Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach

Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach (born February 29, 1752 in Dillenburg , † March 30, 1816 in Jena ) was a German Africanist, theologian, orientalist, philologist and publicist.

Lorsbach was the son of a princely Nassau-Dillenburg secret judge and office director in Dillenburg Johann Heinrich Lorsbach, his grandfather was Johann Heinrich Lorsbach , long-time mayor of Siegen . His grandson was Georg Domizlaff .

Life

He obtained his university entrance qualification at the Dillenburg grammar school. From 1768 to 1771 he studied theology and oriental languages at the University of Herborn . From 1771 to 1773 he studied oriental languages at the University of Göttingen . In 1773 he returned to Herborn due to illness. From 1773 to 1777 he conducted scientific studies there. In 1777 he entered the clergy and in 1778 became principal at the Siegen school . In 1786 he became rector of the grammar school in Dillenburg. From 1791 to 1792 he was rector of the high school in Herborn and received a professorship for oriental languages at the high school in Herborn . In 1792 he became a lecturer in historical and exegetical lectures. In 1793 he received a professorship for theology; later he was consistorial counselor .

In 1805 he published the description of Africa , the first German translation of La descrittione dell'Africa by Leo Africanus , of which he had the 2nd edition from 1554 and the 4th from 1588

In 1812 he followed a call from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on the recommendation of Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy as Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of Jena .

By Heinrich Karl Eichstädt was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe submit Lorsbach Oriental questions and mentioned him in the West-Eastern Divan :

“Lorsbach, it is our duty to commemorate the valiant Lorsbach here too. He came to our circle of old age, where he found no comfort in any sense for himself; but he was happy to give me faithful information on everything I asked him about, as soon as it was within the limits of his knowledge, which he might have often drawn too sharply. At first it seemed miraculous to me not to find him a particular friend of oriental poetry; And yet it is in a similar way everyone who spends time and energy in some business with preference and enthusiasm and yet does not believe he will find a hoped-for gain in the end. And then, of course, age is the time that lacks liquor, where man deserves it most. His mind and honesty were equally cheerful, and I always remember the hours I spent with him with pleasure. "

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe : West-Eastern Divan

Fonts

Archiv fur die Morganlandische Literatur. 1794.
Description of Africa , first translation from Italian into German of La descrittione dell'Africa by Leo Africanus
New contributions to the Apocrypha of the New Testament, from the sacred writings of the Zabians or St. Johannis-younger . Marburg 1807 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Bernhard Pünjer : Lorsbach, Georg Wilhelm . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1879, p. 203.
Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach in the German biography
Works by and about Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach in the German Digital Library

Individual evidence

↑ Evangelisches Schulblatt, 1873, p. 85
^ Dietrich Rauchberger: Johannes Leo der Afrikaner. His description of the area between the Nile and the Niger according to the original text , p. 166
^ Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach, professor of oriental literature in Jena. In the Analen von Jena, Goethe calls him extremely sympathetic and helpful "and remarks that he came into contact with all kinds of things through him. Through Heinrich Karl Eichstädt , Goethe lets Lorsbach in his letters to Heinrich Karl Eichstädt of October 20, 1813 (No. 167 ) and submit oriental questions from November 2, 1824 (No. 182). Lorsbach formerly in Marburg, died in Jena on March 29, 1816 cf. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, West-Eastern Divan, von Goethe: With introduction and explanatory notes, [1]
↑ WorldCat , [2]
↑ HERBORN, in the bookstore of the high school: Leo's des Afrikaner's description of Africa, translated from the Italian and annotated by Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach. I B. 1805. See Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung from 1809, p. 87

personal data
SURNAME	Lorsbach, Georg Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German Africanist
DATE OF BIRTH	February 29, 1752
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dillenburg
DATE OF DEATH	March 30, 1816
Place of death	Jena

[1] Evangelisches Schulblatt, 1873, p. 85

[2] Dietrich Rauchberger: Johannes Leo der Afrikaner. His description of the area between the Nile and the Niger according to the original text , p. 166

[3] Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach, professor of oriental literature in Jena. In the Analen von Jena, Goethe calls him extremely sympathetic and helpful "and remarks that he came into contact with all kinds of things through him. Through Heinrich Karl Eichstädt , Goethe lets Lorsbach in his letters to Heinrich Karl Eichstädt of October 20, 1813 (No. 167 ) and submit oriental questions from November 2, 1824 (No. 182). Lorsbach formerly in Marburg, died in Jena on March 29, 1816 cf. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, West-Eastern Divan, von Goethe: With introduction and explanatory notes, [1]

[4] WorldCat , [2]

[5] HERBORN, in the bookstore of the high school: Leo's des Afrikaner's description of Africa, translated from the Italian and annotated by Georg Wilhelm Lorsbach. I B. 1805. See Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung from 1809, p. 87