Among Gerhard’s papers in the Gerhardina collection at the Forschungsbibliothek Gotha is the veritable treasure trove of his correspondence. Just how valuable these letters are for a study of his life and work has, it is hoped, been made clear – and it is with Gerhard’s life and work in mind that they have here been studied. This correspondence, however, is much more than a valuable biographical source. Many of the letters to Gerhard tell us more about his correspondents and the intellectual and social history of his day than their direct relevance to a study of his life. Daniel Gehrt’s catalogue of the manuscripts in the Gerhardina (including the papers of both Johann Gerhard and Johann Ernst Gerhard) will doubtless prove an important tool for students of various aspects of seventeenth-century German history – far exceeding the circle of scholars interested in the Gerhards.1
The following is a selection of letters to Gerhard by his friend Hiob Ludolf and by Johann Zechendorff, the Zwickau schoolmaster and one of the pioneers of the study of the Qurʾan in Europe. While they are of marginal relevance to a Gerhard biography, these hitherto unpublished letters are of interest to the history of oriental studies in the seventeenth century. Needless to say, this is no more than a modest sample of letters in the Gerhardina which are of interest to students of the history of oriental studies and of the seventeenth-century Republic of Letters more broadly.
1 Hiob Ludolf to Johann Ernst Gerhard
The first two letters chosen here date from Ludolf’s short stay in Stockholm in 1649. This brief and exciting stay in the illustrious circle of scholars drawn to Stockholm by Queen Christina came shortly after Ludolf’s seminal stay in Rome, where he made the acquaintance of Ethiopic priests, among them Abba Gorgoryos (Gregorius), who had a decisive influence on his Ethiopic studies. Follwong Ludolf’s invitation, Abba Gorgoryos spent several months as a guest of the court of Duke Ernst in Gotha. The eager expectation of this visit is at the centre of Ludolf’s letters to Gerhard of 1651 and 1652.
1.1 Chart. A 142 fol. 149 (15 October 1649)
Viro Clariss.o ac Doctiss.o Dn. M.J.E. Gerhardo
J. Ludolfus S.P.D.
Etsi nihil aliud scribere tibi possim, qvam prosperum meum in hoc regnum appulsum, credidi tamen me id officii, amicitiae nostrae ac tuo in me affectui debere. Siqvidem discessus mei ex Gallia certiorem te feci, litteris 5. die Septembris. S.N.2 ex portu gratiae3 ad te datis, æqvum erat ut itineris mei successum ac finem intelligeres. Post qvindecim dierum, adversam partim, partim secundam navigationem Gotenburgi, Gothlandiae occidentalis metropoli appulimus. Exinde modicis itineribus per Gothlandiam occidentalem et Orientalem, per Smolandiam, Nycopiam pervenimus, qvae Sudmanlandiae4 metropolis est. Ibi etiamnum subsistimus donec res nostrae, ac sarcinae maritimo itinere seqvantur. Ubi Holmiam pervenisse acceperimus, eódem nos quoque proficiscemur. Interea in praediis et villis Dn.i Legati haeremus. Ipse salutatam Reginam jam ante abiit. Licuit mihi in comitatu Dn. Legati commodissimè iter facere, ac qvae notatu digna fuerunt, experiri. Ita ut, praecipuas provincias cum praecipuis oppidis lustraverim, viderimque, illud regnum, cujus nomen jam a tot annis apud nos audimus. Expecto responsum antecedentium litterarum, multa in iis de studio nostro ad te scripseram, ex iis qvoque intellexisti, si Hamburgo vel Lubecâ litteras mittere possis, ad Dn. Beyer cum hac inscriptione mittendae, recommandée a Mons. Beyer secretaire de la Reine et Intendant des postes a Stokholm. Vale qvam optime ac de statu rerum tuarum me certiorem fac. Dabam Nycopiae Cal. Octobris. 1649.
Litteras hasce ante quatuordecim dies Holmiam ad fratrem miseram, iis vero casu relictis, supervenerunt mihi litterae Abyssiniae Abbae Gregorii, quas ut accepi transmittere tibi volui, ut intelligeres, quae mihi cum ipso amicitia intercedat. Stokholmia viri qvi uspiam celebres sunt conquiruntur; Vossius bis mille imperiales quotannis accipit; Cartesius ibi quoque agit; Nic. Heinsius bervi expectatur. Salmasii filius jam pridem Reginam salutavit; pater etiam huc venturus dicitur. Regina eruditos omnes insigni studio et liberalitate amplectitur. Vale. Nycopiae 15. die Octobr. 1649.
Synopsis: Having recently stayed in Rome, where he made the acquaintance of the Ethiopic priest Abba Gorgoryos, Ludolf, who was at the time in the service of the Swedish crown, was travelling to Stockholm. He had arrived in Gothenburg (Götenborg) after fifteen days at see and from there travelled to Nyköping, where Ludolf and the rest of the diplomatic party are waiting for their belongings to reach Stockholm by see. Once this happens they will set off to that city. Ludolf has been making use of the time to see as much as he can of the country. To this letter, signed in Nyköping 1 October is added a postscript written a fortnight later. He has received a letter from Abba Gorgoryos, which he is forwarding to Gerhard. He also mentions the learned celebrities to be encountered in Stockholm: Isaac Vossius, Descartes, Nicolaas Heinsius and Claude Saumaise’s son. The elder Saumaise is soon expected in Stockholm.
