Education
Widmannstetter studied law, theology and oriental languages in Tübingen.
Widmannstetter studied law, theology and oriental languages in Tübingen.
After 1527, he continued his studies in Italy, in Turin, Naples and Rome, focusing on Syrian and Arabian. In 1533, Widmannstetter became secretary of the pope, first Pope Clement VII, then Pope Paul III. In the same year, he delivered a series of lectures in Rome, outlining Nicolaus Copernicus" theory to the pope and the cardinals. After 1535, Widmannstetter was secretary of Cardinal Nikolaus von Schönberg.
Impressed by Widmannstetter"s lessons, the Cardinal wrote a letter to Copernicus in 1536, urging him to publish (which he would do only in 1543, shortly before his death).
The rest of his career was focussed on orientalism, to which he contributed a great deal, collecting hundreds of manuscripts in Hebrew and Arabic. Selected work 1541/42: Sacrarum ceremoniarum sive rituum ecclesiasticorum sanctae romanae ecclesiae libri tres Literature.