Richard G. Salomon
Encyclopedia
Richard Georg Salomon was an historian of eastern European medieval history and historian of the Episcopal Church in the United States, who taught at the University of Hamburg
in Germany and at Kenyon College
and its Episcopal Church seminary Bexley Hall
in Ohio
USA.
, where he attended the Königliche Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium. Becoming interested in the history of religion, he was baptized at the evangelical Jerusalem Church
in Berlin at the age of 18 in 1902. Going on to the University of Berlin, Salomon studied eastern European history under Theodor Schiemann (1847-1921), Byzantine history under Karl Krumbacher
(1856-1921), the history of medieval law under Karl Zeurner (1849-1914), and Latin paleography under Michael Tangl (1861-1921), under whom he completed his doctoral dissertation in February 1907: Studien zur normannisch-italischen Diplomatik.
, Poland
, and Lithuania
before he was released from military duties two years later in the spring of 1916.
Returning to the Colonial Institute in Hamburg, Salomon took up his position and began teaching the history of the Balkans and taught a course on Russian war literature. In May 1919, the Colonial Institute was created into the University of Hamburg
and, with the founding of the university Salomon became University Professor of Eastern European History and Culture as well as Director of the Eastern European Seminar. In 1923-24, he served additionally as Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy.
In 1920, when the wealthy Hamburg art historian Aby Warburg
founded the Kultur-wissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg, the forerunner of the Warburg Institute
of London, Salomon was appointed to its board of scholarly advisors. Through this connection, Salomon first encountered the young art historian Erwin Panofsky
, who became a close friend.
On 7 April 1933, the new National Socialist government of Germany issued its directive to forcefully retire "undesirable" university academics of Jewish origin. Among the six named at Hamburg were Panofsky and Salomon, who was formally removed from his academic post in March 1934. At this point, Salomon looked for other employment and first began his work to edit the 14th century "Avignon Documents" in the Hamburg archives, detailing the legal process of Hamburg against the Papal Curia in Avignon, a work that continued to the end of his life. At the same time, The Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced German Scholars in New York and the Academic Assistance Council in London were becoming aware of his situation. Through these connections, possibilities arose for Salomon to go to the United States. Erwin Panofsky
, by then at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton
, was instrumental in helping Salomon obtain a lecture tour in the spring of 1936 and to deliver courses of lectures on Latin Paleography at the Warburg Institute
in London in 1936 and 1937. After Salomon's return to Hamburg, Frank Aydelotte
, the president of Swarthmore College
offered him a rotating position to lecture at the University of Pennsylvania
, Bryn Mawr College
, and Swarthmore College
in the United States for 1937-38 and this was renewed for 1938-39.
In 1939, President Gordon Keith Chalmers
of Kenyon College
offered him a permanent position to teach medieval history in the undergraduate college and to be Cooke Professor of Church History at the College's Episcopal Church
seminary, Bexley Hall
. He also served as historian of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
. Becoming an American citizen, he was placed in charge of preparing at Kenyon College
a U.S. Army Specialized Training Unit in Area and Language for service in Germany in 1943-44, and, in 1944-45, he worked in Washington, D.C.
in the Middle Europe section of the Office of Strategic Services
.
In 1962, Salomon retired at the age of 78 from undergraduate teaching, but retained his professorship in the seminary. At that time, Kenyon College
awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
degree. The citation summarized his career by noting: "Your lively and extensive knowledge, your warm interest in the arts, your love for research, and your obvious devotion to the life of scholarship--all these combined with what you are made you one of the chiefest ornaments of our faculty."
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
in Germany and at Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
and its Episcopal Church seminary Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall is a seminary in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.It is one of 11 official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America,and identifies itself as liberal Anglo-Catholic in orientation.-History:...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
USA.