1.2 Chart. A 142 fol. 150r–150ar (10/20 December 1649)
Clar.iss. Viro Dn.o M. Ioh. Er. Gerhardo
S.S. Th. Candidato. amico optimo. J. Ludolfus S.P.D.
Litterae tuae 3. d. Octobris datæ maxima me voluptate affecerunt, quod consilia et animum tuum mihi tam liberaliter exponeres, ac ita verum amicum me tibi probares; Perfecta omnino foret laetitia mea si novissimas meas, cum Epistola Aba [sic] Gregorii Abyssinensis ad me missa, accepisses; Multum poterat illa conferre ad consilium quod postea tibi commemorabo. Primo enim de consilio tuo in has oras proficiscendi mihi dicendum. Ego certe nihil aeque optarem, quam ut id foelicitatis mihi contingeret ut aspectu et conversatione tua frui in Sueciā mihi liceret. Caeterum doleo quod nondum eo experientiae venerim ut Academiae Vpsaliensis statum et Professorum condicionem accurate perscribere possim, licet enim Patronus noster jam pridem Reginam salutatam profectus fuerit, ac aliquamdiu Holmiae ob negotia egerit, totam tamen familiam suam in praediis suis ruri reliquit; Causae ejus rei, aliae partim fuere, aliae supervenere. Primùm expectabamus suppellectilem nostram, quae maritimo itinere Gotenburgo sequebatur, dein Domina edito partu profectionem impeditatur nunc instantia festa pergendi consilia in mensem Januarium distulerunt. Mihi tamen omnino decretum est quodcunque etiam consilium Patronus capturus sit, veniam petere in Academiam Vpsaliensem proficiscendi eamque per duos vel tres menses lustrandi, dum enim Patronus nullo publico officio occupatus est, pauca agenda occurrunt. Tum demum comperta et spectata tibi perscribere potero, pauca enim sunt quae hactenus audivi. Caeterum summatim rem consideranti primo loco sese offert Reginae benignus erga litteratos animus, dum eos honoribus et beneficiis auget, quos insigni eruditione reliquos anteire animadverterit, ad haec vita satis tranquilla et composita contingere potest erudito, in natione parum turbida nec invida externae virtutis. Et quanto remotior a caetero Orbe Suecia tanto major claritudo eximiis ingeniis, et modicis minus dedecus est. Mores studiosorum Vpsaliae non ad disciplinam Hollandorum aut modestiam Anglorum, sed ad nostram dissolutionem propius accedere accepi. Externus urbium cultus in Suecia quaerendus non est, humiles plerumque casae, vel quatuor parietes tecto operti, quales vetustas invenit, verum talia eruditi non a⟨e⟩stimant. Id vero maxime incommodum, quod longinquitate itinerum tardiora cum eruditis commercia sunt, atque libri rariores non nisi maximo labore et sumtu parantur. Conversationem et familiaritatem cum doctis viris hucusque desiderasses, nunc vero cura Reginae celeberrimi alibi viri partim huc trahuntur partim retinentur, ut quos aliâs vix litteris adire, nunc verbis coram alloqui possis; Salmasio amplissimas litteras Regina sua manu scripsit, quibus ille permotus statim filium suum ad venerationem ejus misit, pollicitus, se brevi secuturum; Non quod sedem suam mutare possit, sed quo officio suo erga tantam Reginam satisfaciat; Vossio Gerh. F. bis mille imperiales in annos singulos penduntur. Cartesius quoque Holmiae agit. Nicolaus Heinsius ad spectandas saltem Reginae virtutes venerat, mox ut praedicat, discessurus. Boeclerus Historiam et Eloquentiam Vpsaliae docet; Freinshemius Reginae Bibliothecarius est, meruerat ipsum Regia Bibliotheca, quae mox inter insignes Europae [fol. 150v] Bibliothecas numerabitur, quippe Grotii et Vossii Bibliothecas ingenti pecunia coemit; praeterea frater meus multa praeclara scriptorum monumenta [] Reginae Lutetia Parisiorum conquisivit, ac regie compingi curavit, quia tantum Reginae oculis ac manibus destinabantur. Professorem Orient. LL. Vpsaliae nullum esse, nec tamen Ravium vocatum fore, facile crediderim. Nuper Frenshemius fratrem meum interrogaverat num mihi animus esset professorium munus suscipere; verum ille responderat alios mihi fines propositos esse, nec, dum aetas discendo ac laboribus par esset, alios me docere aut ad quietem animum applicare velle. Qvod te vero spectat, siquidem experimentum doctrinae tuae facere et documenta eruditionis dare velis non abs re fore crediderim, si ad tempus in Suecia id praestans. Verum alia animo meo nunc inhaerent, ais potestatem tibi a Patronis factam extera regna adeundi, ubi saltem comitem idoneum nactus fueris; quid si ego me tibi comitem praeberem. Credo me tibi olim scripsisse quam invitus et coactus Roma avulsus fuerim, cum praeclaram ibi occasionem habuerim multas eruditionis partes ac praecipue Æthiopica mea studia solide excolere; Qvippe familiaritas fida et intima mihi fuit cum quatuor Abyssinis viris bonis, qui inter alios libros minoris momenti, habebant Pentateuchum, Esaiam, Josuam et librum Ruth, ad haec, Concilia Oecumenica cum aliis Synodis nationalibus in folio elegant⟨i⟩ scriptis privatim possidebant, jamque