Jakob Bernays
Encyclopedia
Jakob Bernays was a German
philologist and philosophical
writer.
to Jewish parents. His father, Isaac Bernays
(1792-1849) was a man of wide culture and the first orthodox German rabbi
to preach in the vernacular; his brother, Michael Bernays
, was also a distinguished scholar.
Jakob studied from 1844 to 1848 at the University of Bonn
, whose philological school, under Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker
and Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl
(whose favourite pupil Bernays became), was the best in Germany.
In 1853 he accepted the chair of classical philology at the newly founded Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau
, where he formed a close friendship with Theodor Mommsen
. In 1866, when Ritschl left Bonn for Leipzig
, Bernays returned to his old university as extraordinary professor and chief librarian. He remained at Bonn until his death on 26 May 1881.
, are:
The last of these was a republication of his Grundzüge der verlorenen Abhandlungen des Aristoteles über die Wirkung der Tragodie (1857), which aroused considerable controversy.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
philologist and philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
writer.
Life
Bernays was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
to Jewish parents. His father, Isaac Bernays
Isaac Bernays
thumbIsaac Bernays was chief rabbi in Hamburg.-Life:Bernays was born in Mainz. He was the son of Jacob Gera, a boarding house keeper at Mainz, and an elder brother of Adolphus Bernays...
(1792-1849) was a man of wide culture and the first orthodox German rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
to preach in the vernacular; his brother, Michael Bernays
Michael Bernays
Michael Bernays was born in Hamburg. He studied first law and then literature at Bonn and Heidelberg.He obtained a considerable reputation by his lectures on Shakespeare at Leipzig and an explanatory text to Beethoven's music to Egmont...
, was also a distinguished scholar.
Jakob studied from 1844 to 1848 at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, whose philological school, under Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker
Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker
Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker was a German classical philologist and archaeologist.-Biography:Welcker was born at Grünberg, Hesse-Darmstadt. Having studied classical philology at the University of Giessen, in 1803 he was appointed master in the high school, an office which he combined with that of...
and Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl
Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl
Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl was a German scholar best known as a student of Plautus.-Biography:He was born in Großvargula, Thuringia. His family, in which culture and poverty were hereditary, were Protestants who had migrated several generations earlier from Bohemia...
(whose favourite pupil Bernays became), was the best in Germany.
In 1853 he accepted the chair of classical philology at the newly founded Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau
Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau
Das Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar , The Jewish Theological Seminary of BreslauInstitution in Breslau for the training of rabbis, founded under the will of Jonas Fränckel, and opened in 1854...
, where he formed a close friendship with Theodor Mommsen
Theodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist, and writer generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work regarding Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research...
. In 1866, when Ritschl left Bonn for Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Bernays returned to his old university as extraordinary professor and chief librarian. He remained at Bonn until his death on 26 May 1881.
Works
His chief works, which deal mainly with the Greek philosophersGreek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BCE and continued through the Hellenistic period, at which point Ancient Greece was incorporated in the Roman Empire...
, are:
- Die Lebensbeschreibung des J.J. ScaligerJoseph Justus ScaligerJoseph Justus Scaliger was a French religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewish and Ancient Egyptian history.-Early life:He was born at Agen, the tenth child and third son of Italian...
(1855) - Über das Phokylidische Gesicht (1856)
- Die Chronik des Sulpicius Severus (1861)
- Die Dialoge des Aristoteles im Verhältniss zu seinen übrigen Werken (1863)
- Theophrastos' Schrift über Frömmigkeit (1866)
- Die Heraklitischen Briefe (1869)
- Lucian und die Cyniker (1879)
- Zwei Abhandlungen über die Aristotelische Theorie des Dramas (1880).
The last of these was a republication of his Grundzüge der verlorenen Abhandlungen des Aristoteles über die Wirkung der Tragodie (1857), which aroused considerable controversy.