Gerardus Vossius

Gerhard Johannes Vossius, Gerardus Johannes Vossius also (* 1577 in Schönau (Odenwald ), † March 17, 1649 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch scholar, humanist and theologian.

Life

Gerhard Vossius was the son of Johannes Voss, who had to leave the Netherlands because of the persecution of the Protestants and settled as pastor near Heidelberg. As a Calvinist, he got into trouble with the Lutherans, who were dominant in the Palatinate. He returned, therefore, returned to the Netherlands, where he studied at the University of Leiden. After graduating, he became a pastor in Dordrecht.

His son Gerhard Johannes Vossius was born in Schoenau near Heidelberg and went after visiting the Dordt Latin School for the Study also to Leiden, where he studied the classical languages ​​, Hebrew, church history and theology. He worked most of his life at the University of Leiden, where he in 1622 took over the chair of eloquence. In Leiden he met Hugo Grotius, with whom he remained a lifelong friend. In 1600 he became a teacher at the Latin School of Dordrecht and its director until 1614. From 1614 to 1619 he was rector of the Theological Faculty of the University of Leiden.

His academic career was marked by great successes and setbacks. He soon enjoyed an excellent reputation as a scholar and theologian, not only in the Netherlands but also in Germany, France and England. 1606 Vossius was known with his rhetoric as a classicist; In 1607 he published his textbook of Latin grammar. His 1618 published work Historia Pelagiana However, his opponents took the occasion to suspect him of heresy. He also was suspected of sympathy for the Remonstrants. Vossius was forced to resign from his post one year after publication of this book. Immediately after the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) Vossius lost his post in Leiden. In 1622 he was reinstated and taught rhetoric and Greek at the University. 1629 he was appointed to the University of Cambridge, but he refused.

In 1632 he became professor of history at the Athenaeum in Amsterdam. From 1632 he wrote many works. He brought two important essays on the history of Greek and Latin literature out ( 1623-27 ), an essay on the art of poetry ( 1647) and works on mythology and art. Vossius had a considerable collection of manuscripts. Vossius also wrote about Christian theology and early church history.

According to him, the special form of antonomasia Vossianische antonomasia was named, in which he overthrew the ancient antonomasia and pleading for a periphrasis instead of being able to use a proper name. Today the term is used in the use of a brand name for a generic term such as Pace for handkerchief.

Works

  • Oratoriarum institutionum libri VI
  • Historia Pelagiana sive Historiae de controversiis quas Pelagius ejusque reliquiae moverunt, libri VII
  • Rhetorices contractae immersive partitionum oratoriarum libri V
  • Aristarchus, sive de arte grammatica [ 1635 and 1695 ]; revision 1833-35
  • Etymologicum linguae Latinae ( 1662 Revision 1762-63 );
  • De historicis Graecis Libri III
  • De historicis Latinis Libri III
  • Commentatorium Rhetoricorum
  • De theologia gentili et Physiologia Christiana, sive de origine ac progressu idololatriae, deque naturae mirandis quibus homo adducitur ad Deum, Libri IV
  • Dissertationes tres de tribus symbolis, Apostolico, Athanasiano et Constantinopolitano.
  • Poeticarum institutionum libri III; new edition 2006
  • De natura artis poeticae ac constitutione liber; new edition 2006
  • De Imitatione Liber; new edition 2006
Calvinism Circumlocution Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Integrated Authority File
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