in eorum amicitia tantum poteram, ut mihi liceret intra eorum parietes totos dies sedere ac excerpere quae l⟨i⟩beret, cum revocante Patrono meo cum summo dolore et tristitiâ inde abstraharer. Persuasum vero mihi fuerat auctâ amicitiâ datam mihi fore potestatem domi meae exscribendi quantum possem, unde semper postea mecum agitavi Romam redire, et si per otium ac sumtus liceret, etia⟨m⟩ unum vel alterum annum vitae meae impendere, quo patria⟨e⟩ nostrae tant⟨um⟩ thesaurum acquirerem praeterea non saltem eruditum orbem, sed eccles⟨i⟩am quoque collatione talium exemplarium juvarem. Tum facile quiescen⟨s⟩ imo qualemcunque quietem libenter ferrem dum non taedioso et vulg⟨ari⟩ Grammatices aut Dictionarii colligendi labore, sed perpetuis cum erud⟨i⟩tis commerciis ac summorum Religionis articulorum collatione et examine [fol. 150a] vitam agerem; Nunc vero postquam consilium tuum intellexi, incredibile dictu est, quantum cupiditas animo meo creverit, cum sperem te socio ac comite non saltem itineris sed et scriptionis laborem omnem facilem fore; ac non tantum praecipu⟨os⟩ sed et omnes illos libros trium mensium diligenti studio describi posse. Jam de tempore ac sumtibus quaedam dicenda, quandoquidem jam in Suecia versor, maximopere desiderarem tueri regni comitia cum Reginae coronationem et inaugurationem spectare, illa in decimum sextum Junii, haec in 16 Julii indicta, eam enim ob causam fere iter in has terras suscepi, hoc consilio, ut nisi interea publici cujusdam officii administratio in aulis exterorum principum, ubi civilem prudentiam, quae prima studiorum meorum pars est, augere possem, contingeret, patriam repeterem atque ex statu rerum rationem vitae meae formarem. Itaque si conditio placeret, placere autem quantum in te est non dubito, peractis inaugurationis solennibus, mense Augusto Erfurtum, mense Septembri Venetias ac circa finem ejus Romam perveniri posse sperarem, mox sex menses usque in Aprilem operi incumberemus, quo perfecto tu Galliam, Angliam ac Belgium adires ego patriam repeterem. Trecenti imperiales huic itineri sufficient. Jam dicenda sunt quae me impediant quo minus societatem hanc perfectionis certe tibi permittere possim. i. De sumtibus incertus sum, unde petam, quippe mihi vivo patre res familiaris adhuc nulla, patrem vero mihi tantum erogaturum dubito, cum tempora adhuc aspera sint, et tantum fere quantum fratres mei natu majores in profectionis sumtus jam acceperim. 2. Ne forsan melior eruditio aliunde mihi offeratur quam non negligere totius vitae meae intersit. 3. Ne forsan successu temporis status rerum Romae mutetur, ac libri vel ipsi vel amici mei aliò transferantur, hanc equidem rem praevenire studeo, []ras litteras ad amicos mittendo quo et de statu eorum certior fiam, ac amicitiam conservem. Secundum non curarem, modo de primo certus essem. Sententiam tuam jam expecto qua intellecta certiora consilia capere potero. Res vero caute tractanda est nec ulli mortalium nisi fidissimis ubi extrema necessitas postulaverit, []5 itineris finis indicandus, ne forsan eo patefacto ab adversariis impediamur. [] id facilius sub profectionis praete⟨x⟩tu occultare poteris, ego vero neccesse habeo amicis id aperire, quorum opem implorare debeo, ac D. Elsenro praecipue. Plura addere Angustia chartae prohibet. Vale amice optime, ac forsan aliquando comes itineris future.
Nycopiae 30/20 die Decembris
1649.
Maxime necessarium, ut aliquem ex amicis tuis Hamburgi nomines ad que⟨m⟩ litteras mittere possim, nec cogantur Erfurtum usque semper excurrere, ad eun⟨dem⟩ tu quoque litteras mittas, quo inde recta Stokholmiam mittantur.6
Synopsis: Ludolf is delighted by the possibility of Gerhard joining him in Sweden (which did not happen). He intends to spend two or three months at the University of Uppsala. While Sweden is far from other centres of learning and scholarly books are hard to come by, Queen Christina’s patronage draws to her realm renowned scholars. Ludolf lists some of these luminaries and dwells on the Royal library and the royal librarian Johann Freinsheim (Frenshemius). The latter had inquired with Ludolf’s brother whether Ludolf would wish to be appointed professor at Uppsla, which at the time had no professor of oriental languages. His brother turned down the offer, stating that his brother had a different calling, namely jurisprudence. Ludolf suggests that Gerhard should apply for the post. He recalls his recent stay in Rome and acquaintance with the Ethiopian priests, among them Abba Gorgoryos, and rejoices at the prospects of Gerhard joining him on a further journey to Rome to collaborate on their Ethiopic studies. He means to return to Erfurt in August and then embark on a journey to Italy with Gerhard, who would, after several months, go from there on his grand tour of the Netherlands, England, and France.7
