OLSHAUSEN, JUSTUS. - Renowned Orientalist, brother of Hermann, b. at Hohenfelde (Holstein) on 9 May 1800, d. at Berlin on 28 Dec. 1882.
In 1814 he began the study of Hebrew under the direction of his father, then first pastor at Glückstadt. At Kiel (1816-19) J. F. Kleuker taught him Arabic and Syriac. J. L. Ideler in Berlin (Feb. 1820) initiated him into Persian. In Oct. 1820 he went to Paris to S. de Sacy, the most celebrated Arabist of the time; he remained there until 1823, studied Turkish, and made contact with A. von Humboldt. In 1823 he was extraordinary professor, in 1830 ordinary professor of Oriental languages at Kiel; four times rector of the University, in 1852 he resigned because of political events, but on the advice of A. von Humboldt he was called to Königsberg as professor and first librarian. From 1858 to 1874 he was rapporteur and counsellor in the Ministry for Worship in Berlin. With his publications he sought to promote the textual criticism of the Old Testament and knowledge of Hebrew grammar; he made use of Akkadian texts and of Arabic, which, exaggerating, he believed to be very close to primitive Semitic.
Works of major importance: Emendationen zum Alt. Test. (1826); Zur Topogr. des alt. Jerusalem (1833); Observationen criticae ad Vetus Test. (1836); Hiobkommentar (1852) and Psalmenkommentar (1853), both belonging to the Kurzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch of Leipzig (O. places the majority of the Psalms in Maccabean times); Ueber das Vokalsystem der hebr. Sprache nach der sogen. assyr. Punktation (1865); Beiträge zur Kritik des überlieferten Textes im Buche Genesis (1870). His principal work is the Lehrbuch der hebr. Sprache (1861: I. Lautund Schriftlehre; II. Formenlehre; vol. III. Syntax never appeared).
Bibliography2 works
Raimondo Köbert
OLSTENIO, LUCA: HOSTE, LUKAS.