‎"MICRAELIUS, JOHANNES.‎
‎Lexicon Philosophicum terminorum philo-sophis usitatorum.‎

‎Jenae, Mamphrasius, 1653. 4to. In contemporary full calf with three raised bands and gilt lettering to spine. Wear to extremities. Ex-libris pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. Previous owner's name to title-page in contemporary hand. Internally very nice and clean. A blank leaf is inserted in between each text-leaf. (10) pp. 1125 columns, (102) pp. + 18 plates with 84 figures. ‎

Reference : 61351

‎The uncommon first edition of Micraelius’ influential philosophical dictionary containing one of the very earliest definition and uses of the word ‘ontology’. “Micraelius probably contributed greatly to a wider acceptance of the new term, for his Lexicon (see supra), first published in 1653, with a second printing in 1662, was a relatively successful book. Micraelius did not introduce an article on Ontology in the Lexicon, but the term Ontologia was presented in the article ""Philosophia"" as one of the subdivisions of Metaphysica. He defined the term as designating a peculiaris discipline philosophica, quae tractat de ente, but added quod tamen ab alis statuitur objectum ipsius metaphysicae, a most unfortunate ""regression"" in respect to Clauberg, and even in respect to Caramuel, since it somehow presupposes that ontologia and metaphysica are largely interchangeable.” (Mora, On the Early History of Ontology') Johannes Micraelius (1597 – 1658), German philosopher and historiographer. In 1624, he became a rhetoric professor at the University of Greifswald and in 1639 was appointed rector at the Ratsschule in Stettin, where he wrote six books on Pomeranian history.In 1641, Micraelius became rector of the royal pedagogy in Stettin and a professor of theology and philosophy. He earned his theology degree from the University of Greifswald in 1649, eventually becoming its pro-chancellor in 1656.‎