Gesenius–Kautsch–Cowley
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Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius (3 February 178623 October 1842) was a German orientalist,
lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...
,
Christian Hebraist A Christian Hebraist is a scholar of Hebrew texts who approaches the works from a Christian perspective. The main area of study is the Hebrew text of the Bible (known as the Old Testament to Christians and as the Tanakh to Jews), but Christians ha ...
, Lutheran theologian,
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and
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.


Biography

Gesenius was born at
Nordhausen Nordhausen may refer to: *Nordhausen (district), a district in Thuringia, Germany ** Nordhausen, Thuringia, a city in the district ** Nordhausen station, the railway station in the city *Nordhouse, a commune in Alsace (German: Nordhausen) * Narost, ...
. In 1803 he became a student of
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
at the University of Helmstedt, where Heinrich Henke was his most influential teacher; but the latter part of his university course was taken at
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
, where
Johann Gottfried Eichhorn Johann Gottfried Eichhorn (16 October 1752, in Dörrenzimmern – 27 June 1827, in Göttingen) was a German Protestant theologian of the Enlightenment and an early orientalist. He was a member of the Göttingen school of history. Education and ...
and Thomas Christian Tychsen were then at the height of their popularity. In 1806, shortly after graduation, he became ''Repetent'' and ''
Privatdozent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualifi ...
'' (or ''Magister legens'') at Göttingen; and, as he was later proud to say, had August Neander for his first pupil in
Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...
. On 8 February 1810 he became ''professor extraordinarius'' in theology, and on 16 June 1811 was promoted to ''ordinarius'', at the
University of Halle Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...
, where, in spite of many offers of high preferment elsewhere, he spent the rest of his life. He taught with great regularity for over thirty years. He was a gifted lecturer whose lectures were so interesting that his lecture room was consistently filled; by 1810 his lectures were attended by more than 500 students – nearly half the student population of the university. The only interruptions occurred in 1813–1814, occasioned by the German War of Liberation (
War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...
), during which the university was closed, and those occasioned by two prolonged literary tours, first in 1820 to
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,
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and
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with his colleague Johann Karl Thilo (1794–1853) for the examination of rare oriental manuscripts, and in 1835 to England and the Netherlands in connection with his
Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...
n studies. He became the most popular teacher of Hebrew and of
Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
introduction and
exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...
in Germany; during his later years his lectures were attended by nearly five hundred students. Among his pupils the most eminent were Peter von Bohlen, C. P. W. Gramberg, A. G. Hoffmann, Hermann Hupfeld,
Emil Rödiger Emil Rödiger (13 October 1801, in Sangerhausen – 15 June 1874) was a German orientalist. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Halle, where in 1830, he became an associate professor of Oriental languages, followed by a ful ...
, J. C. F. Tuch, J. K. W. Vatke and Theodor Benfey. His first Hebrew
lexicon A lexicon (plural: lexicons, rarely lexica) is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word () ...
(with German text) was worked up during the winter of 1806–1807, and published a few years later by F. C. W. Vogel, whose printing house in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
thereafter published all the editions of his lexicons. This was followed by a somewhat abridged version (about half the bulk of the first lexicon but with significant improvements) in 1815, which went to four German editions (each substantially larger and improved than its previous editions) and one Latin edition (although intended merely as a translation of the German edition, this too was a reworked revisions). His large lexicon of Biblical Hebrew and Chaldee (Aramaic) was first published in 1829, and its revision and expansion, under the editorship of Rödiger, continued after Gesenius's death until 1858. His textbook on Hebrew grammar first appeared, as a small book of a mere 202 pages, in 1813, and went through 13 editions in Gesenius's lifetime and as many afterward. He also published some smaller works, in German, on the grammatical anomalies found in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. He also wrote extensively on the Samaritans and their version of the Pentateuch, and on the Phoenicians and their language, most notably with the publication of '' Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae''. In 1827, after declining an invitation to take Eichhorn's place at Göttingen, Gesenius was made a . In 1830 there were violent verbal attacks to which he, along with his friend and colleague Julius Wegscheider, were subjected by E. W. Hengstenberg and his party in the ''Evangelische Kirchenzeitung'', on account of his
rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the Epistemology, epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "the position that reason has precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge", often in contrast to ot ...
and his lecture comments treating lightly the Biblical accounts of miracles. He was thereafter troubled with personal stresses; in 1833 he nearly died of lung disease, in 1835 three of his children died, and subsequently he was tormented by various physical complaints. His death in 1842 came after prolonged misery from gall stones. There is however some discrepancy as to how many of Gesenius's children died before their father. Gesenius died at Halle and is buried near the university. According to tradition, theology students in Halle put stones on his grave as a token of respect every year before their examinations. Gesenius takes much of the credit for having freed Semitic
philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
from the trammels of theological and religious prepossession, and for inaugurating the strictly scientific (and comparative) method which has since been so fruitful. As an
exegete Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...
he exercised a powerful influence on theological investigation. He may also be considered as a founder of
Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...
n studies. Gesenius was keenly aware of previous efforts at dictionaries of Biblical Hebrew (he provided an extensive survey of Hebrew lexicography in the 1823 edition of his Hebrew lexicon for schools), and, compared to previous lexicons which had simply translated Hebrew expressions as whatever other versions (primarily the
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
and the
Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
) had in the same verses, his own contribution to that field was the inclusion of insights obtained from the study of other languages, ancient and non-semitic. From his extensive body of work, the products most familiar to modern English-speaking readers are his Hebrew Grammar, best represented by an English translation of the 28th German edition, published by
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
in 1910, and his dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, known through a number of English translations, including the ''Gesenius's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures'', a 1853 edition revised by Samuel Prideaux Tregelles and the ''
Brown–Driver–Briggs ''A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament'', more commonly known as ''Brown–Driver–Briggs'' or ''BDB'' (from the name of its three authors) is a standard reference for Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic, first published in 1906. ...
'', a 1907 edition revised by Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver and Charles A. Briggs. As indicated by the title pages, the German editions of these works were carried forward by several revised editions, after Gesenius's death, by other scholars, most conspicuously
Emil Rödiger Emil Rödiger (13 October 1801, in Sangerhausen – 15 June 1874) was a German orientalist. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Halle, where in 1830, he became an associate professor of Oriental languages, followed by a ful ...
. The newest edition is the 18th which was published in 2013. Edward Robinson, an acquaintance of Gesenius, and his principal English translator and biographer, said of him,
So clear were his own conception, that he never uttered a sentence, no scarcely ever wrote one, which even the dullest intellect did not at once comprehend. In this respect, he may be said to stand out almost alone among modern German scholars. ... In all that fell within the proper sphere of his own researches, he never rested upon the authority of others, but investigated for himself, with all the minute accuracy and closeness of detail and unwearied industry for which German learning is celebrated. His one great object was philological truth. He had no preconceived theories, to the support of which he was at all hazards committed, and in connection with which only he sought for truth. These traits, combined with his extensive learning, inspired a confidence in his researches and opinions on topics connected with Hebrew philology, such as has been bestowed on few scholars.


