August Engelbrecht (philologist)

August Gottfried Engelbrecht (born March 14, 1861 in Vienna ; † April 14, 1925 there ) was an Austrian classical philologist . As editor of the Latin Church Fathers Commission of the Academy of Sciences in Vienna , from 1899 to 1925 he headed the editing project Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum (CSEL), for which he edited three volumes himself.

Life

August Engelbrecht studied classical philology at the University of Vienna from 1879 , where he was particularly influenced by Wilhelm von Hartel and Karl Schenkl . After his doctorate as Dr. phil. on March 10, 1882 Engelbrecht deepened his studies at the University of Bonn , which at that time with Franz Bücheler and Hermann Usener was an important center of classical studies; He also went on a research trip to Paris , where he examined medieval manuscripts. After his return to Vienna, Engelbrecht taught from 1883 as a secondary school teacher in Vienna, from 1886 at the Theresianum Vienna (until 1901).

Engelbrecht was scientifically active in parallel to the lessons. Shortly after completing his studies, he had taken on an edition for the Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum (CSEL) on behalf of the Vienna Church Fathers' Commission . He promoted the work of the Church Fathers Commission all his life, initially as a part-time secretary of the CSEL. In 1899 the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna employed him as a full-time editor of the CSEL. At the same time, the Academy elected him a corresponding member (from 1921 a full member).

In addition to this task, Engelbrecht continued to teach at the Theresianum until in 1901 he received and accepted an appointment at the University of Vienna as associate professor of classical philology. He turned down a call to the University of Innsbruck as a full professor (1902). For seven years he ran the business of the Fathers' Church in parallel with his academic teaching post until he resigned the professorship in 1908 in order to be able to concentrate fully on the work at the CSEL. In recognition of his achievements, the Ministry of Education awarded him the title of full professor in 1923.

Engelbrecht died on April 14, 1925 after a serious illness at the age of 64. He was buried in the Mauer cemetery in Vienna. Engelbrechtweg was named after August Engelbrecht in 1936 in the Hietzing district of Vienna .

Scientific work

Engelbrecht dealt with Greek and Latin poetry from all epochs of antiquity. His first work dealt with the comic poetry of Hellenism and the Roman comedy ( Terence ). From there he came to the rhetoric , philosophy and Christian theology of late antiquity , with which he occupied himself all his life. With his editions and treatises on the Latin Christian writers, he made an important contribution to the scholarly development of this literature.

In 1885 he presented an edition of the works of the Christian philosopher Claudianus Mamertus (CSEL 11) as well as a study on his linguistic usage. This was followed by studies on the astrology of Hephaestion von Thebes (1887), which Engelbrecht did not continue. He devoted all of his labor to Christian writers: he published a monograph (1890) and an edition (1891) on the writings of Bishop Faustus von Riez and, after several studies of other authors, an edition of nine sermons by Gregory of Nazianzen , the Rufinus von Aquileia translated from Greek into Latin.

Fonts (selection)

• De scoliorum poesi . Vienna 1882 (dissertation)
• Studia Terentiana . Vienna 1883
• Claudiani Mamertini Opera . Recensuit et commentario critico instruxit Augustus Engelbrecht. Vienna 1885 ( Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 11)
• Studies on the language of Claudianus Mamertus . In: Session reports of the philosophical-historical class of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna . Volume 110 (1885), pp. 423-542
• Hephaestion of Thebes and his astrological compendium. A contribution to the history of Greek astrology . Vienna 1887
• Studies on the writings of the Bishop of Rei, Faustus. A contribution to the history of late Latin literature . Vienna / Prague 1890
• Fausti Reiensis praeter sermones pseudo-Eusebianos Opera. Accedunt Ruricii epistulae . Vienna 1891 ( Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 21)
• The ancient theater. Scenic visual aids for high school lessons . Vienna 1897
• The Consolatio philosophiae of Boethius. Observations on the author's style and the transmission of his work . In: Session reports of the philosophical-historical class of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna . Volume 144 (1902), pp. 1-60
• Studies on the commentary on Luke by Ambrosius. With an appendix about a previously lost manuscript by Philastrius . In: Session reports of the philosophical-historical class of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna . 146, pp. 1-23 (1903)
• Tyranni Rufini Opera I: Orationum Gregorii Nazianzeni novem interpretatio . Vienna 1910 ( Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 46)

literature

• Edmund Hauler : August Engelbrecht (1861–1925) . In: Almanac of the Academy of Sciences in Vienna. Volume 75 (1925), pp. 243-255 (with list of publications)
• Wilhelm Weinberger : August Engelbrecht . In: Annual report on the progress of classical antiquity . Volume 206, Nekrologe = Biographisches Jahrbuch für Altertumskunde . 46th year (1926), pp. 40–49
• Engelbrecht, August. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 1, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1957, p. 251.

Web links

Wikisource: August Engelbrecht  - Sources and full texts