HALLERSTEIN, AUGUSTIN von. - Jesuit, missionary and astronomer, b. in Ljubljana on 27 Aug. 1703, d. in Beijing on 29 Oct. 1774. Already during the journey to China (1735-39) he had the opportunity to exercise his zeal in Lisbon, Mozambique, Goa and Malacca; having then arrived in Beijing, preceded by his reputation as a mathematician, he was invited by the Emperor to the court, made a mandarin of the 2nd degree, a member of the Tribunal of Mathematics, of which he was appointed president after the death of Fr. I. Kögler. He was also visitor (1751-1758) and twice provincial (1757-62; 1766-73) of the Chinese mission. He made use of the prestige he enjoyed with the Emperor above all to make the application of the persecution laws less harsh. He died of apoplexy upon the announcement of the suppression of the Society of Jesus.

He made many scientific journeys for topographic surveys, and composed a considerable number of works on mathematics, astronomy and cartography; partly by himself, partly with the cooperation of Frs. I. Kögler and A. Pereira. His works, almost all set out in lengthy letters, by means of which he maintained contact not only with the Fathers, but also with the best scientists of Europe, are published for the most part in Philosophical Transactions (London 1746-52); Novi Commentarii Academiae Petropolitanae... pro a. 1762-63 (pp. 503-12); Nova acta Academiae Petropolitanae (XIX [Hist.], p. 70 ff.; [Memor.], p. 630 ff.); and in: anon., Mémoires concernant l'histoire des Chinois (IX, p. 440 ff.); M. Hell, Observationes astronomicae, ab a. 1717 ad a. 1752 a patribus S. J. factae et a p. A. H... collectae (Vienna 1768, p. 382 ff.), and in various works concerning China.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Sommervogel, IV, coll. 49-52; A. Huonder, Deutsche Jesuitenmissionäre des 17. u. 18. Jahrh., Freiburg im Br. 1899, pp. 187-88; J. Stein, Missionaris en astronom, in Studien, 109 (1928), pp. 433-51, 110 (1928), pp. 115-28, 404-30; L. Pfister, Notes biogr. et bibliogr. sur les Jésuites de l'ancienne Chine, Shanghai 1932, pp. 753-60.

Celestino Testore

@incollection{ec6_hallerstein_augustin_von, author = {Testore, Celestino}, title = {Hallerstein, augustin von}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {1342--1343}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/hallerstein-augustin-von} }

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Hallerstein, Augustin von

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