Franz August Schmölders

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Franz August Schmölders (born November 28, 1809 in Rhede , Münsterland , † February 21, 1880 in Breslau ) was a German orientalist . His focus was the Arabic language and literature .

Life

Schmölders studied philosophy and theology at the University of Bonn from 1830 . Under the influence of professors Christian August Brandis , Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Freytag , Christian Lassen and August Wilhelm Schlegel , he soon concentrated on oriental, especially Arabic, philosophy. He learned Hebrew , Arabic, Avestian , Persian , Syrian and Sanskrit for this .

During his studies Schmölders was particularly concerned with the Arabic translations of the writings of Aristotle . In 1835 he won the prize of the Philosophical Faculty with a text edition of the works of the Indian philosopher Bhartrihari . On July 22, 1836 he was promoted to Dr. phil. PhD .

A scholarship from the Prussian Academy of Sciences enabled Schmölders to spend three and a half years in Paris after completing his studies, where he deepened his studies. He attended lectures by the great French Arabists Silvestre de Sacy , Joseph Toussaint Reinaud (1795–1867) and Pierre Amédée Jaubert . During his time in Paris he wrote his first book in French, in which he dealt with the history of philosophy among the Arabs. It was published by Firmin Didot in 1842 . Shortly afterwards, Schmölders returned to Bonn and completed his habilitation there.

On December 22, 1842, Schmölders gave his inaugural lecture at the University of Bonn. As a private lecturer, he did not receive a steady income, but the Prussian minister of education, Johann Albrecht Friedrich von Eichhorn, provided him with state support several times through grants. After just one and a half years (1844) Schmölders was appointed associate professor of oriental languages ​​and literature at the University of Breslau . He followed this call on June 29, 1844.

In Breslau, Schmölders worked at the university and in school at the same time for 16 years. He taught Hebrew and French part-time at the Matthias Gymnasium and, with official permission, also set up an English course in which he accepted particularly talented students. He continued his research despite the double burden. On May 1, 1846, he was accepted as a full member of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft .

After the death of his older colleague Georg Heinrich Bernstein (1860), Schmölders received his full professorship for oriental studies on October 10th. With that he was able to finish teaching at the grammar school. He worked as a professor at the university for another twenty years and during this time received numerous honors at home and abroad. His grandson Günter Schmölders became an economist.

Because of his language skills - he mastered 22 foreign languages ​​- Schmölders was also in great demand outside the university. As a member of the Scientific Examination Commission, he held exams in English and French, and worked as a sworn interpreter at the Royal City and Appeal Court . His multiple commitments, his intensive teaching activities and an abdominal disease prevented him from extensive publications since the 1860s.

Fonts (selection)

  • Documenta philosophiae Arabum ex codd. mss. primus edidit, Latine vertit, commentario illustravit Dr. AS Bonn 1836
  • Essai sur les écoles philosophiques chez les Arabes et notamment sur la doctrine d'Algazzali . Paris 1842
  • De studiis Arabum grammaticus libellus . Wroclaw 1862

literature

personal data
SURNAME Schmölders, Franz August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schmölders, August
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German orientalist
DATE OF BIRTH November 28, 1809
PLACE OF BIRTH Roadstead
DATE OF DEATH February 21, 1880
Place of death Wroclaw