Stephan Bergler

Stephan Bergler (cca. 1680 - 1738) was a Transylvanian Saxon classical scholar and antiquarian.

Biography

Born in Kronstadt (Transylvania), he studied at the University of Leipzig, he went to Amsterdam, where he edited the works of Homer and the "Onomasticon" of Julius Pollux. Subsequently, in Hamburg, he assisted the major bibliographer Johann Albert Fabricius in the production of his "Bibliotheca Graeca" and his edition of Sextus Empiricus.

He found a permanent post in Bucharest as secretary to the Prince of Wallachia, Nicholas Mavrocordato, whose work "ΠερPolytonic|ὶ τPolytonic|ῶν καθηκόντων" ("De Officiis") he had previously translated for Fritzsch, the Leipzig bookseller, by whom he had been employed as proofreader and literary hack.

In Mavrocordatos' library, Bergler discovered the introduction and the first three chapters of Eusebius's "Demonstratio Evangelica". He died in Bucharest, and was buried at his patron's expense.

According to another account, Bergler, finding himself without means, left for Istanbul, and died there ca. 1740. He is said to have become a convert to Islam - this report was probably a mistake for the undisputed fact that he embraced Roman Catholicism. Bergler led an irregular life, and made enemies due to his allegedly cynical manners. In addition to writing numerous articles for the "Leipzig Acta Eruditorum", Bergler edited the "editio princeps" of the Byzantine historiographer Genesius (1733), and the letters of Alciphron (1715), which contained seventy-five letters published for the first time.

References

*1911