Athanasius Kircher,
S.J. (sometimes erroneously spelled
Kirchner; 1602–1680) was a 17th-century
German Jesuit scholar and
polymath who published around 40 major works, most notably in the fields of
comparative religion,
geology, and
medicine. Kircher has been compared to fellow Jesuit
Roger Boscovich and to
Leonardo da Vinci for his enormous range of interests, and has been honored with the title "Master of a Hundred Arts". A resurgence of interest in Kircher has occurred within the scholarly community in recent decades.