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Karl Konrad Friedrich Wilhelm Lachmann (; 4 March 1793 – 13 March 1851) was a German philologist and
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...
. He is particularly noted for his foundational contributions to the field of textual criticism.


Biography

Lachmann was born in Brunswick, in present-day
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
. He studied at
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
and Göttingen, devoting himself mainly to philological studies. In Göttingen, he founded a critical and philological society in 1811, in conjunction with Dissen, Schulze, and
Bunsen Bunsen may refer to: * Christian Charles Josias Bunsen (1791–1860), Prussian diplomat and scholar * Frances Bunsen (1791–1876), or Baroness Bunsen, Welsh painter and author, wife of Christian Charles Josias Bunsen * Robert Bunsen (1811–1899), ...
. In 1815, he joined the
Prussian army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...
as a volunteer '' chasseur'' and accompanied his detachment to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
, but did not see active service. In 1816, he became an assistant master in the Friedrichswerder gymnasium at Berlin, and a ''
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 qualific ...
'' at the university. The same summer he became one of the principal masters in the Friedrichs-Gymnasium of Königsberg, where he assisted his colleague, the Germanist Friedrich Karl Köpke, with his edition of Rudolf von Ems' '' Barlaam und Josaphat'' (1818), and also assisted his friend in a contemplated edition of the works of Walther von der Vogelweide. In January 1818, he became professor extraordinarius of classical philology in the University of Königsberg, and at the same time began to lecture on Old German grammar and the Middle High German poets. He devoted himself during the following seven years to an extraordinarily detailed study of those subjects, and in 1824, obtained a leave of absence in order to search the libraries of middle and south Germany for further materials. In 1825, Lachmann was nominated extraordinary professor of classical and German philology at the Humboldt University, Berlin (ordinary professor 1827); in 1830, he was admitted a member of the Academy of Sciences. He died in
Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
.


