Johann Schweighäuser

John Schweighauser ( born June 26, 1742 in Strasbourg, † January 19, 1830 ) was an Alsatian classic philologist. He made, in particular, the publication of several Greek authors deserves.

John Schweighauser was the son of the Strasbourg pastor of St. Thomas Church, Johann Georg Schweighauser, the 14th and last child he was. At the age of five he began to visit the local Protestant school, at age 13 he became a student at the University of Strasbourg. Like his father he wanted to become a theologian first, directed his studies but from the beginning of extensive out. So he also studied philology, philosophy, history, the natural sciences, especially anatomy, mathematics, physics, botany and chemistry. For his time, took his studies unusually 12 years. In 1767, he locked it with the work Systema morale huius universi sive de extremo rerum omnium fine, in which he with his favorite studies, philosophy, combined his main study theology. In particular, the Scottish moral philosopher John Hutchinson and Adam Ferguson exerted a lasting influence on him. In the spring of the first time he made after the death of his father and another long journey that took him to Paris. There he attended the diverse collections of the city and has been significantly affected by Joseph de Guignes. In the ten months of his stay taught him this Syriac and Arabic. Once his interest was piqued to the oriental languages ​​, he continued his journey to London as planned on, but went to Göttingen, where he studied under Johann David Michaelis his Oriental studies, especially in Arabic and Hebrew, in-depth. He also met other academics, including Christian Gottlob Heyne, whom he deeply revered later; at this time was Schweighauser the classics but still remote. He then briefly went to the University of Halle, then a little longer at the University of Leipzig, where he came into contact with the Arabists Johann Jacob Reiske. He stayed in Dresden and Berlin. In Berlin he had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Royal Academy of Sciences and lichens learned Moses Mendelssohn know. About Barby, Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel he came to Hamburg, where she learned to know Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. From Hamburg he embarked for London, the trip took 16 days due to bad weather. Thanks to connections he was able to visit the British Museum every day and was introduced to the Royal Society. Equipped with a letter of recommendation from Anton Askew, he traveled to Oxford, where he became friends with the orientalist Joseph White. Between Askew and Reiske he could settle a long been simmering dispute at this time. In the summer of 1769 he returned about Holland back to Strasbourg, which he then left only once in his life for a longer trip.

Back in Strasbourg, Schweighauser applied for the vacant chair of philosophy, but Philipp Müller was transferred. Schweighauser a matching chair was under the insurance to be able to occupy at the next vacancy, appointed as associate professor. He taught logic, metaphysics, history of philosophy as well as ancient and modern philosophy. He had laid at the time when the teaching of the English philosopher a focus. During this period Friedrich Philipp Rosenstiel and Johann Wolfgang Goethe were among the students. In 1775 he married the middle-class and educated Catherine Salome Häring that made the Schweighäusersche home to a center of city life. After 1777 Johann Friedrich Echerer, the Chair of Oriental Languages ​​and philology, died Schweighauser received the professorship. He took this professorship not through conviction, he speculated but actually continue as Professor of Philosophy. Focus should be the oriental languages ​​, he even taught as associate professor; with the new professorship he now dealt intensively with the ancient literature, often in conjunction with the ancient philosophical writings. A lot of influence on him exercised at this time Philippe Brunck. This also referred Samuel Musgrave because of Augsburg Appianhandschrift to Schweighauser, the task put to him was devoted to joyful. After Musgrave had died, he continued his Appianstudien. At this late antique historian was at that time no useful text output, which is now worried Schweighauser. With De impressis ac manuscriptis APPIANI codicibus and Exercitationes appeared in APPIANI Historias 1781 two more preparatory work, the edition was equipped with a Latin translation and commentary published in 1785 in three volumes. Devoted Probably due to a comment in a positive review Heynes to Schweighauser then the release of Polybius. Between 1789 and 1795, Polybius was re- published with translation, commentary, and also a lexical part in nine volumes. The achievement is all the more impressive, as the raging at the time of the French Revolution. Schweighauser and his wife were the revolutionary development very positive about. In 1791 he was elected to the Strasbourg city council, his eldest son Gottfried came at the insistence of his father back into the French armed forces. Once, led by Eulogius Schneider, also the " Terreur " found its way into Strasbourg to Schweighäusers zeal cooled quickly. This made him the Jacobins suspect, who wanted to lock him up. Thanks to the intercession of his wife, the sentence was changed to banishment, which he spent with his family in Baccarat. Here he continued to work on his edition of Polybius. As he wrote at night, his long glowing in the night lamp made ​​him suspicious and he should be imprisoned as a conspirator. This was prevented by a letter of thanks of the Welfare Committee, thanked for the sent him first volumes of Polybius output. In 1794 he was able to return to Strasbourg.

