The name change was a result of the Protestant Reformation where many theologians adopted Latin names.
Johnn Goldschmidt (1517-?)
In Wittenburg, he would become close friends to Philip Melanchthon. He then became a docent at the university after graduating. After twelve years, he would earn his doctorate in divinity and was made a professor at St. Nicholas in Rostock.
Joannes Aurifaber Vratislaviensis (?-1568)
Joannes: (Latin) Calque translation of Johann
Aurifaber: (Latin) Calque translation of Goldschmidt
Vratislaviensis: (Latin) meaning “of Breslau”
In order to differentiate himself from another writer at the time, Johann Aurifaber, he added the surname Vratislaviensis to indicate the place where he was born.
Sources
- Gustav Hammann (1953), “Aurifaber, Johann”, Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 456
- “Joannes Aurifaber Vratislaviensis.” Wikipedia.
- Johannes Aurifaber in Rostock Matrikelportal