Marju Lepajõe (28 October 1962 - 4 July 2019) was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n classical philologist, translator and religious historian.

Early life and education

Lepajõe was born on 28 October 1962 to the scientists Jaan Lepajõe ( et) (an expert in cereal production) and Leida Lepajõe (et) (an expert in chicken and egg production). She had two brothers and a sister; her brother Madis Lepajõe ( et) became Deputy Mayor of Tartu in 2018. Lepajõe graduated from the Department of Philology at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

in 1982. Between 1988-91, she studied classical philology at Leningrad State University. In 1996, Lepajõe defended her Master's degree in Classical Philology at the University of Tartu, her research project was entitled: ''The Fictitious Element in the Dares Phrygian Trojan Chronicle and Its Links to Contemporary Historiography.'' In 2018, Lepajõe defended her doctoral dissertation, which was entitled: ''Pastors and Literary Culture: Variations of Christian Humanism in Estonia and Livonia in the First Half of the 17th Century.'' She was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree as a result.

Career

Between 1985-8 Lepajõe was Senior Librarian, Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the

University of Tartu Library Tartu University Library is an academic library in Tartu, Estonia, belonging to the University of Tartu. It is the largest academic library in the country. The library was founded in 1802 (with its forerunner from 1632). Holdings include appro ...

. This was the start of a long academic career there: * 1992-3 - Assistant Chair of Classical Philology * 1993-8 - Latin and Greek Lecturer, Department of Theology * 1998 - Researcher in Church History * 1998-2001 - Chair of Historical Theology and Latin Lepajõe's research interests included the influence of neo-Platonic philosophy and

patristic theology Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

on later Christian thought, as well as theology in Estonian intellectual culture in the seventeenth century. Her research publications included articles on:

demonology Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief and myth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies within theology, religious doctrine, or pseudoscience. In many faiths, it concerns the study of a hierarchy of demons. Demons may ...

in Plotinus, Reiner Brockmann - the first poet writing in Estonian, the Estonian syrologist Arthur Võõbus, as well as including many other areas. She was a visiting researcher at universities such as:

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Selected works

Translator

Lepajõe compiled the ''Greek-Estonian New Testament Dictionary''. She was also a prolific translator, working on texts from ancient, medieval and modern authors, including:

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, Plotinos, Gregory of Tours,

Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

, Johannes Scotus Eriugena,

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order throug ...

, Anselm of Canterbury,

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wit ...

, Descartes,

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

, Johannes Risingh,

Heinrich von Kleist Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', ''The Broken Jug'', ''Amph ...

Otto Wilhelm Masing Otto Wilhelm Masing ( in Lohusuu, Kreis Dorpat, Livland Governorate – in Äksi, Livland Governorate) was an early Baltic German Estophile and a major advocate of peasant rights, especially regarding education. Life He received schooling ...

Translations

* "Fathers: Talmudic Part 4, Treatise 9". Tallinn: Periodicals, 1990 (Creative Library 6/1990) (translation from Hebrew, with Andres Gross) * Carl Morgenstern . "On the Purpose and Subject of a Book Called Plato's Politeia". Academy 1/1993 * Plotinos . "On Beauty" Enneaadid I. 6. Academy 5/1993 * Plotinos. "Spiritual Beauty" (Enneaades V. 8). Academy 5/1993 * A. Hilary Armstrong . "The Teaching of Plotinus." Academy 5/1993 * Werner Beierwaltes . "Love of Beauty and Love of God". Academy 6/1993 * Christoph Wrembek . "The Star of Bethlehem: November 13, 1993 - 2000 years ago" (translation with Mari Tarvas). Academy 11/1993 *

Marionette Theater by Heinrich von Kleist . Academy, 12/1993, pp. 2551–2557. Reprint: "In memoriam Claus Sommerhage". Tartu: Tartu University Press, 2005, pp. 138–144 *

Hans Urs von Balthasar Hans Urs von Balthasar (12 August 1905 – 26 June 1988) was a Swiss theologian and Catholic priest who is considered an important Catholic theologian of the 20th century. He was announced as his choice to become a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, b ...

. "The Boundaries of Christian Mystery". Academy, 9/1994 * Endre von Ivánka . "From Names to Unnamed". Academy, 10/1994 * Pseudo-Dionysios Areopagita. "From Mystical Theology to Timotheos". Academy, 10/1994 *

René Descartes René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Ma ...

. "Meditations on the First Philosophy" (II and VI). Academy, 8/1996 * Johannes Claudii Risingh, "A Call from the City of Tartu: 1637". Tartu: Tartu University Press, 1996 (translation from Latin; new edition Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2009) * Plato "Politeia: Book VII 514a-621b". Academy 9/1997, pp. 1819–1828 * Jan Szaif, "Plato's Cave Equivalence ". Academy 9/1997, pp. 1829–1842 *

Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995. ...

, "" Ilias "or a poem about power". French tlk. Marju Lepajõe. Rainbow 7-8 / 1997, pp. 82–105 * , "Is a New Renaissance Possible," Tuna, 2/2001, pp. 4–9 * The Nature and Structure of Gnosis by

Kurt Rudolph Kurt Rudolph (3 April 1929
University of Leipzig – 13 May 2020) was a German researcher of < ...