Works

* ''Versuch über die maltesische Sprache'' (1810). * ''Hebräisches Lesebuch'' (1814). * ''De Pentateuchi Samaritani origine, indole et auctoriate'' (1815). * ''Geschichte der hebräischen Sprache und Schrift'' (1815). * ''Hebräisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch'', 2 vols. (1810–12). English translation by Leo (1825–1828). ** ''Hebräisches und chaldäisches Handwörterbuch über das Alte Testament'' (1815; 18th ed. 2013). After the tenth edition ''chaldäisches'' was changed into ''aramäisches''. Various editions of this work have been translated into English by Gibbs (1824, 1827, 1832),
Robinson Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 19 ...
(1836, 1854), and Tregelles (1859). ***
Brown–Driver–Briggs ''A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament'', more commonly known as ''Brown–Driver–Briggs'' or ''BDB'' (from the name of its three authors) is a standard reference for Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic, first published in 1906. ...
(2nd ed. 1907; corrected impression 1963) is based on Gesenius's work. * ''Hebräische Grammatik'' (1813, 29th ed. 1929 by Gotthelf Bergsträsser ncomplete. English translation by Arthur E. Cowley (2nd ed. 1910). * ''Ausführliches grammatisch-kritisches Lehrgebäude der hebräischen Sprache mit Vergleichung der verwandten Dialekte'' (1817). * ''De Samaritanorum theologia ex fontibus ineditis commentatio'' (1822). * ''Paläographische Studien über Phönizische und Punische Schrift'' (1835). * '' Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae'' (1837). * ''Programma. Commentatio de Samaritanorum theologia'' (1824). * ''Carmina samaritana e Codicibus Londinensibus et Gothanis'' (1824). * ''Programma. De inscriptione phoenicio-graeca in Cyrenaica'' (1825). * ''Genesis, Hebraice ad optima exemplaria accuratissime expressa'' (1828). * ''Der Prophet Jesaia'', 3 vols. (1820–21, 2nd ed. 1829). * ''Liber Job ad optima exemplaria accuratissime expressus'' (1829). * ''Thesaurus philologicus criticus linguae Hebraeae et Chaldaeae veteris testamenti'', 3 vols. (started in 1829, completed posthumously by
Emil Rödiger Emil Rödiger (13 October 1801, in Sangerhausen – 15 June 1874) was a German orientalist. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Halle, where in 1830, he became an associate professor of Oriental languages, followed by a ful ...
in 1858). Contains references to
talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
ic works and Jewish Bible commentators such as
Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...
,
Abraham ibn Ezra Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...
,
David Kimhi ''Cervera Bible'', David Kimhi's Grammar Treatise David Kimhi (, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian ...
. * ''Disputatio de inscriptione punico-libyca'' (1835). * ''De Bar Alio et Bar Bahlulo'', 2 vols. (1834–39). * ''Über die Himjaritische Sprache und Schrift'' (1841). Gesenius also contributed extensively to Ersch and Gruber's ''Encyclopädie'', and enriched the German translation of
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt Johann Ludwig (also known as John Lewis, Jean Louis) Burckhardt (24 November 1784 – 15 October 1817) was a Swiss traveller, geographer and Orientalist. Burckhardt assumed the alias ''Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah'' during his travels in Arabia ...
's ''Travels in Syria and the Holy Land'' with valuable geographical notes. For many years he also edited the ''Halle Allgemeine Litteraturzeitung''. A sketch of his life was published by Rudolf Haym in 1843 (''Gesenius: eine Erinnerung für seine Freunde''), and another by Hermann Gesenius, ''Wilhelm Gesenius, ein Erinnerungsblatt an den hundertjährigen Geburtstag am 3. Februar 1886'', in 1886.


Notes


References

* * * * . 105 pages. *


External links

* * ; written by Wilhelm Gesenius; 1910 edition, edited and enlarged by Emil Kautzsch; translated by Arthur Ernest Cowley; scanned and digitized public domain book
The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon
a search tool based on the Brown-Driver-Briggs Gesenius
''Hebraisch-Deutsches Handworterbuch uber die Schriften des Alten Testaments''
Volume 1, 1810.
''Hebraisch-Deutsches Handworterbuch uber die Schriften des Alten Testaments''
Volume 2, 1812.
''Neues Hebraisch-Deutsches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament mit Einschlufs des Biblischen Chaldaismus''
1815.
''Hebraisches un chaldaisches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament''
Third Edition 1828.
''Hebraisches un chaldaisches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament''
Fourth Edition 1834.
''Hebraisches un chaldaisches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament''
Fifth Edition, 1857.
''Hebraisches un chaldaisches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament''
Seventh Edition, 1868.
''Hebraisches un chaldaisches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament''
Eighth Edition, 1878.
''Hebraisches un chaldaisches Handworterbuch uber das Alte Testament''
Ninth Edition, 1883.
''Lexicon Manuale Hebraicum et Chaldaicum in Veteris Testamenti libros''
1833.
''A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, including the Biblical Chaldee''
- Edward Robinson, English Translation of the above, 1844.
''Thesaurus Philologicus Criticus Linguae Hebraeae et Chaldaeae Veteris Testamenti''
Volume 1, Second Edition 1835.
''Thesaurus Philologicus Criticus Linguae Hebraeae et Chaldaeae Veteris Testamenti''
Volume 2, Second Edition 1835.
''Thesaurus Philologicus Criticus Linguae Hebraeae et Chaldaeae Veteris Testamenti''
Volume 3, Second Edition 1853.
Digitized works by Wilhelm Gesenius
at the
Leo Baeck Institute, New York The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking J ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gesenius, Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm 1786 births 1842 deaths 18th-century Christian biblical scholars 18th-century German Protestant theologians 18th-century German male writers 19th-century Christian biblical scholars 19th-century German Protestant theologians 19th-century German male writers Biblical criticism Christian Hebraists German biblical scholars German Hebraists German Lutheran theologians German male non-fiction writers German orientalists Grammarians of Hebrew Lutheran biblical scholars Academic staff of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences People from Nordhausen, Thuringia University of Göttingen alumni Academic staff of the University of Göttingen University of Helmstedt alumni 19th-century Lutherans 19th-century German lexicographers