Franz Karl Movers

Franz Karl Movers

Exegete and Orientalist, b. at Koesfeld, Westphalia, 17 July, 1806; d. at Breslau, 28 Sept., 1856. He attended the gymnasium of his native town, and from 1822 to 1825 the gymnasium at Münster. The next four years he studied at the academy of Münster, taking up philosophy, theology, and especially Oriental languages under Laurenz Reinke. In the autumn of 1829 he was ordained priest at Paderborn, and then continued his Oriental studies for a short time at the University of Bonn. After that he remained as tutor for several years with Baron von Geyr at Rath, near Deutz. In 1833 he became pastor at Berkum, near Bonn, in 1839 extraordinary professor, of Old-Testament exegesis at the University of Breslau, and in 1842 ordinary professor at the same university.

In the field of exegesis Movers published the following works: "Kritische Untersuchungen über die biblische Chronik, ein Beitrag zur Einleitung in das Alte Testament" (Bonn, 1834); "De utriusque recensionis Vaticiniorum Jeremiae, Graece Alexandrinae et Hebraicae masorethicae, indole et origine Commentatio critica" (Hamburg, 1837); "Loci quidam historiae canonis Veteris Testamenti illustrati, Commentatio critica" (Breslau, 1842); and various essays which appeared in theological magazines, especially in "Zeitschrift fü Philosophie und katholische Theologie," published at Bonn. The first edition of the "Kirchenlexicon" contains a number of articles by him.

Movers showed great scholarship as an Orientalist and performed large and lasting services by his studies of the ancient Phönicians. His chief work, "Die Phönizier," though never completed, is still an important contribution to the subject. It appeared in parts under separate titles, as follows: Vol. I, "Untersuchungen Ueber die Religion und die Gottheiten der Phönizier, mit Rücksicht auf die verwandten Culte der Carthager, Syrer, Babylonier, Assyrer, der Hebraeer und der Aegypter" (Bonn, 1841); vol. II, "Das phönizische Alterthum" in three parts, part I, Politische Geschichte und Staatsverfassung" (Berlin, 1849); part II, "Geschichte der Colonien" (Berlin, 1850); part III, first half, "Handel und Schifffahrt" (Berlin, 1856). Movers gave a shorter compendium of the results of his researches in his article "Phönizien" in "Allgemeine Encyklopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste" (1848), section III, part XXIV, pp. 319-443. In addition to briefer essays appearing in magazines, Movers published "Phönizische Texte erklärt" (Breslau, 1845 and 1847), part I, "Die punischen Texte im Poenulus des Plautus kritisch gewuerdigt und erklaert"; part II, "Das Opferwesen der Carthager, Commentar zur Opfertafel von Marseille." Another work to be mentioned is "Denkschrift über den Zustand der katholisch-theologischen Facultät an der Universität zu Breslau seit der Vereinigung der Breslauer und Frankfurter Universität bis auf die Gegenwart" (Leipzig, 1845).

RASSMANN, Nachrichten von dem Leben und den Schriften Münsterlaendischer Schriftsteller (Münster, 1866), 223 sq.; REUSCH in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, XXII, 417 sq.; WERNER, Geschichte der katholischen Theologie (Munich, 1866), 544-46; WERNER, Geschichte der apologetischen und polemischen Literatur (Schaffhausen, 1867), V, 442-52.

FRIEDRICH LAUCHERT