Importance in scholarship

Lachmann is a figure of considerable importance in the history of German philology. Early in his career, Lachmann translated the first volume of P.E. Müller's ''Sagabibliothek des skandinavischen Altertums'' (1816). In his ''"Habilitationsschrift" über die ursprungliche Gestalt des Gedichts von der Nibelungen Noth'' (1816), and in his review of
Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...
's ''Nibelungen'' and Benecke's ''Bonerius'', contributed in 1817 to the ''Jenaische Literaturzeitung'', he had already laid down the rules of textual criticism and elucidated the phonetic and metrical principles of Middle High German in a manner which marked a distinct advance in that branch of investigation. The rigidly scientific character of his method becomes increasingly apparent in the ''Auswahl aus den hochdeutschen Dichtern des dreizehnten Jahrhunderts'' (1820); in the edition of
Hartmann Hartmann is a Germanic and Ashkenazi Jewish surname. It is less frequently used as a male given name. The name originates from the Germanic word, "hart", which translates in English to "hardy", "hard", or "tough" and "Mann", a suffix meaning "man", ...
's ''Iwein'' (1827); in those of Walther von der Vogelweide (1827) and Wolfram von Eschenbach (1833); in the papers "''Über das Hildebrandslied''," "''Über althochdeutsche Betonung und Verskunst''," "''Über den Eingang des Parzivals''," and "''Über drei Bruchstücke niederrheinischer Gedichte''" published in the ''Abhandlungen'' of the Berlin Academy; and in ''Der Nibelunge Not und die Klage'' (1826), which was followed by a critical commentary in 1836. Lachmann's ''Betrachtungen über Homer's Iliad'', first published in the ''Abhandlungen'' of the Berlin Academy in 1837 and 1841, in which he sought to show that the '' Iliad'' consists of eighteen independent "layers" variously enlarged and interpolated, had considerable influence on 19th century
Homeric scholarship Homeric scholarship is the study of any Homeric topic, especially the two large surviving Epic poetry, epics, the ''Iliad'' and ''Odyssey''. It is currently part of the academic discipline of classical studies. The subject is one of the oldest in ...
, although his views are no longer accepted. His smaller edition of the New Testament appeared in 1831, the 3rd edition in 1846, and the larger second edition, in two volumes, between 1842 and 1850. The plan of Lachmann's edition, which he explained in ''Theologische Studien und Kritiken'' (1830),Rechenschaft über seine Ausgabe des Neuen Testaments
, ''Theologische Studien und Kritiken'' (1830), p. 817—845. Lachmann's 1831 edition contains no commentary except for a short text in Latin, in which he refers to this 1830 explanation in German: "De ratione et consilio huius editionis loco commodiore expositum est (''theolog. Studien und Kritiken'' 1830, p. 817 — 845). hic satis erit dixisse, editorem nusquam iudicium suum, sed consuetudinem antiquissimarum Orientis ecclesiarum secutum esse. hanc quoties minus constantem fuisse animadvertit, quantum fieri potuit ea quae Italorum et Afrorum consensu comprobarentur praetulit: ubi pervagatam omnium auctorum discrepantiam deprehendit, partim uncis partim in marginibus indicavit. quo factum est ut vulgatae et nis proximis duobus saeculis receptae lectionis ratio haberi non posset. huius diversitas hic in fine libri adiecta est, quoniam ea res doctis iudicibus necessaria esse videbatur." ("The nature and design of this edition has been explained in a more convenient place (''theolog. Studien und Kritiken'' 1830, p. 817–845). It will be sufficient to have said here, that the editor never followed his own judgement, but followed the custom of the most ancient churches of the East. He notes that, as far as possible, he preferred those things which should be approved by the consent of the Italians and Africans: when he discovered a discrepancy spread over all the authors, he pointed it out partly in brackets and partly in the margins. This diversity was added here at the end of the book, because that matter seemed necessary to the learned judges.") is a modification of the unaccomplished project of
Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...
(formulated in 1720) to establish a more reliable critical Greek edition of the New Testament than the '' Textus Receptus''. Lachmann was the first major editor to break from the ''Textus Receptus'', seeking to restore the most ancient reading current in manuscripts of the
Alexandrian text-type In textual criticism of the New Testament, the Alexandrian text-type is one of the main text types. It is the text type favored by the majority of modern textual critics and it is the basis for most modern (after 1900) Bible translations. Over ...
, using the agreement of the Western authorities (
Old Latin Old Latin, also known as Early Latin or Archaic Latin (Classical la, prīsca Latīnitās, lit=ancient Latinity), was the Latin language in the period before 75 BC, i.e. before the age of Classical Latin. It descends from a common Proto-Italic ...
and Greek Western
Uncial Uncial is a majuscule Glaister, Geoffrey Ashall. (1996) ''Encyclopedia of the Book''. 2nd edn. New Castle, DE, and London: Oak Knoll Press & The British Library, p. 494. script (written entirely in capital letters) commonly used from the 4th to ...
s) as the main proof of antiquity of a reading where the oldest Alexandrian authorities differ. Lachmann's edition of
Lucretius Titus Lucretius Carus ( , ;  – ) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is the philosophical poem '' De rerum natura'', a didactic work about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, and which usually is translated in ...
(1850), which was the principal occupation of his life from 1845, is perhaps his greatest achievement of scholarship. He demonstrated how the three main manuscripts all derived from one
archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
, containing 302 pages of 26 lines to a page. Further, he was able to show that this archetype was a copy of a manuscript written in a
minuscule Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
hand, which was in turn a copy of a manuscript of the 4th or 5th centuries written in rustic capitals. To say his recreation of the text was 'accepted' is an understatement; HAJ Munro characterized this accomplishment as "a work which will be a landmark for scholars as long as the Latin language continues to be studied." Lachmann also edited Propertius (1816);
Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poetry, Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical h ...
(1829); Tibullus (1829); Genesius (1834); Terentianus Maurus (1836);
Babrius Babrius ( grc-gre, Βάβριος, ''Bábrios''; century),"Babrius" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 21. also known as Babrias () or Gabrias (), was the author of a collection of Greek fables, many of whic ...
(1845); Avianus (1845);
Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius Pol ...
(1841–1842); the ''Agrimensores Romani'' (1848–1852); and
Lucilius The gens Lucilia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. The most famous member of this gens was the poet Gaius Lucilius, who flourished during the latter part of the second century BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vo ...
(edited after his death by
Vahlen Vahlen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Johannes Vahlen (1830–1911), German philologist * Theodor Vahlen (1869–1945), German mathematician, son of Johannes See also *Valen (surname) Valen is a surname. Notable p ...
, 1876). He also translated
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's sonnets (1820) and ''
Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'' (1829).


See also

* Lachmann's law


Notes


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lachmann, Karl 1793 births 1851 deaths German philologists German classical scholars Writers from Braunschweig People from the Duchy of Brunswick Leipzig University alumni University of Göttingen alumni University of Königsberg faculty Humboldt University of Berlin faculty Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Textual scholarship