. Translated from German by Marju Lepajõe. Academy, 10/2001, pp. 2125–2140 * Plato, "Works of I. Socrates Apology. Phaidon. Kriton. Dinner. Charmides. Phaidros. Euthyphron." Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2003 (translation of the Ancient Greek dialogues "Phaidon" and "Phaidros") * Eric R. Dodds, "Gentiles and Christians in an Age of Anxiety." Tallinn: Varrak, 2003 (English translation) *

"Welcome speech by OW Masing at the solemn reopening meeting of the University of Tartu, April 22, 1802". Translated from Latin by Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "200 Years of University Studies in Estonian: 1803 Lectures in Estonian and Finnish at the University of Tartu: Anniversary Collection". Tartu, 2003. (Proceedings of the Chair of Estonian at the University of Tartu, 25). Pp. 10–13 * Plotinus "Entheads I.6: Beauty". Interpreter. and comment. Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "An Anthology of Ancient Greek Literature". Tallinn, 2006. pp. 435–444 *

Friedrich Robert Faehlmann Friedrich Robert Faehlmann (Fählmann) (31 December 1798 in Ao Manor, Kreis Jerwen – 22 April 1850 in Tartu) was an Estonian writer, medical doctor and philologist active in Livonia, Russian Empire. He was a co-founder of the Learned Eston ...

, "Observations on Hidden Inflammations". Translated from Latin by Kaarina Rein and Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: Fr. "Works III" by R. Faehlmann. Estonian Literary Museum, Estonian Academy of Sciences Under and Tuglas Literature Center, 2011. pp. 90–152 *

, "From the Prison of the Church of Babel: Foreplay". Translated from Latin by Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: Martin Luther "Selected Jobs". Tartu, 2012. pp. 177–298 *

John Scotus Eriugena John Scotus Eriugena, also known as Johannes Scotus Erigena, John the Scot, or John the Irish-born ( – c. 877) was an Irish Neoplatonist philosopher, theologian and poet of the Early Middle Ages. Bertrand Russell dubbed him "the most ...

, "On the Nature of God: Periphyseon, II, 28". Academy, 12/2012, pp. 2115–2130 *

Hieronymus Hieronymus, in English pronounced or , is the Latin form of the Ancient Greek name (Hierṓnymos), meaning "with a sacred name". It corresponds to the English given name Jerome. Variants * Albanian: Jeronimi * Arabic: جيروم (Jerome) * Basq ...

, "The Life of the Blessed Paul, Thebes Monk: The Monk Romance" . Translated from Latin and commented by Marju Lepajõe. Rainbow, 1-2 / 2013, pp. 42–51 * From Gregorius Tours "Ten History Books: Excerpts". Translated by Tiina Kala, Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "Anthology of Medieval Literature I. Latin Literature". Tallinn, 2013, pp. 104–113 (excerpts from books II, VII and IX) * Anselm Canterbury's "Proslogion, or Talk: an excerpt." Translator and author Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "Anthology of Medieval Literature I. Latin Literature". Tallinn, 2013. pp. 252–259 *

Pierre Abélard Peter Abelard (; french: link=no, Pierre Abélard; la, Petrus Abaelardus or ''Abailardus''; 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This source has a detailed de ...

Héloïse Héloïse (; c. 1100–01? – 16 May 1163–64?), variously Héloïse d' ArgenteuilCharrier, Charlotte. Heloise Dans L'histoire Et Dans la Legende. Librairie Ancienne Honore Champion Quai Malaquais, VI, Paris, 1933 or Héloïse du Paraclet, w ...

(?) "Letters of Two Lovers: Excerpts". Translated by Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "Anthology of Medieval Literature I. Latin Literature". Tallinn, 2013. pp. 287–292 *

, "Speeches on Song of Songs: Snippets". Translated by Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "Anthology of Medieval Literature I. Latin Literature". Tallinn, 2013. pp. 331–347 * Innocentius III, Human Affliction: The Extract. Translator and author Marju Lepajõe. Rmt: "Anthology of Medieval Literature I. Latin Literature". Tallinn, 2013. pp. 463–485 *

Kurt Rudolph Kurt Rudolph (3 April 1929
University of Leipzig – 13 May 2020) was a German researcher of < ...

, "Gnosis: The Nature and History of a Late Antique Religion." Translated by Jaan Lahe, Jana Lahe and Marju Lepajõe (translated from German), foreword by Jaan Lahe. Tallinn: Tallinn University Press, 2014 * Innocentius III, Human Misery: Part Two. Translated from Latin and commented by Marju Lepajõe. Rainbow, 1-2 / 2016, pp. 87–105

Awards and honors

Lepajõe received many awards during her career, which include: * 1995 Second Prize of the Open Society Fund for English in Social Sciences and Humanities * 1999 Presidential Award of the Republic of Estonia * 1999 Rector-von-Ewers-Preis from the University of Münster * 1999 University of Tartu Raefond Prize for translating 17th century publications * 2009 Language and Literature Annual Award for Best Article * 2010 Cultural Endowment Literature Endowment Article Award (2009) * 2015 Order of the White Star, V Class * 2016 Estonian Culture Capital Scholarship " Life and Shine " * 2017 Cross of Merit of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3rd degree * 2017 Academy Award for the best article in the field of ''socialia'' * 2018 Enn Soosaar Ethical Essay Prize

Legacy

In 2018, Lepajõe was the subject of a documentary by writer and director Vallo Toomla, entitled "Marju Lepajõe: Words of the Day". The film was funded by the Estonian Film Institute and premiered on 27 September 2019. In 2019, Lepajõe's family, the ''

Postimees ''Postimees'' () is an Estonian daily newspaper established on 5 June 1857, by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In 1891, it became the first daily newspaper in Estonia. Its current editor-in-chief is Priit Hõbemägi. The paper has approximately 250 ...

'' newspaper and University of Tartu established the Marju Lepajõe Memorial Fund. This fund aims to recognize and value research and translation. In September 2019 the fund announced its first scholarship competition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lepajoe, Marju 1962 births 2019 deaths Estonian classical scholars Estonian philologists Estonian translators Estonian theologians University of Tartu alumni Academic staff of the University of Tartu People from Tartu Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class 20th-century translators