Johannes Coccius

Johannes Coccius also: Johannes Kok, Cock ; (Born November 28, 1626 in Zwolle ; † August 25, 1678 in Leiden ) was a Dutch philologist and rhetorician .

Life

The son of the rector of the Latin school in Zwolle, Johannes Cock, and his wife Aeltien Buis, who was married on August 10, 1618, began their studies in the last months of 1646 at the University of Utrecht after attending the Latin school in his home town . Here he should have completed an extensive study of the basic philosophical sciences. He continued his education at the Illustre grammar school in Deventer under Rector Johann Friedrich Gronovius , where he matriculated on September 4, 1648.

From April 26, 1650, he devoted himself to studying theology at Franeker University . On August 26th of the same year he became vice principal of the Latin school in Zwolle and on June 12th 1655 its principal. Here he married Margrieta Verhoef (f), also of Verhoeven (* around 1634 - 22 September 1678), the posthumous daughter of Cornelis Verhoeff, on June 23rd.

In the same year he also met Johannes Vollenhove (1631–1708), who found a new job in Zwolle and entered into a lively exchange of ideas on philosophy and poetry with Coccius.

The friendship was intensified when Coccius became principal of the Latin school in The Hague on March 1, 1668 , which office he assumed with the speech de literarum praestantia (The Hague 1668).

On April 15, 1670, the curators of the Leiden University appointed him professor of history and rhetoric. He took up this position with the speech De eloquentica laudatibus (Leiden 1670) and also gave lectures on the Latin language. In 1676/77 in Leiden, as rector of the alma mater, he also took part in the university's organizational tasks.

Obviously, Coccius had developed philological ambitions at the Leiden University and strove for the professorship of the Greek language, which also included the right to teach the Hebrew language. Since Allardus Uchtmannus (1611–1680) gave no more lectures from 1675 onwards, Coccius saw the opportunity to expand his scientific field and his financial income. However, the curators wanted to fill the office separately, which resulted in a certain stalemate for a long time in the negotiations. Finally, on June 6, 1678, the curators gave him the professorship. However, he could no longer set any accents and died two weeks later.

Works

There is little to say about his oeuvre. Occasionally his poems appear in some of the works of other authors (Vollenhoves Kruistriomf (1656), Cantilena sive Carmen Martinianum Anni MDCLXI, Scholae Zuollanae decantandum ). He also has a Rudimenta linguae latinae proeceptis grammaticae Philippo-Ramaeae accommodata, in usum scholoe Zuollanoe. (Zwolle 1656) published. From his university days a cum Ciceronis orationem pro Milone auspicaretur interpretari (Leiden, 1670) and an Oratie de bello cum Gallis, Gravia recepta, et Belgia liberato dicta ex Academici Senatus auctoritate, Nonis ipsis Novembris (Leiden, 1674) have come down to us.

literature

• Th. J. Meijer: Johannes Coccius; een forgotten hoogleraar. In: Jaarboekje voor geschiedenis en oudheidkunde van Leiden en omstreken. 1970, Part 22, pp. 147–150 ( Online PDF )
• GRW Dibbets: Johannes Coccius 1626-1678: portret uit brieven van een Zwollenaar. In: Overijssele historical bijdragen. 112 (1997) p. 79-108 ( Online PDF )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Johannes Vollenhove (born June 2, 1631 in Vollenhove; † March 14, 1708 in The Hague) School in Kampen, 1648 University of Utrecht, July 13, 1653 Groningen, 1654–1655 preacher Vledder near Drenthe, November 8, 1655 pastor in Zwolle , 1665 pastor in The Hague, 1674 Dr. theol. hc Uni. Oxford, poet, retired in 1705.