1.3 Chart A 142 fol. 152 (27 May 1651)
Clariss.o Eruditiss.o Viro
Dn. M.J.E. Gerhardo amico praecipuo
J. Ludolfus S.P.D.
Tarditatem meam procul dubio miraris, amice, sed mirari desines, cum memineris, quantus negotiorum cumulus morte parentis nobis impositus sit. Deinde litteras tuas expectare mihi visum fuit, quo fidelius et intentius de felici in patriam reditu gratulari tibi possem. Qui tanto gratior mihi est, quo minus imposterum litterarum jacturam timendam habemus, et quo frequentius amicitiam nostram litteris colere et augere possumus. Vtinam uero mihi per tristem familiae nostrae statum licuisset, insigni aliquo honore, aut quaesitissimis officiis prosequi transeuntem, fecissem sane rem et amicitiâ nostrâ, tuâque gratiarum actione dignam. Nunc autem non est quod laudes. Tantum abest ut opus habeas suscipere molestiam in comparando pro mea matre B. Parentis tui libro. Est ille parvus admodum, et nuper inter nostros repertus, nempe Geistliche gespräch Gottes vndt einer gläubigen Seelen, vndt Göttlicher Trost auf Zwölferey Noht gerichtet. Accepi tandem litteras ab Abyssino meo Dn. Gregorio, qui nondum certus quid consilii circa se cepissem, et ante adventum litterarum mearum Roma discedens, domum Lauretanam, et alias quasdam Italiae urbes perlustraverat. Romam deinde reversus, uisisque litteris meis subito respondit, aitque vehementer se dolere, quod illas non in tempore accepisset; se desperasse prorsus me illum excepturum, adeoque cuncta ad profectionem in patriam parasse. Incommodam nunc esse profectionem ob calorem et priusquam ad me perveniret, a⟨e⟩statem adultam fore. Respondi quae e re videbantur. Nec dubito illum plures alias litteras post illas priores accepisse; an vero illis moveri possit, dubito. Si quae forte Dilherrus de illa re scripserit, quaeso mecum communices. Norimbergam profecturus non sum, antequam intelligam Gregorium meum Roma discessisse. Frater meus ob negotia nostra privata Hamburgum profectus est, brevi ut speramus, reversurus. Salutant te mater, frater et sorores. Salutat te amicissime, qui te valere jubet bellissime. Erfurti: IV. Cal. Jun. A.S. MDCLI.
Synopsis: After greeting Gerhard on his recent return from the journey to the Netherlands and France (see Chapter Four), dwelling briefly on family affairs following the death of his father, and asking to borrow a devotional work by Johann Gerhard for his mother, Ludolf turns to Abba Gorgoryos’ eagerly awaited journey from Rome to Gotha. The Ethiopian priest’s first attempt to travel to Germany was aborted, yet Ludolf is confident that he will, in due course, arrive in Gotha. Ludolf contemplates meeting Abba Gorgoryos in Nuremberg (on the latter’s northward journey), once he gets word from the Lutheran theologian Johann Michael Dilherr, one of Gerhard’s former teachers in Jena, who moved to Nuremberg in 1642.
1.4 Chart. A 142 fol. 154 (22 August 1651)
Cl.mo Viro Dn. M.J.E. Gerhardo
S.S. Th.C. amico praecipuo J.L. S.P.D.
Sepositis nostris jocoseriis horulam, quae mihi a praeparatione itineris superest, tibi dare decrevi quo scias ultimas tuas 15 die Aug. scriptas mihi recte redditas fuisse, illasque una cum prioribus prout uoluisti coctionem ciborum nostrorum promovisse. Quod consilia tua spectat, non est quod prudentiae tuae addam, quam tardam ubique et maturam esse oportet; et juvenibus dictum puta Festina lente. Alius praecipitanter nimis a Gallica facilitate ad Theologicam gravitatem componendus esses. Quod amicitiam nostram spectat, falleris si illam eò extendi putes, ut mei causa ullum studiosum penatibus tuis dignari debeas. Te specta et tempus et consilium cape. Falleris etiam si amicitiam nostram extra animum sitam putes; ubi ad externa devenerimus, in lubrico erit. Specta Principes et reginam Galliae regemque Hispaniae. Et si interna bene se habeant, externis confirmari fundari non possut. Sed in his et similibus cauendum nobis est, ne Vulcani sacrificuli audiamus, quod te imprimis dedeceret, quem ab omni idololatria mystica et manifesta alienissimum esse oportet. Sed uide quam facile ad joco-seria redeamus, sed me hercule tam obscuri sunt argumenti, ut haud facile voluptatem extranea allatura sint. Sed ad seria. Denuo litteras ab Abissino meo accepi, quibus uenturum se promittit; Cum igitur de adventu ejus non dubitem, et cuncta jam sint ordinata et disposita, enixe te rogo, ut Novum Testamentum Æthiop. quocunque etiam labore et sumtu possis, emto, commodato vel precario mihi pares, praeterea omnis generis historias, descriptiones et quaecunque mihi ex usu esse intelliges. Et⟨iam⟩ haec praecipua causa fuit cur hasce ante abitum meum festin⟨anter⟩ ad te darem. Interea vale cum tuis salutatus amicis.
