Albert Schultens

Albert Schultens

Albert Schultens (born August 22, 1686 in Groningen , † January 26, 1750 in Leiden ) was a Dutch Reformed theologian and orientalist .

Life

The son of Johann Schultens and Betta Bonthenius, initially attended the Latin school in his native city. On September 6, 1700 he moved to the University of Groningen , where he completed studies of oriental languages ​​and theology with Paulus Hulsius (1653-1712) and Johannes Braun (1628-1708). On January 20, 1706, under Braun, he had defended the treatise de utilitate linguae Arabicae in interpretantia Sacra Scriptura . On September 10, 1706 he continued his oriental studies at the University of Leiden , where he found a teacher in Salomon van Til who made him familiar with the local Arabic manuscripts. He also attended the lectures of Johannes a Marck , Hermann Witsius , Franciscus Fabricius , Jacobus Perizonius and Jakob Gronovius . He had completed further studies in 1707 at the University of Utrecht with Adrianus Reland , where he was particularly concerned with archeology, geography and oriental theology.

The fruit of his studies at that time came to light in 1708 in the text Animadversiones in Jobum (Utrecht 1708). On July 4, 1709 he received his doctorate in Groningen with a treatise on Marcus 13, 32 to the doctorate of theology and published his Animadversiones criticae ad varia loca VT (Amsterdam 1709). Then he went back to Leiden, where he conducted comparative oriental language studies at the university library there for two years. In 1711 he became a pastor in the village of Wassenaar, received an appointment as professor of the Hebrew language at the University of Franeker on July 16, 1713 , where he gave the speech de fontibus, ex quibus omnis L. Hebraeae notitia manavit, horumque vitiis on November 9th et defectibus (Franeker 1714) began the task assigned to him. On January 8, 1717, he also became an academic preacher there and had also taught homiletics . In his capacity as a Franek university lecturer, he also took part in the organizational tasks of the university and was rector of the Alma Mater in 1719/20 and 1728/29. He resigned the first rectorate with the speech pro studio humanitatis (Franeker 1720) and the second rectorate with the speech de linguae Arabicae antiquissima orgine, intima ac sororia cum lingua Hebraea cognatione, nullisque seculis praeflorata puritate (Franeker 1729).

On October 5, 1729, he became regent of the State College at the University of Leiden, with the title of Doctor of Oriental Languages. In addition, on May 5, 1732, he was appointed professor of oriental languages, which he did on June 19, 1732 with the speech de linguae Arabioue antiquissima origine, intima ae sororia cum linguae Hebr. cognatione nullisque secules praeflorata puritate took over. On July 12, 1740, he was given the chair of Hebrew antiquities, for which he gave the speech de tabernaculo Mosis on September 26 of the same year . In Leiden he also took part in the organizational tasks of the university and was rector of the Alma Mater in 1739/40 , which he resigned with the speech de regina Sabaeorum (Leiden 1740).

Schultens, who had gained an excellent reputation among the orientalists of the 18th century in the Netherlands, is considered a pioneer of Semitic studies . As the founder of comparative Hebrew studies, he tried to use the meager vocabulary of the Hebrew language in the Bible by comparing it with the closely related Arabic language to discover further roots of the ancient language. This approach has been rejected in later research, but Schultens remained the merit of the pioneer of comparative linguistic research.

family

Schultens was married four times. His first marriage was on August 10, 1712 in Leiden with Elisabeth Dozy (* July 4, 1684 in Leiden, † October 3, 1717 in Franeker), the daughter of the Leiden merchant Peter Dozy and Elisabeth Drolenvaux, from which three daughters and a son emerged. His second marriage was on April 5, 1722 in Franeker with Anna Landreben († 1726 in Franeker). His third marriage was in Leiden in 1732 with Catharina Stantius (* Haarlem; † February 22, 1744 buried in Leiden). His fourth marriage was on August 15, 1745 in Oegstgeest with Johanna Maria Parker (buried August 1, 1771 in Leiden), the daughter of Thomas Parker and Maria Drolenvaux. You know from your children:

