Hottinger, Johann Heinrich, 1

A celebrated Swiss theologian and scholar, born at Zurich March 10, 1620. He studied theology and-the Oriental languages at Zurich, Geneva, Groningen, and Leyden. In 1642 he became professor of Church History at Zurich, and in 1643 added to it a professorship at the Carolinum. In 1655 he became professor of Oriental languages at Heidelberg, but in 1661 he returned to Zurich. In 1666, after the decease of Hoornbeck (q.v.), the University of Leyden urged Hottinger to come as his successor. He finally consented, by advice of the Swiss government, to serve that university a few years. While making his arrangements preparatory to his journey, he was drowned in the Limmat, June 5, 1667. Hottinger occupies a distinguished place among the philologists of the 17th century, who labored to promote the knowledge of the Shemitic languages. He was one of the first to bring to public notice a number of Syriac and Arabic works by giving extracts from them and biographies of their authors. He also gave a powerful impulse to the study of Oriental languages by establishing at his own expense an Arabic printing office at Heidelberg while professor in that city. The great aim of his writings was to establish the interpretation of Scripture on a more thoroughly historical and grammatical foundation; yet he rather furnished the means for such a system than established it himself. His works consist chiefly of compilations, and were valuable from the fact that they were from sources previously not generally known. He seldom gives an exegesis, but when he does it is based on grammatical and historical considerations rather than on dogmatical. His principal works are, Exercitationes Antinzorinicnae de Pentateucho Sanarit. (1644) — Erotemata linguae sanetae (1647; 2nd edition, 1667) — Grammatica Chaldeao-Syriaca (1658) — Hist. orientalis de Muhammedismo, Saracenismo, Chaldaisno (Zur. 1650) — Historia ecclesiast. Novi Test. (1651-67, 9 vols.), of which Schaff (Ch. Hist. 1, 21) says that it is a counterpart of the Magdeburg Centuries. "It is less original and vigorous, but more sober and moderate:" Jus Ilebrceorum (1655) — Smegma orientale oppositum sordibus barbarisimi (1657) — Bibliotheca orientalis (Heidelb. 1658) — Thesaurus philol. (Zur. 1649) — Wegweiser, dadurch man versichert werden moag, wo heut zu Tage der wahre katholische Glaube zufinden sei (1647-49, 3 vols.) — Cursus theologicus (1660). Pierer, Universal Lexikon, s.v.; Kitto, Bibl. Cyclop. 2, 331; Hoefer, Nouv. Biogr. Géneralé, 25, 236 sq.; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 6, 287 sq.; Hirzel, J. It. Hottinger der Orientalist d. 17 Jahrhunderts; Bayle, Hist. Dict. 2, 525 sq.; Bibliotheca Sacra, 7, 63.