The Neo-Latin theater play "Cenodoxus" (1602) by Jakob Bidermann is now only known to some researchers in Latin and German studies. But from 1930 to 1960, the story about the battle between heavenly and hellish powers for the soul of the Parisian scholar Cenodoxus was at the height of its popularity in German-speaking countries: actors in science and culture praised the play as a Latin "Hamlet" or "Faust."
