Henri Fleisch
Encyclopedia
Reverend Father Henri Fleisch, born January 1 1904 in Jonvelle
(Haute-Saône
), France
and died 10 February 1985 in Lebanon
where he was buried. He was a French
archaeologist
, missionary
and Orientalist
, known for his work on classical Arabic language and Lebanese dialect and prehistory
in Lebanon.
He entered the Society of Jesus
in Lyon
Fourvière
in September 1921 and was ordained a Catholic
priest on 24 August 1933, he celebrated his first mass at Jonvelle on August 27. Fleisch was largely self-taught, specialising in oriental studies
, for which he earned a doctorate at the Sorbonne
in May 1943 with a thesis published on "Work and Memoirs of the Institute of Ethnology in Paris". He made many trips abroad and settled in Lebanon, where he discovered in Bikfaya
in 1923-1926. He did his military service in Syria and was injured during a confrontation. Mobilized in 1939, he was taken prisoner June 19, 1940 and held at Stalag XII, from where he was released in February 1941. From August 1945 he taught at the "Institut des Lettres Orientales" of Saint Joseph University in Beirut
. It was here that many of his archaeological finds were stored and in 2000 they formed The Museum of Lebanese Prehistory
where many of his finds are stored and displayed. The museum celebrated their tenth anniversary with a potshumous exhibition of Fleisch's photography and work entitled "Prehistory vs. Urbanization".
He was the author of two hundred forty publications, including the Eastern dialects and was a specialist in Arabic, Greek, Latin, Syriac and Hebrew. He also wrote a small booklet on the French regional patois
vocabulary
of Jonvelle in 1951. He was the author of the Treaty of Arabic philology
in 1961 and 1977. He distinguished himself by combining research prehistory and geology
, discovering the site of Naama and carrying out work at Tell Jisr
and Ras Beyrouth. Fleisch's most famous works are Introduction à l'Étude des langues sémitiques (1947), L'Arabe classique (1968) and Traité de philologie arabe, 1-2 (1961-79).
Jonvelle
Jonvelle is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
(Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône is a French department of the Franche-Comté région, named after the Saône River.- History :The department was created in the early years of the French Revolution through the application of a law dated 22 December 1789, from part of the former province of Franche-Comté...
), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and died 10 February 1985 in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
where he was buried. He was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and Orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
, known for his work on classical Arabic language and Lebanese dialect and prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
in Lebanon.
He entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
Fourvière
Fourvière
Fourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum...
in September 1921 and was ordained a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest on 24 August 1933, he celebrated his first mass at Jonvelle on August 27. Fleisch was largely self-taught, specialising in oriental studies
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
, for which he earned a doctorate at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in May 1943 with a thesis published on "Work and Memoirs of the Institute of Ethnology in Paris". He made many trips abroad and settled in Lebanon, where he discovered in Bikfaya
Bikfaya
Bikfaya is a town in the Matn District region of Mount Lebanon. Its stone houses with red-tiled roofs resting amidst pine and oak forests make Bikfaya one of the most sought-after suburbs of Beirut and one of Lebanon's most popular summer resorts.-Culture:...
in 1923-1926. He did his military service in Syria and was injured during a confrontation. Mobilized in 1939, he was taken prisoner June 19, 1940 and held at Stalag XII, from where he was released in February 1941. From August 1945 he taught at the "Institut des Lettres Orientales" of Saint Joseph University in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. It was here that many of his archaeological finds were stored and in 2000 they formed The Museum of Lebanese Prehistory
Museum of Lebanese Prehistory
The Museum of Lebanese Prehistory is a museum of prehistory and archaeology in Beirut, Lebanon.-History:...
where many of his finds are stored and displayed. The museum celebrated their tenth anniversary with a potshumous exhibition of Fleisch's photography and work entitled "Prehistory vs. Urbanization".
He was the author of two hundred forty publications, including the Eastern dialects and was a specialist in Arabic, Greek, Latin, Syriac and Hebrew. He also wrote a small booklet on the French regional patois
Patois
Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...
vocabulary
Vocabulary
A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...
of Jonvelle in 1951. He was the author of the Treaty of Arabic philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
in 1961 and 1977. He distinguished himself by combining research prehistory and geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, discovering the site of Naama and carrying out work at Tell Jisr
Tell Jisr
Tell Jisr, Tell el-Jisr or Tell ej-Jisr is a hill and archaeological site northwest of Joub Jannine in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon....
and Ras Beyrouth. Fleisch's most famous works are Introduction à l'Étude des langues sémitiques (1947), L'Arabe classique (1968) and Traité de philologie arabe, 1-2 (1961-79).