Olof Celsius the Elder

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Olof Celsius the Elder. Copper engraving.

Olof Celsius the Elder (born July 19, 1670 in Uppsala ; † June 24, 1756 ibid) was a Swedish botanist , linguist, rune researcher and theologian. His research on mosses was particularly important . Its official botanical author's abbreviation is " Celsius ".

Life

Olof was the son of the natural scientist and linguist Magnus Nicolai Celsius and a brother of Nils Celsius , the father of Anders Celsius . He studied sporadically at Uppsala University , as he was often stuck in economic difficulties. He only graduated with the generous support of King Charles XI .

After a study trip through Europe, he became an adjunct at Uppsala University in 1699 and was appointed professor of the Greek language in 1703. Ordained in 1706 , he was also able to manage a prehistory parish from 1707 . In 1715 he became Professor of Oriental Studies , and in 1719 Dr. theol. , 1727 professor for Protestant theology and 1736 (while retaining the professorship) cathedral provost . Between 1711 and 1746 he was the rectorate of the university seven times .

Celsius has been a member of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala since 1726 and of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences since 1739, the year it was founded .

plant

Celsius' main area of ​​research was oriental studies. He was considered the most gifted of Sweden's philologists and published numerous studies on the history and culture of ancient Judaism. He also dealt with Swedish history and topography. Like his father, he dealt intensively with the interpretation of runes and developed his work further. This made him one of the harshest critics of Olof Rudbeck the Elder. Ä. who interpreted runes in a national romantic style.

In Europe, his work on the plants of the Bible was best known. But he also put on a comprehensive collection of mosses and described them. This made him a source of inspiration for Carl von Linné .

Honor taxon

Carl von Linné named the genus Celsia of the fig family of plants (Scrophulariaceae) in his honor .

Works

  • Dissertatio philosophica de natura avium, etc. Uppsala, 1690 - dissertation under J. Schwede
  • Historia linguæ et eruditionis Arabum . Uppsala, 1694
  • De runis helsingicis ... Rome, 1698
  • Runae medelpadicae from importuna crisi breviter vindicatae . Uppsala, 1726
  • Monumenta runica, in quibus mentio habetur Hierosolymae, ad Christianos sunt referenda . 1733
  • Olof Celsius upgifwer tilökning på några orte, fundna u Upland, sedan Catalogus Plantarum Uplandicarum utgafs år 1732 . Uppsala, 1740
  • Hierobotanicon, sive, De plantis sacrae Scripturae dissertationes breves . Uppsala, 1745-1747

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Carl von Linné: Critica Botanica . Leiden 1737, p. 92
  2. ↑ Carl von Linné: Genera Plantarum . Leiden 1742, p. 298

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Celsius, Olof the Elder
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish botanist, linguist, rune researcher and priest
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1670
PLACE OF BIRTH Uppsala
DATE OF DEATH June 24, 1756
Place of death Uppsala