Johann FaustFaust, Jo·hann /faʊst, ˈjəʊhæn $ -hɑːn/ (also Dr Faustus) a German doctor and scholar of the early 16th century, who practised magic. A story developed about him that he had ‘sold his soul to the Devil’ in exchange for knowledge and power. Many stories and pieces of music have been written about him, including the plays Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe and Faust by Goethe.