Articles

Greek Thresholds to the Stars: Nicolaus Copernicus, Georg Joachim Rheticus, and the Ideal Reader of De revolutionibus

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Abstract

The paratext of Nicolaus Copernicus’s De revolutionibus (Nuremberg 1543) was the product of many hands and continued to be discussed and changed even after the printing. Two extant copies of the first edition, which are connected to Copernicus’s disciple Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514–1574), are supplemented with a Greek book epigram written by the humanist Joachim Camerarius (1500–1574). The insertion of this manuscript poem highlights the presence of Greek words and sentences on the title page and in Copernicus’s letter to the pope and draws attention to the way they shape the perception of the new book. This article examines the function of Latin–Greek code-switching in the paratext of De revolutionibus and argues that interspersing the Latin paratext with Greek elements is not just an aesthetic choice but constitutes an integral part of the discourse about the ideal reader and the ideal engagement with a world centered around the sun. The code-switching addresses an in-group of Greek-educated readers and appeals to their knowledge of Greek mathematics and their receptiveness for Greek literature, encouraging a favourable reception of Copernicus’s system.

Keywords: Nicolaus Copernicus, Georg Joachim Rheticus, Joachim Camerarius, Latin–Greek code-switching, paratext

How to Cite:

Tautschnig, I., (2025) “Greek Thresholds to the Stars: Nicolaus Copernicus, Georg Joachim Rheticus, and the Ideal Reader of De revolutionibus”, Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures 11. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/jolcel.90200