Christian Petersen (philologist)

Christian Petersen, around 1860/70, black and white illustration of the portrait painted by Hermann Steinfurth

Christian Petersen (born January 17, 1802 in Kiel , † January 15, 1872 in Hamburg ) was a German classical philologist , high school professor and librarian in Hamburg.

Live and act

Christian Petersen's parents were Joachim Heinrich Petersen and Anna Marghareta Elisabeth, née Lüthgens. From 1810 he attended the community school in Kiel and from 1816 the scholars' school there . From 1821 to 1825 he studied classical philology in Kiel and Berlin and received his doctorate on December 14, 1825. phil. and that same year gave a lecture pro facultas legendi in Kiel , the inaugural lecture for obtaining a professorship.

On the New Year of 1826 Petersen went to Nienstedten near Altona and took a position as a teacher at the Köhnke'schen Erziehungsanstalt , a private school. He made contact with Hamburg scholars. At the suggestion of Hamburg's Syndic Karl Sieveking , in 1828, after the death of Johann Gottfried Gurlitt, he received a teaching position for philology at the Academic Gymnasium in Hamburg; from 1833 he was professor of classical philology. In addition, from 1831 Petersen also worked at the city library, today's State and University Library , whose librarian he temporarily became in 1844 and officially in 1861. He held both offices until his death in 1872.

On April 30, 1830 Christian Petersen married Caroline Amalie Pauli, née Gülich. After the early death of his wife in 1831, he married Betty Ferdinande Uhde on August 6, 1835, who died in 1838 after the birth of their second daughter. From a third marriage with Emilie Henriette Petersen since 1840 four children were born. Christian Petersen was a member of various learned associations and societies for historical research. Since 1849 he was first chairman of the Hamburger Kunstverein . In 1860 he was elected a corresponding member of the Archaeological Institute in Rome.

Works

“Inside view of the large library room”, 1840

Petersen wrote various works on Greek literature, philosophy and religion, as well as on folklore , most of which appeared in the school programs of the grammar school. Other books are related to his librarianship. In addition, he wrote studies for the Royal Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg Society for the collection and preservation of patriotic antiquities .

• Philosophiae Chrysippeae Fundamenta . Busch, Altona 1827
• Speech on the Dual Purpose of the Academic Gymnasium for Scholarly and General Education , 1834
• De Originibus Historiae Romanae Dissertatio . Meissner, Hamburg 1835
• History of the Hamburg City Library . Perthes-Besser & Mauke, Hamburg 1838
• Views and construction plans of the new buildings for Hamburg's public educational institutions, briefly described and in connection with the plan for the future installation of the city library . Meissner, Hamburg 1840
• Johannis Saresberiensis Entheticus De Dogmate Philosophorum . Meissner, Hamburg 1843
• The history of religion and art of the Greeks ... . Meissner, Hamburg 1845
• The secret service among the Greeks . Meissner, Hamburg 1848
• About the Greek birthday party by age, type and origin. A contribution to the house worship of the ancient Greeks . Leipzig 1857. books.google
• Origin, type and meaning of the birthday celebration among the ancient peoples. Westermann's Year Book of Illustrated German Monthly Issues , Volume 9, October 1860 - March 1861, p. 327 ff. Books.google .
• Horseshoes and horse bustards or the horseshoe stones in their mythological meaning . In Comm. of the Akad. Buchhandlung, Kiel 1865
• The spread of Christianity among the Saxons, with special consideration for the same inhibiting and promoting circumstances . Perthes, Besser & Mauke, Hamburg 1865
• Concerning the relation of the bronze age to historical time among the peoples of antiquity . Meissner, Hamburg 1868
• Traces of the Stone Age, which have been preserved up to the times of authenticated history . Meissner, Hamburg 1868
• The system of twelve gods of the Greeks and Romans according to its meaning, artistic representation and historical development . Lüderitz, Berlin 1870

literature

• Petersen (Christian) . In: Hans Schröder et al .: Lexicon of Hamburg writers up to the present . Sixth volume. Paulli – Schoff, Hamburg 1873; Pp. 32-41
• Richard Hoche :  Petersen, Christian . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 25, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, pp. 500-502.
• Werner Kayser: 500 years of the scientific library in Hamburg. 1479-1979. From the council library to the state and university library . Hauswedell & Co., Hamburg 1979; Pp. 113-119
• Journal of the Association for Hamburg History , In memory of Professor Christian Petersen , b. January 17, 1802 in Kiel, died January 15, 1872 in Hamburg, volume 06.1875, p. 457 ff. ( online ).