Morin, Etienne

Morin, Etienne a learned French Protestant, noted for his attainments in Orientalia, was born at Caen January 1, 1625. His father, who was a merchant, died when he was only three years of age, and his mother, though designing him for trade, suffered his vehement inclination to books, until she found him so, greatly drawn to study as to make any attempt for his conversion to trade futile. He went through the classics and philosophy at Caen, and then removed to the Huguenot seminary at Sedan, to study theology under Peter du Moulin, who conceived a great friendship for him. Morin afterwards continued his theological studies under Andrew Rivet, and joined to them that of the Oriental tongues, in which he made a great proficiency under Golius. Returning to his country in 1649, Morin became a minister of two churches in the neighborhood of Caen. He was distinguished by uncommon tact and learning, and had several advantageous offers from abroad; but he did not care to stir from his own, country. In 1664 he was chosen minister of Caen, and his merits soon connected him in friendship with several learned men who were then in that city, such as Huetius, Segrais, Bochart, and others. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 obliging him to quit Caen, he retired with his family into Holland. He went at first to Leyden, but soon after was called to Amsterdam to be professor of the Oriental tongues in the university there, to which employment was joined, two years after, that of minister in ordinary. He died May 5, 1700. Morin wrote considerably. His most important works are, Dissertationes octo, in quibus multa sacrae et profanae antiquitatis monumenta explicantur (Geneva, 1683, 8vo; a 2d ed., enlarged and corrected, Dort, 1700, 8vo): — Oratio inaugauralis de linguarum orientalitum ad intelligentiam Sacrae Scripturae utilitate (Ludg. Bat. 1686): — Explanationes sacrae et philologicae in aliquot V. et N. Testamenti loca (ibid. 1698, 8vo): — Exercitationes de lingua primaeva ejusque appendicibus (Ultraj. 1694, 4to): — Dissertatio de paradiso terrestri (printed in Bochart's works, the 3d ed. of which was published at Utrecht in 1692, with Bochart's life by Morin prefixed): — Epistolae duae, seu responsiones ad Ant. Van Dale de Pentatelcho Samnaritano (printed with Van Dale's De origine et progressu idolatriae, Amst. 1696, 4to): — Lettre sur l'origine de la langue Hebraique, with an answer of Huetius; printed in volume 1 of Dissertations sur diverses matieres de Religion et de Philologie recueillis par Tilladet (Paris, 1712,12mo). In this work he argues boldly that Adam was inspired with a knowledge of the Hebrew tongue by the Almighty. See Niceron, Memoires, volume 12; Haag, La France Protestante; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.; Genesis Biog. Dict. s.v. (J.H.W.)