Christoph Helvig

Christoph Helwig (also Helwich Christopher, Christopher Helvicus, Helwigius; born December 26, 1581 Sprendlingen in Frankfurt am Main, † September 10, 1617 in Gießen ) was a German chronologist, theologian, historian and linguist. At times he worked with his pupil Joachim Jungius together with the reform in teaching methods Wolfgang Ratke.

As the son of Sprendlingener Pastor Christoph Helvicus he studied at the University of Marburg, where he graduated in 1599 with a Master of Arts. Since 1605 he worked at the high school and then at the University of Giessen as professor of Hebrew and Greek. In 1610 he married a daughter of the mayor Daniel Marburger Lüncker. In 1612 he published on behalf of the City of Frankfurt am Main twelve defense against the Jews ( Systema Controversiarum Theologicarum, Quae cum Christianis Judaeis intercedunt ). In addition to linguistic writings and polemics against the Jews, he also wrote his chronologies that followed in its scheme Joseph Scaliger. He is mentioned among others by Sir Thomas Browne, and John Locke. The time of his most famous work Helwig: Theatrum historicum et chronologicum was reprinted in the 18th century. His Grammatica Universalis from the year 1619 is still known Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

For the historiography of Germanic Linguistics Helwig's 1619 posthumous German version of the Grammatica Univaersalis of interest. The General Language Arts is one of the first - if not the first - grammars of German, which was written entirely in German.