Josef Horovitz
Josef Horovitz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 July 1874 |
| Died | 5 February 1931(aged 56) |
| Nationality | German |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Oriental studies |
| Institutions | University of Frankfurt |
| Academic advisors | Eduard Sachau |
| Doctoral students | Ilse Lichtenstädter |
| Other notable students | Shelomo Dov Goitein |
Josef Horovitz(26 July 1874 – 5 February 1931) was aJewishGermanorientalist.A son ofMarkus Horovitz(1844–1910), anOrthodoxrabbi,Josef Horovitz studied withEduard Sachauat theUniversity of Berlinand was there since 1902 as adocent.From 1907 to 1915, he worked inIndia,at theMuhammadan Anglo-Oriental CollegeatAligarh(later Aligarh Muslim University) and taughtArabicat the request of the Indian governmentcuratorfor Islamicinscriptions.In this role, he prepared the collectionEpigraphia Indo-Moslemica(1909–1912). After his return toGermanyhe was from 1914 until his deathprofessorofSemitic languagesat the Oriental Seminar of theUniversity of Frankfurt.
In 1926,Hebrew UniversityadministratorJudah L. Magnesappointed Horovitz as the inaugural Visiting Director of the university's School of Oriental Studies, with Anglo scholarLevi Billigappointed the first lecturer in Arabic Language.[1]
He focused his studies initially on Arabic historical literature. Then he published aconcordanceof earlier Arabic poetry. The concordance consists of hundreds of thousands of cards each containing an Arabic word, its root, and its usages in different textual contexts in pre- and early Islamic Arabic poetry. In this manner, Horovitz aimed to reach a true understanding of a words meanings. In addition to the scientific significance of the concordance, Horovitz also hoped it would foster dialogue and understanding between intellectuals of Jewish and Muslim origin in Palestine.[2]
Main work
[edit]
His main work was acommentaryon theQur'an,which remained unfinished. In hisQur'anic Studies(1926), he used his method of detailed analysis of the language ofMuhammadand his followers, and historical insights from his own study of early texts (Hebrew Union College Annual2, Cincinnati 1925), and in theQur'anic paradise(Jerusalem 1923) he examined the relationship between Islam and Judaism. His work on India under British rule appeared in 1928 (Leipzig: BG Teubner) and extends from the first dynasty ofDelhiMuslims until the emergence ofGandhi.
In response toIgnác Goldziher's theory thatHadithtraditions were recorded late in the 2nd and 3rdHijricenturies, Horovitz showed that the collection and writing of Hadiths started in the first quarter of the 2nd century.[3]
Bibliography
[edit]- J. Horovitz: “The Earliest Biographies of the Prophet and Their Authors", translated from the German byMarmaduke Pickthall,Islamic Culture, vol 1: 1927, vol 2: 1925
Notes
[edit]- ^Milson, Menahem (1996-03-22)."The beginnings of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought.45(2).
- ^"German Heritage in Word Cards | Mimeo".26 April 2022.
- ^J. Horovitz: “The Earliest Biographies of the Prophet and Their Authors", translated from the German by Marmaduke Pickthall, Islamic Culture, vol 1, 1927, pp.535-559; vol 2, 1925, pp.22-50, 164-182 and 495-523
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- German orientalists
- Jewish orientalists
- 19th-century German Jews
- People from Lębork
- People from the Province of Pomerania
- Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt
- Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Historians of India
- German Arabists
- History of Quran scholars
- German male non-fiction writers
- 1874 births
- 1931 deaths
- Jewish scholars of Islam