrology "Enarratio elementorum astrologiae". Renowned for calculating the mean annual motion of the Sun, his writings are chiefly devoted to commenting upon Ptolemy and the Arabian astrologers. Naboth teaches the calculation of the movement of the planets according to the Prutenic Tables of Erasmus Reinhold. He advocated a measure of time, by which 0°59'09" (the mean daily motion of the Sun in longitude) is equated to 1 year of life in calculating [http://www.babylonianastrology.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=1 primary directions] . This was a refinement of Ptolemy’s value of exactly 1 degree per year. This book was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. [cite book |last= Poggendorff |first= Johann Christian | authorlink= Johann Christian Poggendorff |title= Biographisch-literarisches Handwörterbuch zur Geschichte der Exacten Wissenschaften |publisher= J.A. Barth, Leipzig |year= 1863 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=zXcJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA250 page 250]

In March 1564 Naboth resigned from his position at the University of Cologne. [cite book |last= Ennen |first= Leonard |title= Neuere Geschichte der Stadt Köln |publisher= L. Schwann, Köln |year= 1875 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=vZEKAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA709 page 709] He traveled to Italy, eventually settling in Padua. There Naboth came to a bad end. He was living in Padua, Italy, when he deduced from his own horoscope that he was about to enter a period of personal danger, so he stockpiled an adequate supply of food and drink, closed his blinds, and locked his doors and windows, intending to stay in hiding until the period of danger had passed. Unfortunately, some thiefs, seeing the house closed and the blinds drawn, decided that the resident was absent. They therefore broke into what they thought was an empty house, and, finding Naboth there, murdered him to conceal their identities. Thus he did not escape the fate predicted by his own astrological calculations: "Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt".

Abraham Sandeck recorded in the Acts of the German Artistennation 1593 the following event: "On the third of March, there happened a tragic incident involving Valentin Naboth of Silesia, sixty years old, a famous mathematician: he was found dead in his study, some ways away from frequently travelled areas, wounded by five wounds: one in the breast under the left nipple, another on his left side, the third in the right abdomen, the fourth under his navel, and the fifth in the left hand." [ _la. "III martii accidit casus pertristis Valentini Nabothi Silesii senis sexagenarii, mathematici insignis: inventus is est mortuus in musaeo suo, ab hominum consuetudine et frequentia nonnihil remoto, V vulneribus confixus; uno in pectore sub mammella sinistra, altero in latere sinistr, 3 in hypochondrio dextro, 4 sub umbilico, 5 in mano sinistra."]

Selected works

*"Elementorum Geometricorum liber primus, cui ex sequentibus libris accesserunt Propositiones selectae atque ita ordinatae, ut demonstrari queant observata Geometrarum Methodo", Cologne 1556.
*"De calculatoria numerorumque natura Sectiones quatuor", Cologne 1556.
*" [http://fondosdigitales.us.es/digitalbook_view?oid_page=358632 Enarratio elementorvm astrologiae] in qva praeter Alcabicii, qvi Arabum doctrinam compendio prodidit, expositionem, atq [ue] cum Ptolemaei principijs collationem, reiectis sortilegijs & absurdis vulgoq [ue] receptis opinionibus, de verae artis praeceptorum origine & usu satis disseritur", Cologne 1560.
*" Primarum de coelo et terra institutionum quotidianarumque mundi revolutionum, libri tres", Venice (1573)
*"Astronomicarum institutionum libri III, quibus doctrinae sphaericae elementa methodo nova, facili et ad captum tyronum aptissima traduntur", Venice (1580)

References

Further reading

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* page 32
* page 168

External links

* [http://www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=125160 Naboth 's math genealogy]