Heinrich Ewald

Georg Heinrich August Ewald ( born November 16, 1803 in Göttingen, † May 4, 1875 ) was a German orientalist and Protestant theologian. He is considered one of the greatest orientalists of the 19th century. His work on Hebrew and Arabic, the exegesis of the Old Testament and the history of the Israelite people were groundbreaking.

Ewald worked at the University of Göttingen and, after a political scandal 1837/38 at the University of Tübingen. In 1863 he was co-founder of the German Protestant Association and was a member of parliament in 1869 as an opponent of the Prussian militarism.

Life

Heinrich Ewald arrived in Göttingen in the Kingdom of Hanover, the son of a draper Master Heinrich Andreas Ewald to the world. From 1815 to 1820, he was a pupil of the Göttingen Gymnasium. He then studied at the university of his native city as a pupil Johann Eichhorn Protestant Theology and Oriental Studies. During his studies he worked from 1822 as a teacher at the high school in Wolfenbüttel. In the local Herzog August Bibliothek he had access to oriental manuscripts, which he used for his studies. In 1823 he finished his studies in Göttingen with the promotion and remained for a year as a professor at Wolfenbüttel school.

Then he worked as Repetent at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Göttingen and was already 23 years associate professor of Oriental languages ​​. Ewald also had knowledge in the field of Sanskrit and Indian literature, and he held in Göttingen in the winter term 1826/27 a lecture about the Sanskrit language and literature. After the death of Johann Eichhorn 1827 he took over his position as full professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and married with 26 years Wilhelmine Gauss, daughter of the mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. Among the six children of this brilliant mathematician Wilhelmine supposed to have had the gift of her father the next.

Early 1830s was Heinrich Ewald a respected and recognized Orientalist and theologian who could hope for a great future in Göttingen. In 1833 he was Academician of the Royal Society of Sciences in 1835 professor of Oriental languages ​​and in the same year he received the appointment to the Faculty Honor. On December 12, 1837, however, his career took place in Göttingen a surprising end when he protested against the amendment of the Constitution with six colleagues and was subsequently dismissed as one of the Göttingen Seven of King Ernst August I of all offices and honors.

However, his scientific reputation was enough far beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Hanover, although he experienced professional also violent opposition, and he was accused of arrogance. In May 1838 he was appointed as professor of philosophy at the University of Tübingen in the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1841 and added his own request to the Faculty of Theology. Among his students were at that time, August Schleicher and August Dillmann, which he inspired in oriental languages. His Tübingen students also Rudolf von Roth, who should justify later in succession by Ewald as associate professor of Oriental languages ​​Indology in Tübingen belonged. Was overshadowed his stay in Tübingen by the early death of his wife, who died in 1846 at the age of 38 years. In Tübingen some of his major works were created and began his bitter feud with the theologian Ferdinand Baur and the Tübingen School.

The University of Göttingen was in the 1840s heavily on the consequences of the dismissal of her seven outstanding professors. On the orphaned chairs of the Göttingen Seven is not a scholar of rank was called and the number of students decreased dramatically by almost half. To raise again the reputation of the university was trying the seven together again in Göttingen. These efforts were, however, only when the physicist Wilhelm Weber and Heinrich Ewald successfully, returning in 1848 to his hometown and taught Old Testament theology there again and oriental languages. The circumstances of his " departure of " of Tübingen, he explained in a separate writing.

In 1863 he was in Frankfurt one of the founders of the German Protestant Association. At the church synod in 1864 he called for better church constitution in the sense of Luther as well as free choice pastor and theological research freedom.

His political conviction in 1867 to be another test. Prussia in 1866, the Kingdom of Hanover incorporated and demanded that all civil servants the swearing on the Prussian king. Heinrich Ewald was against the German unification under the hegemony of Prussia, refused the oath in March 1867 and was therefore excluded from the Faculty of Arts. However, he was maintaining his salary permission yet to give lectures. Because insubordinate remarks in his book The praise of the king and the people his teaching license in 1868 permanently withdrawn. His political convictions, he went in 1869 after a member of parliament. He vehemently opposed the Prussian policy, which brought about a unification with military means. Even after the war of 1870-71 and the proclamation of the Empire remained Heinrich Ewald, a staunch opponent of the triumphant Prussian militarism. Heinrich Ewald died at the age of 72 years in Göttingen and was there buried in the St. Bartholomew Cemetery, now known as St. Mary's Cemetery.

Bibliography

• The Composition of Genesis critically examined. (1823 )
• De metris carminum Arab corum libri duo. (1825 )
• In Song of Solomon, translated and explained. (1826, 3rd edition 1866)
• Critical grammar of the Hebrew language. (1827 )
• Comprehensive textbook of the Hebrew language. (1845, 8th edition, 1870)
• About some older Sanskritmetra. (1827 )
• Liber de Vakedu Mesopotamiae expugnatae historia. (1827 )
• Commentarius in Apocalypsin John. (1828 )
• Grammatica Critica Linguae arabicae. 2 vols, ( 1831-1833 )
• Essays on Biblical and Oriental literature. (1832 )
• The poetic books of the Old Testament. (1835-1837, 3rd edition, 1866-1867 )
• Journal of the customer of the East. ( leading employees from 1837)
• The prophets of the Old Covenant. (1840-1841, 1867-1868 2nd edition )
• Hebrew grammar for beginners (1842; 4th edition 1874)
• History of Israel. (1843-1859, 3rd edition, 1864-1868 )
• Antiquities of Israel. (1848 )
• Yearbooks of biblical science. (1849-1865, publisher and author of most posts)
• The first three Gospels translated and explained. ( 1850)
• About the Ethiopian Book of Enoch. (1854 )
• Translated the epistles of the Apostle Paul and explained. ( 1857)
• Treatise on the construction of the deed words in Coptic. (1861 ) ISBN 0-8370-1192-2
• The Johannine writings translated and explained. (1861-1862)
• About the fourth book of Ezra. (1863 )
• Seven Epistles of the New Covenant. (1870 )
• The Epistle to the Hebrews and James ' Circular (1870 )
• The teaching of the Bible from God or theology of the old and the new covenant ( 1871-1875 ).

Political opinions ( selection)

• Words to Mr Klenze in Hannover, Basel 1838 ( the Constitutional dispute )
• Praise of the king and the people. At the Prussians, Göttingen 1868
• Dr. H. Ewald on his second removal from office at the University of Göttingen, Stuttgart 1868