Erfurti. 22 d. Augusti. 1651.
Synopsis: The opening comments are difficult to understand outside their context; they seem to relate to an earlier letter of recommendation Ludolf had written on behalf of a student. Ludolf also seems to be responding cautiously to Gerhard’s decision to apply himself to theological studies. This is followed by a request: Ludolf is about to leave to meet his Ethiopian friend Abba Gorgoryos, who is making his way from Rome to Gotha. He asks Gerhard to send him an Ethiopic New Testament and any history or other work which might be useful – apparently in preparation for the Ethiopian priest’s visit, in the course of which he was interviewed by Ludolf and Duke Ernst on the Ethiopian Church.
1.5 Chart. A 142 fol. 157 (7 May 1652)
Ampl.mo Cl.mo Viro
Dn.o M.J.E. Gerhardo Hist.m in Ill.a Jen. Ac. P.P.
amico sing. J. Ludolfus S.P.D.
Accepi litteras tuas ante octiduum scriptas, sed distuli responsum quo certiùs tibi ad tempus modicum ualedicere possem. Nunc enim decrevi iter meum suscipere, intellecto Abyssinum meum ex Italiâ soluisse; Cum igitur nihil hic me retineat, spero intra paucos dies me hinc discessurum, ut dubitem an responsum tuum hic exspectare possim; Litterae tuae tamen ad me nihilominus recte curabuntur, modo nostratibus uel fratri hic tradantur. Interea summopere miror petulantiam illius Judaei (utinam conversi) qui tam impudenter de Clar.mo Viro Dn.o D. Elsnero, idque tibi mentitus est, uenisse Æthiopem referenti D. Elsnero. Qui sane miratus fuit, ut nihil supra. Se enim hac de re, ne verbulum quidem mussitasse cum Judaeo illo, homine rudi et vix suarum rerum perito ajebat; Quid, quod de nulla re gravi uerba cum ipso facere potuisset, nedum de re tam alieana a captu ipsius sermones conferret. Sane nescio quid de illo nebulone suspicari debeam; nunc uereor, ne initio colloquendi facto, cuncta ex te resciverit, ueluti conscius. Quodammodo etiam facilitatem tuam miror, quod re nondum plene cognita uelut gratulabundus ad Dn. D. Elsnerum scripseris, antequam ex me certior fieres; Nonne tantam de amicitiâ mea fiduciam habere poteras, ut crederes, me rem inter nos tamdiu expectatam, tritam sermonibus, tritam litteris, cumprimis tecum communicaturum. Scilicet amicus noster Româ statim Erfurtum volaret, antequam sciremus ipsum Venetiis, in Germania, Augustae Vind. uel Norimb. appulisse. Scire uelim an mendax ille me quoque nominaverit, et unde me noverit. Sane B. Lutherus ait, suspectam nobis esse debere Judaei conversionem, cum saepius ob scelera inter suos, raro pietate fiat. Faxit tamen Deus, ut aliter apud hunc se res habeat. Interea tu vale, utere quiete, et me ama.
Dabam Erfurti. di⟨e⟩ 7 Martii Anno 1652.
Synopsis: In anticipation of Abba Gorgoryos, Ludolf is about to set off to meet him on his way. He complains bitterly of false rumours about the Ethiopian priest’s visit spread by an unnamed Jew (possibly a convert). What exactly these false rumours were, is not entirely clear – apart from falsely claiming that Abba Gorgoryos had already arrived – and how and why this unnamed Jew would be interested in this affair. Be that as it may, these false reports elicit an outburst of rage from Ludolf and anti-Jewish vitriol. Apart from dispelling them he rebukes Gerhard for apparently believing the Jew and reporting the false rumour to the Erfurt theologian and early supporter of both Ludolf and Gerhard’s Ethiopic studies, Bartholomäus Elsner. Despite the tone of this letter, Ludolf in his later Frankfurt years was in seemingly amicable contact with various Jewish informants.