Early life and education
The eldest child of Georg Anton Salomon (1849-1916), a medical doctor and lecturer at the University of Berlin, and his wife Anna Salomon née Herfort (1856-1931), Richard Salomon was raised in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he attended the Königliche Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium. Becoming interested in the history of religion, he was baptized at the evangelical Jerusalem Church
Jerusalem's Church
Jerusalem's Church is one of the churches of the Evangelical Congregation in the Friedrichstadt , a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The present church building is located in Berlin, borough Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, in...
in Berlin at the age of 18 in 1902. Going on to the University of Berlin, Salomon studied eastern European history under Theodor Schiemann (1847-1921), Byzantine history under Karl Krumbacher
Karl Krumbacher
Karl Krumbacher was a German scholar who was an expert on Byzantine culture.He was born at Kürnach im Allgäu in Bavaria, and was educated at the Universities of Munich and Leipzig, and held the professorship of the middle ages and modern Greek language and literature in the former from 1897 to his...
(1856-1921), the history of medieval law under Karl Zeurner (1849-1914), and Latin paleography under Michael Tangl (1861-1921), under whom he completed his doctoral dissertation in February 1907: Studien zur normannisch-italischen Diplomatik.
Academic career
In March 1907, Salomon was appointed to the editorial staff of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica and in the following year began to teach courses on Russian and Byzantine history. In the Spring of 1914, he was appointed professor of the history and culture of Russia at the Colonial Institute in Hamburg. Before Salomon could take up his duties in 1914, he was drafted into the Imperial German Army. He was assigned duties in the Quartermaster Corps and served in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
before he was released from military duties two years later in the spring of 1916.
Returning to the Colonial Institute in Hamburg, Salomon took up his position and began teaching the history of the Balkans and taught a course on Russian war literature. In May 1919, the Colonial Institute was created into the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
and, with the founding of the university Salomon became University Professor of Eastern European History and Culture as well as Director of the Eastern European Seminar. In 1923-24, he served additionally as Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy.
In 1920, when the wealthy Hamburg art historian Aby Warburg
Aby Warburg
Abraham Moritz Warburg, known as Aby Warburg, was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded a private Library for Cultural Studies, the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg, later Warburg Institute...
founded the Kultur-wissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg, the forerunner of the Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
of London, Salomon was appointed to its board of scholarly advisors. Through this connection, Salomon first encountered the young art historian Erwin Panofsky
Erwin Panofsky
Erwin Panofsky was a German art historian, whose academic career was pursued mostly in the U.S. after the rise of the Nazi regime. Panofsky's work remains highly influential in the modern academic study of iconography...
, who became a close friend.
On 7 April 1933, the new National Socialist government of Germany issued its directive to forcefully retire "undesirable" university academics of Jewish origin. Among the six named at Hamburg were Panofsky and Salomon, who was formally removed from his academic post in March 1934. At this point, Salomon looked for other employment and first began his work to edit the 14th century "Avignon Documents" in the Hamburg archives, detailing the legal process of Hamburg against the Papal Curia in Avignon, a work that continued to the end of his life. At the same time, The Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced German Scholars in New York and the Academic Assistance Council in London were becoming aware of his situation. Through these connections, possibilities arose for Salomon to go to the United States. Erwin Panofsky
Erwin Panofsky
Erwin Panofsky was a German art historian, whose academic career was pursued mostly in the U.S. after the rise of the Nazi regime. Panofsky's work remains highly influential in the modern academic study of iconography...
, by then at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, was instrumental in helping Salomon obtain a lecture tour in the spring of 1936 and to deliver courses of lectures on Latin Paleography at the Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
in London in 1936 and 1937. After Salomon's return to Hamburg, Frank Aydelotte
Frank Aydelotte
Frank Aydelotte was a U.S. educator. His full name was Franklin Ridgeway Aydelotte. He is known for redefining Swarthmore College as an institution while he was president between 1921 and 1940 and was also the director of the Institute for Advanced Study from 1939 until 1947.Aydelotte was born in...
, the president of Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
offered him a rotating position to lecture at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, and Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
in the United States for 1937-38 and this was renewed for 1938-39.