The first time after the return was problematic for Schweighauser as well as for many other members of the University and residents of Strasbourg. The economic situation was bad, devalued the money and many students had become soldiers, the university could not afford the salary payments also. Only when the situation improved again in 1795 and Schweighauser a position as a professor at the newly created Strasbourg Central School ( École centrale) for the Lower Rhine department accepted, the situation for his family improved. On the newly created Institut de France, he was appointed in 1795 to the class for art and literature. During this time he devoted himself again propagated the philosophical writers, notably Epictetus. 1799 and 1800 he published his writings in five volumes, including translation, notes, the ancient commentaries and paraphrases. For the Zweibrücker writer expenditure he was offered to turn to Athenaeus, which he did after some hesitation. His son Gottfried made ​​in Paris the only manuscript on which the previous editions based locate after Schweighauser 1801-1807 the work in 14 volumes brought out. 1802, the central schools were abolished, but re-opened the Protestant university and theological seminary. Here Schweighauser has now professor of Greek language. Unlike the position at the school, however, the professor was not very profitable at the seminar, which led to economic problems. For the next few years he had to keep up with private lessons on water. Only when Jeremiah died and Jacob Oberlin Schweighauser got its place as librarian of the university, the situation improved again. Finally good again was the situation when the university was re-established in 1808, and he could also take over the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts to his professorship. After the economic situation had improved again, followed by private setbacks. 1807 his wife died in 1809, his son Charles was wounded at the battle of Essling, and died in a Vienna hospital a short time later. In 1809 he devoted himself to the only time a work of Latin literature. Due to the Strasbourg manuscript he worked on the philosophical letters of Seneca, which he brought out in two volumes. In 1810 he began to devote himself to Herodotus. In the next six years he brought the work in as many volumes to an end. The work was taken up rather critical, but added he did eight years later by his last great work, the Lexicon Herodoteum. In 1815 he finished his librarian Office 1823 be Office of the Dean and his professorship. 1826 awarded him the Royal Society, in 1821 took him to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. He died after a short illness and was buried in St. Thomas' Church. His son Johann Gottfried Schweighauser was also scholars of antiquity.

From his students Schweighauser was mostly very revered. He was friendly and unpretentious, only Lefebvre de Ville Brune aroused his displeasure. In speech and writing he expressed himself often made into long-winded way. Among his pupils were, among others, Friedrich Philipp Rosenstiel and Johann Georg Daniel Arnold, to his friends Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffel.

Writings

• Systema morale huius universi sive de extremo rerum omnium fine. Strasbourg in 1767 (dissertation)
• At clarior pleniorque homini data sit quam rerum corporearum propriae mentis cognitio. Strasbourg 1770
• Sophoclis Electra et Euripidis Andromache ex optimistic exemplaribus emendatae. Strasbourg 1779
• Oedipus Tyrannus Sophoclis et Euripidis Orestes ex optimistic exemplaribus emendati. Acc. Brunckii animadversiones in Euripidis Oresten et Musgravii notas. Strasbourg 1779
• Polybii Megalopolitani historiarum Quidquid superest. Eight volumes, Leipzig 1789-1795
• Epicteti Dissertationum from Arriano Digestarum libri IV Eiusdem enchiridion, et ex deperditis sermonibus fragmentary. Leipzig 1799
• Opuscula Academica seorsim edita nunc olim recognita in unum volume collegit auctor. Strasbourg 1806 (two volumes) Pars prior. Commentationes philosophicae.
• Pars posterior. Commentationes philo logicae.