1.6 Chart. A 142 fol. 170 (6 November 1652)
Clar.mo Ervd.moque Viro. D.no M.J.E. Gerhardo
H⟨istoriarum⟩ Prof. P. digniss.o amico suo
J. Ludolfus. S.P.D.
Si uales bene est, ego ualeo. Sic meritò nunc te alloquor amicorum optime, postquam intermisso aliquandiu litterarum commercio, primum ob negotia, mox ob iter, tantundem de meo cognoveris statu quantum ego de tuo. Sed dubium non est, longe rectius hilariusque te valuisse, quandoquidem celebritas feliciter sororis nuptiis, (super quibus et tibi et toti familiae tuae omnem prosperitatem apprecor), latis cogitationibus, non tantum prasentium, sed futurarum similium uoluptatum, animus uacavit; Ego interea inter syluas et saltus, inter aspros montes, inter torrentes et pluvias, imò nives et praesentis itineris, et reuersionis curâ aestuarem. Sed quantùm Deum precor ut laetas tibi cogitationes augere uelit; tantùm illi gratias ago quod me saluum et incolumem reduxerit. Quamvis non sciam, an diu quiete frui mihi liceat, fato quodam peregrinandi in alias atque alias subinde regiones aut urbes me trahente. Nam fere decretum est, comitia Ratisbonensia me ad tempus habitura. Quod Abyssinum nostrum attinet, ad fines Germaniae saluum pervenisse ipse uidi, ad mare quoque et portum; ex litteris ejus ipse intellexi; Faxit Deus, ut coetera quoque ex uoto fluant; Multam salutem et tibi et Dn.o Mag.o Bechmanno et Puflebo nunciari jussit. Vbi nunc sint, quidue agant scire aueo, et salutem quoque ex me addi uolo. An libros tuos omnes receperis quibus usi sumus, scire quoque uelim, pro mea parte gratias tibi ago maximas, si in similibus uel aliis usui tibi esse possim, est quod jubeas. Tandem rogo, ut scribere mihi uelis, an apud nos detur civis quidam nomine Dauid Pamberg, et quae ejus sit conditio. Quia etiam non dubito, saepius apud uos dari occasionem Pesenckam litteras mittendi, ideoque ausus sum additas hic litteras tibi commitere et rogare, ut per tuos eas curare, mihique ignoscere uelis. Vale cum tuis meque ama. Dabam VIII Id. Novemb.o A.S. MDCLII:
Synopsis: After several months as a guest of the Duke, Abba Gorgoryos has left Gotha and the Holy Roman Empire on his journey back to his native Ethiopia, which he had left as a young man. Ludolf, travelling as secretary of the Gotha ducal delegation to the Imperial Diet in Regensburg had escorted his Ethiopian friend on the German leg of his journey. Ludolf thanks Gerhard for the books he had lent him in preparation of this visit and conveys Abba Gorgoryos’ greetings – who had probably made Gerhard’s acquaintance in Gotha. He also congratulates Gerhard on his sister’s wedding. Abba Greogorius was later shipwrecked on this journey.
2 Letters by Johann Zechendorff (1580–1662)
Zechendorff, the long-serving headmaster of the Zwickau Latin school, was primarily interested in Arabic and above all in the Qurʾan – though he also wrote a Persian grammar, and as these letters reveal, was also interested in Turkish.8 Zechendorff and Gerhard corresponded from the 1640s to shortly before Zechendorff’s death in 1662. The letters published here shed light on Zechendorff’s Qurʾanic studies and his intensive study of Baydawi’s thirteenth-century Qurʾan commentary as well as other interests, including Avicenna and Zechendorff’s reaction to Christian Ravius’ Orthographia (1646).
2.1 Chart. A 138 fol. 208 (December 1646)
Salutem à Christo propitio-volente
decumanam!
In hunc sub dato diem literas meas jampridem scriptas, produxi mittundas, Clariss.e Praestantiss.e & Doctiss.e Dn. Gerharde! Amice, & Fautor honorande! in causa fuit non mittentis voluntas, aut facultas, aut negligentia: sed qvia praestolatus sum hunc ipsum vestratem tabellarium, qvi se adventurum citius, & superiori mense receperat; verùm in hunc usque mensem distulit. Non igitur accusandus Ego; sed excusandus apud T.m Praestan. qvod sim, mihi facilè persvasum habebo.
Commentarius qvidam in Alcoranum integrum, uti Ego possideo in Arabia scriptum nuperrimè ad manus meas venit, liber egregius, sed sine punctis vocalibus, et saepè Diacriticis. Illum interpretari ad verbum, ut Alcorano ipsi feci, si Doctorum & tua imprimis ope, & censura uti-frui liceret. Proxima occasione, si DEO ita visum fuerit, qvid speciminis ex illo mittam, ut T.a Praest. & alij docti judicium suum de mea interpretatione tali, si arriserit, interponant: & an liber dignus tali labore, & luce. Verum tabellarius festinat, sisto igitur hic calamum.
Valeat T.a Praest. & me suum censeat aeterno boni affectus nodo.
Synopsis: Zechendorff is considering translating a Muslim Qurʾan commentary in his possession. This is almost certainly Baydawi’s tafsir, which he used in his undated Suratae unius atque alterius textus – a bilingual edition of suras 101 and 103 accompanied by a commentary which relies heavily on Baydawi. Zechendorff mentions in passing his (unpublished) translation of the entire Qurʾan and offers to send Gerhard and other scholars excerpts from his forthcoming translation of the Muslim commentary. If he indeed carried out this translation I am unaware of any copy or contemporary mention of it.
2.2 Chart. A 138 fol. 211 (17 April 1647)
Salutem à Christo propitio-volente
decumana!
