Vater, Johann Severin

Vater, Johann Severin a German doctor and professor of theology, was born May 27, 1771, at Altenburg. He studied theology at Jena, but more especially Oriental languages. From 1792 to 1794 he studied classical philology under Wolf at Halle, and was promoted in 1794 as doctor of philosophy. In 1796 he commenced lecturing as privat-docent at Jena, was made professor of Oriental languages in 1798, and was called to Halle in 1800 as professor of theology and Oriental languages. When this university was abandoned in 1810, he went to Konigsberg, to return again to Halle in 1820, where he died, March 15, 1826. Vater belonged to the rationalistic school, and his work on the Pentateuch is deeply tainted by rationalistic influences; but his works deserve notice for their learning. He published, Hebr. Sprachlehre (Leips. 1797; 2nd ed. 1812): Kleinere Hebr. Sprachlehre (ibid. 1798; 3d ed. 1816): Hebr. Lesebuch (ibid. 1799; 2nd ed. 1809): — Handbuch der hebr., syr., chald., und arab. Grammatik (ibid. 1802; 2d ed. 1817): — Arab., syr., und chald. Lesebuch (ibid. 1802): — Comentar über den Pentateuch .(Halle, 1802-5, 3 pts.): — Amosi Oracula (ibid. 1810): — Lectionuai Versionis Alexandrince Jobi nondum satis Exanminatarum Specinzen ( Kinigsberg, 1810 ): — Synchronistische Tafeln der Kirchengeschichte (Halle, 1803; 6th ed. by Thilo, 1833): — Kirchengeschichte des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts (Brunswick, 1823 sq., forming pts. 5-8 of Henke's Kirchengeschichte): — Ambau der neueslen Kir-chengeschichte (Berl. 1820-22, 2 vols.). See Theolog. Unirersal- Lexicon, s.v.; Niemeyer's biography of Vater appended to the 5th ed. of the Synchronist. Tateli (1828); Fürst, Bibl. Jud. 3, 469; Steinschneider, Bibliogr. Handbuch, s.v.; Winer, Handbuch der theol. Literatur, 1, 45, 100, 115, 197, 218, 223, 226, 370, 388, 406, 537, 544, 581; 2, 23, 326, 814. (B. P.)