The Reformir Spiegel of Heinrich Oraeus
This spectacular prophetic compilation printed in 1620 is
known as the Reformir Spiegel (Mirror of Reform). It was compiled by
Heinrich Oraeus (1584-1646), who also went by the name Johannes de Hyperiis.
Oraeus studied in Strasburg and Frankfurt, then went on to work as a preacher
in Rossdorf, Kesselstadt, Bruchköbel, and finally Nauheim. His skill as a
preacher brought him to the town of Hanau in 1639, where he oversaw all of the
schools and churches in the region. His literary output included theological
works, Leichenpredigten – a word that translates to “corpse sermons” and
refers to printed eulogies that were produced for high-ranking citizens between
the 16th and 18th centuries - and, in this instance at
least, prophecies.
Oraeus’ religious sympathies are apparent in the Reformir
Spiegel’s title page. Look closely at the medallions that make up the
border. The central figure in the top row depicts a saintly figure, while the
central bottom figure is the beast of the apocalypse. The religious figures on
the left border are shown upright, while their counterparts on the right are upside-down.
Each figure is accompanied by a quote. The ones on the left-hand side all
emphasize the importance of faith and Christ – for example, Ambrosius’ motto
is, “Faith alone is the path to holiness,” and Augustine is surrounded by the
phrase, “Christ alone is the head of the Church.” Unsurprisingly, the quotes
on the right focus on excess and corruption. Pope Hildebrand’s motto is, “The word
of God without the Pope is not to be believed,” and Thomas Stapleton (an English Catholic) stands
before a church with the words, “It is better to have 500 whores than one true
wife.” These images illustrate the difference between the correct religious
path, one that emphasizes faith and spirituality, and the false one with its
delusions of temporal power and pleasure.
The Reformir Spiegel consists of a theological tract
followed by five illustrated prophecies — the so-called "132 magic figures." The prophecies
proper are
introduced by their own title page featuring religious imagery. The
first prophecy is Paracelsus’ interpretation of the Vaticinia de summis pontibus.
Following this is his original Prophecy for the Next Twenty-Four Years,
which Oraeus says was issued in relation to the rule of
the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. Both of these prophecies appear multiple
times in the Paracelsus collection, but the ones that appear in the Reformir
Spiegel are distinctive. While the versions of these prophecies that
appear in other compilations have woodcut illustrations, the Reformir
Spiegel’s illustrations are copperplate engravings.
The two Paracelsian prophecies are followed by yet another
papal prophecy. According to Oraeus, this was, "found in a very old Bible
and written and interpreted by a monk himself.” Many of this prophecy’s images
seem to be modeled after those found in the early modern interpretations of the
Genus nequam sequence in the Vaticinia. For example, the
fifteenth figure shows a figure wielding a sickle next to a flower; this could
be modeled on the twentieth figure in the papal sequence, which shows a monk
with a sickle and a flower.
The fourth prophecy was written by Oraeus himself, and
features allegorical illustrations related to religious turbulence. The fifth
and final prophecy is a Wunderzeichenbuch: a book of “wonder signs.”
This genre focused on unusual events such as monstrous births and astronomical
phenomena that were often interpreted as being portents of doom. The one in
Oraeus’ compilation depicts 72 terrible and wondrous events “in the sky, in the
air, in the water, and on earth” that occurred during the godless, popish
times. The earliest event is Emperor Constantine’s expansion the power of Pope
Sylvester and his Church in 318 CE, when a fearsome voice cried out from the
sky, “Hodie venenum in Ecclesia seminaui (Today poison was planted in the
Church).” The latest date Oraeus provides is the comet of 1618, which is
depicted in the 71st scene. The final scene depicts a
catastrophic avalanche engulfing a town, but no date is provided.