Nolui, Praestantiss.e Clariss.e & Literatiss.e Dn. Gerharde! Fautor, & Amice oculiss.e! intermittere, oblata occasione, scribendi officium: & Amor suadet, affectusque in T.m Praest. gratus, ut ineptas meas legi velim ab Eo, qvem ipsus videre non possum. Scio tales impedimento saepè esse; atqvi tamen nec in remora debui esse meo calamo: sed potiùs prono, promtoque. Uti ⟨e⟩n⟨im⟩ affectum debeo: sic & literas, etiam silenti. Nam obstringor magis ob in superioribus à Tua Praest. petitum, ut qvae exspectat, capiat. Quippe N.T. Æthiopicum ex Biblio-theca Clariss.i Gueinzi tramissum, qvem librum ipsi Dn. Possessori, postque eo per aliqvot septimanas meos oculos, & animum pavi, remisi, ut potiùs imposterum studijs T.ae Praest. inserviat, qvàm meis hîc. Qvi et⟨iam⟩ literariae rei illic magis proficuus esse potest. Nemini ⟨e⟩n⟨im⟩ hanc Lingvam hîc apud nos degustare lubido. Proxima occasione plura à me T.a Praest. capiat! jam brevior ob pu⟨bli⟩ca, qvib⟨us⟩ obstrictus, negotia cogor esse.
Synopsis: Zechendorff had borrowed an Ethiopic New Testament from the library of the Halle pedagogue Christian Gueintz (1592–1650). After “feasting his eyes and mind on it” for several weeks – possibly with the aid of Gerhard’s Ethiopic grammar – he has returned the book to Gueintz and hopes it will be of use to Gerhard in his future studies.
2.3 Chart. A 138 fol. 212 (July 1647)
Salutem à Christo propitio-volente
decumana!
Cuidam in me invisenti Amico, inter varios, uti amat dum cadebamus sermones, mentio facta Commentatoris mei in Alcoranum; eundem oculis usurpare tum exhibui. Ille a⟨utem⟩ ipse me monebat esse & aliam qvandam Suratam perbrevem, puta LXXXXVII. cujus versionem Latinam, ut & ipsam Arabicis Literis, Dominus Iohan. Fabricius Dantiscanus Fautor, & Amicus noster Rostochij edidit, juxta carmen Dissertation. Elherri & alia carmina. In illam qvid Commentator noster commentus sit, viderem. Ego arrepto calamo statim me ad illius versionem accinxi. Et qvia in uno, atque altero vocabulo Arabico reddendo subdubitabam, qvae rubrica notavi, nolui eam Suratam divulgare: qvum nec & typotheta, nec typi idonei mihi. Proinde qvia apud vos, Clariss.e Experientiss.e & Literatiss.e Dn. Gerharde, Fautor, & Amice praeclare! uti innotuit, Docti viri, qvi hujus Lingvae me peritiores; mihi gratum esset si me de illis rubrica notatis vocibus, alijsque erratis erudient, ut deinde confidentior opella illa mea, si cui bono, pergere possim. Illam a⟨utem⟩ à me sic descriptam capite integram cum versionibus mea & Dn. Fabricij, si hujus liber fortean non ad manum.
Si qvid praeterea novi, nostra studia qvod concernat, ut & responsum ad superiores à T.a Praest. avidè exspecto. Valeat
Synopsis: As Zechendorff was showing an unnamed visitor his copy of a Qurʾanic commentary (Baydawi) his guest drew his attention to the Arabic-Latin edition of sura 97 (al-Qadr) published by Johannes Fabricius Dantiscanus in his Specimen arabicum (1638). Comparing this to Baydawi’s tafsir Zechendorff has some reservations about Fabricius’ rendering and has attempted his own Latin version of the short sura, which he is sending Gerhard and other scholars for their judgment.9
2.4 Chart. A 138 fol. 213 (23 June 1647)
Salutem à Christo propitio-volente
decumana!
E literis Tae Praest. Clariss.e Excellentiss.e & Doctiss.e Dn. Gerharde! intellexi: tandem N.T. Æthiopicum accepisse à nostrorum studiorum Fautore eximio & Clariss.o Gweinzio de qvo libro itidem gratulor, Devs valetudinem largiatur cum otio, ut in bonum Rei-literatiae uti-frui feliciter possit! Quod a⟨utem⟩ qverulatur de Typothetarum mora, tardáque opera, & conatus suos protelante; est omnium talium id studium solùm, ut manus labori admoveant, qvi non studijs utilitatem atque bono publico afferat: sed suo lucello multum prosit. T.a Praest. jam nunc qvaedam Exemplaria capiat, ut videat juxta alios doctos, qvid Commentator qvidam in Alcoranum scripserit, atque annotârit. Est sanè labor arduus, proinde facilè veniam merebitur, sicubi errârim. Et modò hujus Lingvae peritiores candidè censuram, & judicia exponerent! Integrum librum ita in Latinum vertendo transcriberem, si DEVS vitam, & halcyonia concederet, haberemque unde viverem. Destituor ⟨e⟩n⟨im⟩ vitae medijs, & adminiculis, tum hîc
Si offeretur aliqva Conditiuncula / uti loqvimur vulgò / in Urbecula qvadam alibi locorum, eam ambirem, ut hinc ab ingratis exire detur. Me ⟨e⟩n⟨im⟩ ferè, & mea alia omnia, alijs inserviendo consumsi, ac perdidi. Verùm ubi sunt hodiè promotores? Nostrae Musae mulae, nostra fama, fames. Exulatum igitur ire cogor. Olearius ille magnus secum in Dania me vivere anhelat: at aeris inclementiam, & maris an ferrem? Sed satis qverularum. Nec curae, & penuria plura addere prae animi moerere patiuntur. T.a Praest. valeat & meliore sorte fruatur, exopto amicè! Méque favore ulterius amplectere! T.ae Praest.ae
Synopsis: Zechendorff seems to be sending Gerhard samples of his Baydawi translation, which have not survived. He also complains bitterly of conditions in Zwickau. Adam Olearius has suggested to him he should move to Denmark, yet, now in his late sixties and wary of the Nordic climate and an arduous journey, he has decided to remain in Zwickau.
