Ludwig from Jan

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ludwig from Jan

Ludwig von Jan (born July 2, 1807 in Castell (Lower Franconia) ; † April 11, 1869 in Erlangen ) was a German classical philologist and grammar school director who taught and taught at the Ludovicianum grammar school (today: Celtis grammar school ) in Schweinfurt from 1833 to 1862 directed the grammar school in Erlangen from 1862 to 1869. He emerged with scientific work, including fundamental critical editions of the writings of Macrobius and the Naturalis historia of the elder Pliny . In Schweinfurt he also made a contribution to founding the charitable aid association ( Haus Marienthal ).

Life

Ludwig von Jan was the son of the lawyer and count's office director Johann Christian Carl von Jan (1764–1819) and his wife Sophie Karoline geb. Müller (1778-1855). After the early death of his father, his mother moved with him to Wertheim , where Ludwig attended high school. Before starting his studies, he passed a second matriculation examination at the Gymnasium zu Würzburg in order to facilitate his later admission to the Bavarian civil service. On October 1, 1825, Jan began studying philology in Munich , first at the Lyceum, and from 1826 at the Ludwig Maximilians University , where Friedrich Thiersch in particular promoted and shaped him. At his suggestion, Jan dealt with the Naturalis historia of the elder Pliny , whose explanation and textual criticism was an urgent desideratum at the time. In order to create a reliable basis for studying this work, the philologist Thiersch and the natural scientist Lorenz Oken planned an annotated edition of the Naturalis historia , for which all available manuscripts should be used. For the collation of the manuscripts, Thiersch recommended his pupil Ludwig von Jan, who examined the manuscripts in the libraries in Florence and Paris from 1827 to 1829; He received a small amount of compensation from the Bavarian state for the expensive trip. The results of his research trip formed the basis of his dissertation, with which he was awarded a doctorate on March 16, 1830. phil. received his doctorate .

After completing his studies, Jan worked as a private tutor for an uncle in Castell. On May 2, 1833, he was employed as a professor at the Ludovicianum high school in Schweinfurt , which had recently been reorganized. He lived and worked in Schweinfurt for 29 years. In September 1834 he married Johanna Kirch (1816–1895), the mayor's daughter, with whom he had four sons: Karl (1836–1899, philologist and musicologist), Friedrich (1839–1903, lawyer), Heinrich (1843–1867 , Physician) and Gustav (1850 – after 1908, parish priest in Landshut). In addition to teaching, von Jan was also involved in various associations: In the revolutionary year of 1848 , he and like-minded people founded a "German association" that pursued constitutional intentions but remained politically ineffective. In the years that followed, Jan's social issue led to charitable work. Following the example of the Rauhen Haus in Hamburg , Jan 1851 founded an "aid association" for destitute children, which set up an orphanage with its own school (the Marienthal house ) and was involved in poor relief.

In addition to his work at the grammar school and his voluntary work, von Jan also continued to pursue scientific projects. At the meetings of the Association of German Philologists and School Men, he made contacts with other researchers. The Bavarian Academy of Sciences elected him in 1836 as a corresponding member and in 1857 made him an external full member. In the same year the Historical Association for Lower Franconia made him an honorary member.

In 1862 Jan received an offer to succeed Ludwig von Döderlein as head of the grammar school in Erlangen . In November 1862, von Jan and his family moved to Erlangen and became the rector's office. From 1864 to 1866 he also edited the short-lived magazine Eos together with Ludwig von Urlichs , Karl Bernhard Stark and Wilhelm von Bäumlein . As before in Schweinfurt, he was also active on the church council in Erlangen. The sudden accidental death of his third son Heinrich, who drowned in the Danube on June 21, 1867, was a severe blow. The following years were overshadowed by this stroke of fate and health problems for Ludwig von Jan. He took several leave of absence, but continued his professional and academic activity. He died on April 11, 1869 at the age of 61.

Scientific work

Ludwig von Jan published program documents and studies on the importance of ancient language teaching at grammar school, on pedagogy and on the history of education. His main research focus was however the ancient literature, especially the Latin prose, but also the Greek tragedy ( Sophocles and Euripides ). From his research on Pliny the Elder, he also came to Senecas Naturales quaestiones and the writings of Macrobius . The explanation and text-critical preparation of the scientific writings of the Romans represented von Jan's life's work.

