Johannes van den Driesche
Encyclopedia
Johannes van den Driesche [or Drusius] (28 June 1550 – February 1616) was a Flemish Protestant divine, distinguished specially as an Orientalist
, Christian Hebraist
and exegete
.
. Intended for the church, he studied Greek
and Latin at Ghent, and philosophy
at Leuven; but his father having been outlawed for his religion, and deprived of his estate, retired to England, where the son followed him in 1567. He found a teacher of Hebrew
in Antoine Rodolphe Chevallier
, with whom he resided for some time at Cambridge
. In 1572 he became professor of Oriental languages at Oxford
.
Upon the pacification of Ghent (1576) he returned with his father to their own country, and was appointed professor of Oriental languages at the University of Leiden in the following year. In 1585 he removed to Friesland
, and was admitted professor of Hebrew in the university of Franeker
, an office which he discharged with great honour till his death. He acquired a reputation as a professor, and his class was frequented by students from all the Protestant countries in Europe.
; but this work was not published until after his death. As the friend of Jacobus Arminius
, he was charged by the Contra-Remonstrant party with unfairness in the execution of the task, and the last sixteen years of his life were therefore marred by controversy.
He carried on an extensive correspondence with the learned in different countries; for, besides letters in Hebrew, Greek and other languages, there were found amongst his papers upwards of 2000 written in Latin. He had a son, John, who died in England at the age of twenty-one, and was accounted a prodigy of learning. He had mastered Hebrew at the age of nine, and Scaliger
said that he was a better Hebrew scholar than his father.
He wrote a large number of letters in Hebrew, besides notes on the Proverbs of Solomon and other works. Jean-Noël Paquot states the number of the printed works and treatises of the elder Drusius at forty-eight, and of the unprinted at upwards of twenty. Of the former more than two-thirds were inserted in the collection entitled Critici sacri, sive annotata doctissimorum virorum in Vetus et Novum Testamentum
(Amsterdam, 1698, in 9 vols folio, or London, 1660, in 10 vols. folio).
Amongst the works of Drusius not to be found in this collection may be mentioned:
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...
, Christian Hebraist
Christian Hebraist
A Christian Hebraist is a scholar of Hebrew who comes from a Christian family background/belief, or is a Jewish adherent of Christianity. The main area of study is that commonly known as the Old Testament to Christians , but Christians have occasionally taken an interest in the Talmud, and...
and exegete
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
.
Life
He was born at Oudenarde, in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. Intended for the church, he studied Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin at Ghent, and philosophy
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...
at Leuven; but his father having been outlawed for his religion, and deprived of his estate, retired to England, where the son followed him in 1567. He found a teacher of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
in Antoine Rodolphe Chevallier
Antoine Rodolphe Chevallier
Antoine Rodolphe Chevallier was a French Protestant Hebraist, holder of teaching positions in England, and tutor in French to the future Elizabeth I of England.-Life:...
, with whom he resided for some time at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. In 1572 he became professor of Oriental languages at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Upon the pacification of Ghent (1576) he returned with his father to their own country, and was appointed professor of Oriental languages at the University of Leiden in the following year. In 1585 he removed to Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, and was admitted professor of Hebrew in the university of Franeker
University of Franeker
The University of Franeker was a university in Franeker, Friesland, presently part of the Netherlands. It was the second oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University....
, an office which he discharged with great honour till his death. He acquired a reputation as a professor, and his class was frequented by students from all the Protestant countries in Europe.
Works
He was learned in Hebrew and in Jewish antiquities; and in 1600 the states-general employed him, at a salary of 400 florins a year, to write notes on the difficult passages in the Old TestamentOld Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
; but this work was not published until after his death. As the friend of Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...
, he was charged by the Contra-Remonstrant party with unfairness in the execution of the task, and the last sixteen years of his life were therefore marred by controversy.
He carried on an extensive correspondence with the learned in different countries; for, besides letters in Hebrew, Greek and other languages, there were found amongst his papers upwards of 2000 written in Latin. He had a son, John, who died in England at the age of twenty-one, and was accounted a prodigy of learning. He had mastered Hebrew at the age of nine, and Scaliger
Joseph Justus Scaliger
Joseph 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...
said that he was a better Hebrew scholar than his father.
He wrote a large number of letters in Hebrew, besides notes on the Proverbs of Solomon and other works. Jean-Noël Paquot states the number of the printed works and treatises of the elder Drusius at forty-eight, and of the unprinted at upwards of twenty. Of the former more than two-thirds were inserted in the collection entitled Critici sacri, sive annotata doctissimorum virorum in Vetus et Novum Testamentum
Critici sacri
Critici sacri was a compilation of Latin biblical commentaries published in London from 1660, edited by John Pearson. The publisher was Cornelius Bee. The work appeared in nine volumes, and collected numerous authors, both Protestant and Catholic, of early modern critical work on the Bible...
(Amsterdam, 1698, in 9 vols folio, or London, 1660, in 10 vols. folio).
Amongst the works of Drusius not to be found in this collection may be mentioned:
- Alphabetum Hebraicum vetus (1584, 4to)
- Tabulae in grammaticam Chaldaicam ad usum juventutis (1602, 8vo)
- An edition of Sulpicius SeverusSulpicius SeverusSulpicius Severus was a Christian writer and native of Aquitania. He is known for his chronicle of sacred history, as well as his biography of Saint Martin of Tours.-Life:...
(Franker, 1807, 12mo) - Opuscula quae ad grammaticam spectant omnia (1609, 4to)
- Lacrymae in obitum J. Scaligeri (1609, 4to)
- Grammatica linguae sanctae nova (1612, 4to).