John Martin Augustine Scholz

John Martin Augustine Scholz

An erudite German Orientalist and exegete, b. at Kapsdorf, near Breslau, 8 Feb., 1794; d. at Bonn, 20 Oct. 1852. He studied in the Catholic gymnasium and the University of Breslau. In 1817 he took the degree of Doctor of Theology at the University of Freiburg, and then went to Paris, where he studied Persian and Arabic under Silvestre de Sacy, and collated numerous codices (Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Syriac) of the New Testament. From Paris he went to London, and thence passing through France and Switzerland reached Italy, the principal libraries of which he visited in quest of Biblical information. In the autumn of 1821, upon his return from a journey through Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, and having been ordained at Breslau (Oct., 1821), Scholz became professor of exegesis at the University of Bonn, a chair to which he had been appointed in 1820, and which he filled until his death, despite the fact that he was not an interesting lecturer. As he did not share much in the discussions connected with Hermes's theories, he found time to publish several important works. The principal among these are: "Novum Testamentum Graece" (2 vols., Leipzig, 1830, 1836), a critical edition of the original text, full of erudition but marred by a defective classification of authorities and by numerous critical inaccuracies; "De virtutibus et vitiis utriusque Codd. N. T. familiae" (Leipzig, 1845), a sort of supplement to the preceding work; "Einleitung in die Schriften des A. u. N. T." (Cologne and Leipzig, 1845-1848, 3 vols., treating only of the Old Test.); "Handbuch des bibl. Archäologie" (Bonn, 1834). To these works may be added Scholz's own account of his travels: "Reise in die Gegend; etc." (Leipzig, 1822); "Biblisch-kritische Reise, etc." (Leipzig, 1823); his essays on the Holy Sepulchre (Bonn, 1825); on Jerusalem (Bonn, 1835); "Curae criticae", containing a valuable description of Cod. K. "Cyprius" (Heidelberg, 1820); "De fontibus historiae V. Test." (Bonn, 1830); and his discourse on the harmony of Divine revelation with science (Bonn 1845). Scholz was also a contributor to the learned periodicals published at Bonn.

SCRIVENER-MILLER, A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the N.T. (London, 1894); HURTER, Nomenclator Literarius, III (Innsbruck, 1895).

FRANCIS E. GIGOT