• Elisabeth Hesther Schultens (baptized April 15, 1714 in Franeker, † February 19, 1781 in Leiden)
• Johanna Schultens (baptized June 9, 1715 in Franeker, † April 22, 1793 in Groningen) married. June 6, 1742 with the councilor in Groningen Wolther Reinhold de Sitter,
• Jan Jacob Schultens (born September 19, 1716 in Franeker † November 2, 1778 in Leiden) became professor of oriental languages ​​in Leiden
• Allegonda Schultens (born September 14, 1717 in Franeker, † February 25, 1755 in Herborn) married on July 18, 1746 to Valentin Arnold (1712–1793)
• Moritz Arnold Schultens (died young in Leiden)
• Hesther Catharina Schultens (baptized February 27, 1737 in Leiden, † 1776 in Groningen) was married on March 25, 1758 to the mayor of Groningen Barend van Iddekinge

Works

• Disputatio de utililale linguae Arabicae in interpreianda S. Scripiura. Groningen 1706
• Animadversiones philologicae in Jobum, in quibus plurima hactenus from Interpretibus male accepta ope linguae Arabicae & affinium illustrantur. 1708 ( online )
• Animadversiones philologicae et criticae ad varia loca VT. Amsterdam 1709 ( online ),
• Disputatio ad locum Marci XIII, 32. Groningen 1709
• Oratio inauguralis de fontibus, ex quibus omnis linguae hebraicae notitia manavit horumque vitiis et defectibus. Franeker 1713 ( online )
• Dissertationes IV ad origines Hebraeas. veramque antiquae Hebraeorum linguae naturam et indolem, defendentibus F. Halma. P. Wesseling. N. Staphorst and S. Boelens 1715-1718
• Oratio funebra in obitum Lamb Bos. Franeker 1718 ( online )
• Oratio pro studio humanitatis. Franeker 1720 ( online )
• Laudation funebris in memoriam Camp. Vitringa. Franeker 1722 ( online )
• Origines Hebraeae. Franeker 1724, Leiden 1761 ( online )
• Disputatio de muliere sedent in Epha; Zach. V: 5-11. 1725
• Disputatio III de verbis et sententiis (etc.) defendentibus J. Doitsma, P. Mees. Th. Scheltinga et Jo. Madi. 1728-1731
• Oratio (prior) de linguae Arabicae antiquissima origine (etc.). Franeker 1729
• Abu Mohammed El Kasim Basrensis, vulgo dicti Hariri; printed as: Haririi tres priores concessus noiis illustrait. Franeker 1731
• De defectibus hodiernis linguae hebraeae, eorundemque Resarciendorum tutissima via ac Ratione. Originibus Hebraicis subserviens Opus. Franeker 1731 ( online )
• Oratio altera de linguae Arabicae antiquissima origine. Leiden 1732
• Vita et res gestas Saladini. Leiden 1732
• Florilegium sententiarum Arabicarum, opgenomen achterin J. Erpenius, Grammatica Arabica. Leiden 1733, 1770.
• Clavis mutationis elementorum (etc.). Leiden 1733
• Institutiones ad fundamenta linguae Hebraeae. Leiden 1737
• Liber Jobi. cum nova versione et comm .. perpetuo. Leiden 1737 ( online )
• Vetus et regia via Hebraizandi, asserta contra novam et metaphysicam hodiernam. Leiden 1738
• Oratio Funebris in Memoriam Herman Boerhaavii. Leiden 1738 ( online )
• Academic speeches by Albert Schultenser the thought of van den great Herman Boerhaave. Leiden 1739
• Originum Hebraearum i. II (cum vindiciis tomi I. nec non Libri de defectibus hodiernis linguae Hebraeae, et brev. Striciuris in considerationes ad novam versionem L. Jobi. Adv. CI. Driessenium). Leiden 1737 ( online ), 1762,
• Excursus primus ad caput primum viae veteris et regiae hebraïzandi. Leiden 1739 ( online )
• Excursus Secundus Ad Editionem Primam Et Secundam Dissertationis Historicae de Lingua Primaeva, etc. etc. Leiden 1739 ( Online )
• Oratio de tabernaculo Mosis. Leiden 1740
• Oratio de regina Sabaeorum. Leiden 1740
• Concessus Haririi quartus et sextus e codice manuscripto latine conversi ac notis illustrati. accedunt Monumenta vetustiora Arabiae. Leiden 1740
• Proverbia Salomonis. Leiden 1748 ( online )
• Thomae Erpenii Grammatica Arabica cum Fabulis Locmanni, etc. Accedunt Excerpta anthologiae veterum Arabiae poetarum, quae inscribitur Hamasa Abi Temmam Ex Mss. Biblioth. Academ. Batavae et notis illustrate. Leiden 1748 ( online )
• Epistola ad FO Menckenium. Leiden 1749 ( online )
• Institutiones Aramaeae. Leiden 1749 ( online )
• Opera minora, Animadversiones ejus in Jobum, et ad varia loca VT Nec non Varias Dissertationes et Orationes, Complectentia, Antehae Seorsum in Lucem Emissa, nunc in unum corpus collecta et conjunctim edita, una cum indicibus Necessariis. Leiden and Leeuwarden 1769 ( online )