2.5 Chart. A 138, fol. 217r–v (7 December 1647)10
Salutem à Christo propitio-volente
decumanam!
Gratiss.ae T.ae Praest.iae fuêre mihi literae, Clariss.e Literatiss.e Experientiss.e Dn. Gerharde! Fautor & Amice multis nominib⟨us⟩ honorande! Qvid ⟨e⟩n⟨im⟩ jucunditatis attulerint? Eidem T.ae Praest.ae & Claritati aestimandum relinqvo: ubi istius RAVII doctiss.i vidi Edita praeclara, visu jucundiss.a & utiliss.a / Utinam plura, & oculis, & mente, ac lingva usurpare darentur ejus Autoris, aliorumque. Sed vivimus in sterili hîc solo. / Unde indicina amicabilis T.ae Praest.ae me affulsit. Qvo a⟨utem⟩ gratitudinis
Summo a⟨utem⟩ hactenus, & mecum alij juxtim, desiderio Enchiridion Lexici Harmonici T.ae Praest.ae exspectavimus: spes defalcata verò nobis maximo dolori: imò & studijs remorae non exiguae. Uti & ipsemet deploro jacturam ejuscemodi, in Lexici Turcici defectu, ab Andrea de Ryer, & alijs jampridem promisi. Sed tandem aliqvando exorientur aliqvi nostris ex ossibus, ut poëta verbis utar,11 qvi, si non penes nos, nec nobis licet, studia isthaec clariora, & dilucidiora reddent. Qvos inter tamen tamen neminem potiorem T.a Praest.a & Claritate optaremus. Verùm haec –
[fol. 217v] […]13
Synopsis: Zechendorff has read Ravius’ work – probably Orthographia (1646) – with admiration. He bemoans Gerhard’s decision to abandon his plan for a harmonic lexicon and the absence of a Turkish dictionary promised by André Du Ryer and others.
Gehrt, Daniel (assisted by Hendrikje Carius), Katalog der Handschriften aus den Nachlässen der Theologen Johann Gerhard (1582–1637) und Johann Ernst Gerhard (1621–1668) aus den Sammlungen der Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha’schen Stiftung für Kunst und Wissenschaft (Wiesbaden, 2016).
Sc. Stilus Novus. Ludolf, unlike Gerhard and most of his Lutheran correspondents, either cites dates according to the Gregorian calendar, or uses both Old and New Style dates.
Le Havre.
Sc. Sudermannia (Södermanland).
Illegible word, possibly crossed out.
Added note at bottom of fol. 150v.
This journey to Rome never took place.
On Zechendorff see my ‘Johann Zechendorff (1580–1662) and the Study of Arabic in Zwickau’s Latin School’, in The Teaching and Learning of Arabic in Early Modern Europe, ed. J. Loop, A. Hamilton, and C. Burnett (Leiden, 2017), pp. 57–92. Recently a manuscript of Zechendorff’s unpublished Latin translation of the entire Qurʾan has been discovered, on which see Roberto Tottoli, ‘The Latin Translation of the Qurʾān by Johann Zechendorff (1580–1662) Discovered in Cairo Dār al-Kutub. A Preliminary Description’, Oriente Moderno 95 (2015), pp. 5–31 and Reinhold Glei, “A presumed lost Latin translation of the Qur’ān (Johann Zechendorff, 1632)”, Neulateinisches Jahrbuch. Journal of Neo-Latin Language and Literature 18 (2016), pp. 361–72.
This separate Latin translation of sura 97 has not, to the best of my knowledge, survived, nor am I aware of reactions to it by Gerhard or other contemporaries.
The Arabic here and elsewhere is a transcript of Zechendorff’s Arabic as it stands in his letters.
Zechendorff is playfully paraphrasing Dido’s final words in Virgil’s Aeneid 4:625 ‘Exoriare aliquis nostris ex ossibus ultor’.
It lies in God’s lap.
Due to the binding, the final word of each line in fol. 217v is illegible. It is taken up mostly by Zechendorff well wishes.