The results of his manuscript research in Florence and Paris (1827–1829) initially flowed into the critical Pliny edition by Julius Sillig (Leipzig 1831–1836), which, however, was based on an inadequate handwritten basis. In 1831, von Jan discovered a handwriting in Bamberg that confirmed his previously (1830) assumption that the text of the Naturalis historia was mutilated at the end. The Codex Bambergensis (Msc. Class. 42 *) showed a more complete text in the last six books, which filled many gaps in the rest of the tradition. Von Jan published the text of this manuscript with some suggestions for improvement in two school programs (1834) and in the appendix to the fifth volume of Sillig's edition (1836). In 1839 Jan published some new collations and suggestions for improvement to Seneca's Naturales quaestiones and then prepared a critical edition; but he gave up the plan when he learned from Sillig that Karl Rudolf Fickert was already working on an edition.

At Sillig's suggestion, von Jan's critical edition of the writings of Macrobius goes back to. For the edition of this long-neglected author, Jan obtained handwritten material at considerable own expense and even received a manuscript on loan from the Bodleian Library in Oxford for a high deposit. The edition, which appeared in two volumes in 1848 and 1852, represented great progress for the textual criticism and explanation of this author and formed the basis for later editions, such as that of Franz Eyssenhardt (1868, 2nd edition 1893). Jan donated his scientific documents and materials for the Macrobius Edition to the Schweinfurt City Library.

In all of these projects, however, Jan never lost sight of his main concern, the natural history of Pliny, for which he drafted ambitious projects: with the support of Thiersch, he planned an extensive commentary on realities and prepared a German translation for the Stuttgart publishing house Krais & Hoffmann and a new critical edition for Teubner-Verlag , which was supposed to replace the outdated edition by Sillig. Jan could not realize the former projects, but the edition: From 1854 to 1865 he published the six volumes of his Pliny edition. He was only able to publish the first volume (1870) of the revised version. After his death, Karl Mayhoff took over the revision of the edition; his edition, published from 1875 to 1909, still forms the basis for preoccupation with the natural history of Pliny.

Fonts (selection)

  • Observationes aliquot criticae in C. Plinii Secundi Naturalis historiae libros . Munich 1830 (dissertation)
  • Lectiones Plinianae. Particula I: Inedita quaedam ad C. Plinii Secundi Naturalis historiae finem in supplementum addenda continens . Schweinfurt 1834 (school program)
  • Lectiones Plinianae. Particula II . Schweinfurt 1834 (school program)
  • Symbolae ad notitiam codicum atque emendationum epistolarum L. Annaei Senecae . Schweinfurt 1839 (school program)
  • Views and wishes regarding the editions of the old Classicers prescribed for the Royal Bavarian Study Institutes . Schweinfurt 1845 (school program)
  • Macrobii Ambrosii Theodosii Opera quae supersunt . 2 volumes, Quedlinburg / Leipzig 1848–1852
  • Notes on Euripides' Andromache to encourage thorough preparation . Schweinfurt 1850 (school program)
  • C. Plini Secundi Naturalis historiae libri XXXVII. Recognovit atque indicibus instruxit Ludovicus Ianus . 6 volumes, Leipzig 1854–1865
  • Basic features of a textbook for the French language in accordance with the revised order of the Latin schools and grammar schools in the Kingdom of Bavaria . Schweinfurt 1855 (school program)
  • Notes on Euripides' Iphigenia in Tauria (based on Teubner's text) to encourage thorough preparation . Schweinfurt 1860 (school program)
  • Notes on Euripides' Hippolytus to Promote Thorough Preparation . Schweinfurt 1861 (school program)
  • The Erlangen grammar school before and under Döderlein's direction . Erlangen 1864 (school program)
  • On the importance of classical antiquity for high school education . Erlangen 1867

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Ludwig von Jan  - Sources and full texts
personal data
SURNAME Jan, Ludwig von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jan, Ludwig Georg Christian Julius von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German classical philologist and grammar school director
DATE OF BIRTH July 2, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Castell (Lower Franconia)
DATE OF DEATH April 11, 1869
Place of death gain