Johann Jakob Schudt (January 14, 1664 – February 14, 1722) was a German
polyhistor
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
and
Orientalist.
Life
Schudt was born and died in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
. He studied theology at
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...
, and went to
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
in 1684 to study Orientalia under
Ezra Edzardi
Ezra (; he, עֶזְרָא, '; fl. 480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (, ') and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen''). In Greco-Latin Ezra is called Esdras ( grc-gre, Ἔσδρα ...
. He then settled in his native city as teacher in the gymnasium in which he had been educated, and of which he became rector in 1717.
Works
He devoted himself especially to Jewish history and antiquities, beginning with the publication of a ''Compendium Historiæ Judaieæ'' (1700). His greatest work was his ''Jüdische Merckwürdigkeiten'', of which three parts appeared in 1714, and a supplementary part in 1717.
Up to that time he had been on friendly terms with the Jews of
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, writing a preface to Grünhut's edition of
David Ḳimḥi ''Cervera Bible'', David Qimhi's Grammar Treatise
David Kimhi ( he, ר׳ דָּוִד קִמְחִי, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical commen ...
's ''Commentary on the Psalms'', 1712, while in 1716 he published the
Purim
Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Boo ...
play of the Frankfurt and Prague Jews with a High German translation. He had, however, previously published ''Judæus Christicida'', attempting to prove that Jews deserved corporal as well as spiritual punishment for the crucifixion.
His "Jüdische Merckwürdigkeiten" is full of prejudice, and repeats many of the fables and ridiculous items published by
Johann Andreas Eisenmenger
Johann Andreas Eisenmenger (1654 in Mannheim – 20 December 1704 in Heidelberg) was a German Orientalist from the Electorate of the Palatinate, now best known as the author of ''Entdecktes Judenthum'' (''Judaism Unmasked''), which was published i ...
; but it contains also details of contemporary Jewish life, a source for the history of the Jews, particularly those of Frankfurt.
Schudt also contributed to
Ugolini's "Thesaurus" (vol. xxxii.) a dissertation on the singers of the Temple.
References
*''
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language.
It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...
''
External links
Source* Jutta Braden, “The Rich Jew”: An Anti-Judaic Anecdote about the Religious Social Order in 17th century Hamburg, in: Key Documents of German-Jewish History, September 22, 2016.
Digitized works by Johann Jakob Schudtat 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:Schudt, Johann Jakob
1664 births
1722 deaths
18th-century German Protestant theologians
German male non-fiction writers
18th-century German male writers