literature

• Hermann Leberecht Strack :  Schultens, Albert . In: Realencyklopadie for Protestant Theology and Church (RE). 3. Edition. Volume 17, Hinrichs, Leipzig 1906, pp. 796-797.
• Willem Boele Sophius Boeles: Frieslands Hoogeschool en het Rijks Athenaeum te Franeker. A. Meijer, Leeuwarden, 1889, Volume 2, Part 2, p. 380
• Friedrich Karl Gottlob Hirsching , Johann Heinrich Martin Ernesti: Historical literary handbook of famous and memorable people who lived in the eighteenth century, or historical, bio and bibliographical news from emperors, kings, princes, great generals, statesmen, popes, cardinals, ore and bishops, scholars of all sciences, builders, artists, merchants, mechanics, and other remarkable persons of beyderley sex. Verlag Schwickert, Leipzig, 1808, 11th vol., P. 299 ( online )
• Johann Christoph Strodtmann: The new scholar Europe. Johann Christoph Meißner, Wolfenbüttel, 1754, p. 319 ( online )
• Friedrich Otto: The complete literature of the Netherlands, or life and work of the Dutch writers since the thirteenth century up to our time. Publishing house of the bibliographical institute, Hildburghausen-Amsterdam-Philadelphia, 1838, Sp. 396, ( online )
• AA Vorsterman van Oyen, Joh. DG van Epen: Algemeen Nederlandsch Familieblad. Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, Schlacht-, Wapen- Zegelkunde, enz. Heraldisches Archiv, The Hague, 1892, vol. IX, p. 37
• Ferdinand Mühlau: Albert Schultens and its significance for Hebrew linguistics. In: AG Rudelbach, HEF Guericke, Fr. Delitzsch: Journal for the entire Lutheran theology and church. Dörffling and Franke, Leipzig, 1870, vol. 31, p. 1, ( online )
• Johannes Cornelis de Bruine: SCHULTENS, ALBERT . In: Biografisch Lexicon voor de geschiedenis van het Nederlands Protestantisme. Uitgevers Maatschappij JH Kok, Kampen, 1978, ISBN 90-242-2091-2 ; Vol. 1, p. 330.
• Arent Jan Wensinck : SCHULTENS (Albert) . In: Petrus Johannes Blok , Philipp Christiaan Molhuysen (Ed.): Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek . Part 5. N. Israel, Amsterdam 1974, Sp. 707–711 (Dutch, knaw.nl / dbnl.org - first edition: AW Sijthoff, Leiden 1921, reprinted unchanged).
• Abraham Jacob van der Aa : Biographical Woordenboek der Nederlanden. Verlag JJ van Brederode, Haarlem, 1874, vol. 17, part 1, p. 526, ( online , Dutch)
• Barend Glasius: Biographical Woordenboek van Nederlandsche Godgeleerden. Muller Brothers, 's-Hertogenbosch 1856, Vol. 3, p. 312, ( Online , Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ^ G. du Rieu: Album studiosorum Academiae Lugduno-Batavae 1575-1875. Martin Nijhoff, The Hague, 1875, p. 793