Nicolas Cleynaerts

Nicolaes Cleynaerts (also Clenardus or Nicolai Clenardi ) ( born December 5, 1493 Diest, † 1542 in Alhambra Granada) was a Belgian humanist, theologian, grammarian, orientalist and semitist.

In addition to the study of theology at the University of Louvain, he studied Greek, Hebrew and Arabic at the local Trilingual College ( Collegium Trilingue ), which had been founded by Erasmus of Rotterdam. Cleynaerts published a Hebrew and Greek grammar. The latter of the publication was a huge success throughout Europe. It had a circulation of 500 000 copies. This the study of classical languages ​​was given a major boost. Cleynaerts also developed a method of teaching the Latin language acquisition, which was based on a conversation and can thus be viewed as a precursor of the Assimil method.

After his studies, he worked in Paris as a lecturer. In 1531 he traveled to Spain. There he was temporarily librarian of Fernando Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus, and in 1542 lecturer in Salamaca. Later he traveled to Portugal, where he. Teacher of Prince Henrique, the brother of King João III had. On the way home he came to Granada with Islamic theology in touch, when he met a Moor. From him he learned Arabic. Henceforth his life's goal was to bring Christianity and Islam eineinander closer.

From 1540-1541 he traveled to Fez (Morocco ), where he improved his Arabic language skills. He was received by the Sultan. Cleynaerts was against slavery and against the Inquisition. Through an intrigue spun by the Portuguese consul in Fez, who was involved in the slave trade in the Portuguese Könighofe, he was forced to flee to Spain.

Many letters Cleynaerts ' have been preserved. They testify about the Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan history of his time and his thoughts about the similarities between Christianity and Islam.

Today is the big market in Diest on a bronze figure of Cleynaerds. In 2003/ 4, a monologue about Nicolaes Cleynaerds was performed as a play, directed, written and played by Joris Tulckens (philosopher ).

Works

  • Gram Maticen hebraeam ( 1529)
  • Institutiones in linguam graecam (1530)
  • Meditaliones graecanicae ( 1531)
  • Peregrinationum ac de rebus machometicis Epistolae elegantissimae ( Louvain, 1550 )
  • Epistolarum libri duo (Antwerp, 1561)
Grammarian (Greco-Roman world) Semitic studies Friedrich August Eckstein Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Integrated Authority File
193783
de