Joseph Levin Saalschütz (March 15, 1801 – August 23, 1863) was a German

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

, archaeologist, and anthropologist.

Biography

Joseph Levin Saalschütz was born in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

, in 1801. He was educated at the local gymnasium and at the

University of Königsberg The University of Königsberg () was the university of Königsberg in Duchy of Prussia, which was a fief of Poland. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant Reformation, Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke A ...

. In 1824, he became the first

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

to obtain a Ph.D. from that institution. Throughout his career, Saalschütz held several positions as a rabbi and teacher at Jewish communal schools in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. He returned to Königsberg in 1835, where he served as a rabbi and, in 1847, became ''

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 ...

'' in Hebrew archaeology at the University of Königsberg. Despite his many academic achievements, he failed to advance from this position to a professorship. He died as a ''Privatdozent'' on August 23, 1863.

Selected publications

* Re-edited in 1853 under the title ''Form und Geist der Biblisch-Hebräischen Poesie''. * * A book on Jewish religion widely used in schools in Austria and Hungary. * * * With supplement. * * * * * A comprehensive survey of various topics from a Jewish standpoint, including dress, home, religion, art, literature, and government. * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saalschütz, Joseph Levin 1801 births 1863 deaths 19th-century German anthropologists 19th-century German archaeologists 19th-century German rabbis Academic staff of the University of Königsberg Jewish archaeologists University of Königsberg alumni