Juan Eusebio Nieremberg

Juan Eusebio Nieremberg (Madrid, 1595 – Madrid, 1658) was a Spanish Jesuit, humanist and ascetic writer of the Spanish Golden Age. The son of a Tyrolese father and a Bavarian mother, both connected to the court of Maria of Austria, he embodied the meeting point of natural science, theology and devotional literature in Baroque Spain.

He studied at the Jesuit Colegio Imperial in Madrid and then at Salamanca. Against strong family opposition, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1614. He was ordained a priest in 1623 and made his solemn profession in 1633. For years he taught humanities and natural science at the Colegio Imperial, later adding Sacred Scripture to his courses. As a confessor he gained a certain standing at court, and he took part in doctrinal debates on the Immaculate Conception.

His thought was eclectic, blending scholastic philosophy with Platonic, Stoic and Kabbalistic elements while remaining within Catholic orthodoxy. In his natural histories he moved away from Aristotelian physics towards a corpuscular view of matter, and his treatise on music defended its healing powers. His lasting reputation, however, rests on his ascetic writing. Works such as Diferencia entre lo temporal y eterno (1640) went through many reprints and translations and influenced later writers, including Jacinto Verdaguer. His clear, brilliant Baroque prose is still studied today.