In 1939, President Gordon Keith Chalmers
Gordon Keith Chalmers
Gordon Keith Chalmers was a scholar of seventeenth century English thought and letters, president of Rockford College and Kenyon College, and a national leader in American higher education.-Early life and education:The son of Wiliam Everett Chalmers and his wife Mary Dunklee Maynard, Gordon...
of Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
offered him a permanent position to teach medieval history in the undergraduate college and to be Cooke Professor of Church History at the College's Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
seminary, Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall is a seminary in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.It is one of 11 official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America,and identifies itself as liberal Anglo-Catholic in orientation.-History:...
. He also served as historian of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the northern half of the state of Ohio.The see city is Cleveland, home of Trinity Cathedral, the cathedral of the diocese. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr...
. Becoming an American citizen, he was placed in charge of preparing at Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
a U.S. Army Specialized Training Unit in Area and Language for service in Germany in 1943-44, and, in 1944-45, he worked in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the Middle Europe section of the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
.
In 1962, Salomon retired at the age of 78 from undergraduate teaching, but retained his professorship in the seminary. At that time, Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
degree. The citation summarized his career by noting: "Your lively and extensive knowledge, your warm interest in the arts, your love for research, and your obvious devotion to the life of scholarship--all these combined with what you are made you one of the chiefest ornaments of our faculty."
Published works
- Johannis porta de Annoniaco Liber de coronatione Karoli IV. Imperatoris Ed. Ricardus Salomon. Monumenta Germaniae historica Scriptores rerum germanicarum ...: 2 ; 3. Hannoverae, Lipsiae: Hahn, 1913.
- Das Weltbild eines avignonesischen Klerikers. Leipzig: B.G. Teubner, 1930.
- Opicinus de Canistris; Weltbild und Bekenntnisse eines avignonesischen Klerikers des 14, Jahrhunderts von R. G. Salomon mit beiträgen von A. Heimann und R. Krautheimer. London, The Warburg Institute [Leipzig, Druck von B. G. Teubner] 1936
- Die Avignonesischen Akten des Hamburger Staatsarchivs: Ein Arbeitsbericht u. e. Anleitg zur weiteren Bearbeitg Hamburg : Ackermann & Wulff, 1937.
- Orthodoxy, ecumenical movement, and Anglicanism : the Moscow Conference of 1948 [S.l: s.n.], 1957.
- Highlights of Church History: Early and Medieval. Philadelphia: Church Historical Society, 1948.
- The Episcopate on the Carey Case; New Sources from the Chase Collection at Kenyon College. Austin, Texas: Church Historical Society, 1949.
- Addresses at the Twenty-Seventh Synod of the Fifth Province of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America: Kenyon College, Gambler, Ohio, September 11-13, 1950. by Richard S. M. Emrich, Gordon Keith Chalmers, and Richard Salomon. Gambier, Ohio: [s.n.], 1950.
- British Legislation and American Episcopacy. [s.n.], 1951.
- Mother church, daughter church, sister church: the relations of the Protestant Episcopal Church and the Church of England in the 19th century Reprinted from the Historical magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, December, 1952
- Early days of the Church in Ohio Reprinted from Church life, vol. 57, no. 5, June 1953.
- A newly discovered manuscript of Opicinus de Canistris; a preliminary report. Reprinted from the Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. Vol. XVI, nos.1-2, 1953, pp. 45-57.
- The case of the Episcopal churches in the United States considered by William H. White (1748-1836) edited with an introduction by R.G. Salomon. Publication no. 39. Philadelphia: Church Historical Society, 1954.
- St. John's Parish, Worthington, and the beginnings of the Episcopal Church in Ohio. Offprint reprinted from The Ohio Historical Quarterly, v. 64, no.1, January 1955.
- Philander Chase in Ohio. Builders for Christ. New York: National Council, [195?].
- Chase in Ohio and Illinois. [S.l: s.n,] 1960.
- Die Korrespondenz zwischen dem Hamburger Rat und seinen Vertretern an der päpstlichen Kurie in Avignon 1337 bis 1359. Bearb. von Richard Salomon. Veröffentlichungen aus dem Staatsarchiv der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg, Bd.9, T.1, ca. 1966.