COTELIER, JEAN-BAPTISTE. - Philologist, born at Nîmes in 1627, died in Paris on 12 Aug. 1686. From childhood he displayed singular aptitude for study and poetry and was often chosen to compose panegyrics for eminent personalities.
At the age of 13 he could expound at sight the Hebrew text of the Bible and the Greek text of the New Testament. In 1659 he began scholarly work and in 1661 published: *Homiliae IV in Psalmos et interpretatio Danielis graece et latine* of St. John Chrysostom. He compiled, together with Du Cange, the catalogue of Greek manuscripts in the Royal Library of Paris. In 1672 he published: *Sanctorum Patrum qui temporibus apostolicis floruerunt, Barnabae, Hermae, Clementis, Ignatii, Polycarpi opera, cum Clementis, Ignatii, Polycarpi actis atque martyris*. In 1676 he was appointed professor of Greek at the Royal College. His principal work is: *Ecclesiae graecae monumenta* (3 vols., Paris 1677-78), a collection of ecclesiastical Greek authors with Latin translation, including unpublished writings drawn from manuscripts in the Royal Library. All texts are accompanied by critical notes and learned commentary of value. Many of Cotelier’s manuscripts on Christian antiquity are preserved in the National Library of Paris.