Thomas van Erpe (Erpenius)
Biografie1584 - 1624
Over de kunstenaar
Thomas van Erpe/Thomas Erpenius (1584, Gorinchem – 1624, Leiden), also known as Thomas van den Erpe, was a famous Dutch orientalist. After studying oriental languages - Scaliger advised him to do so – and theology at Leiden, he travelled in Europe. Staying in Paris he made friends with Casaubon, a celebrated classical scholar and philologist. In Paris he also took lessons in Arabic and in Venice he studied Turkish, Persic and Ethiopian languages.
Erpenius was appointed professor of Arabic and other oriental languages at the Leiden University in 1613. He set up a printing office there for Arabic and other oriental languages. He printed his first edition of Luqman’s fables as his first trial publication (without vowel points for Arabic types). The annotations he made for his own copy were incorporated in the second edition ( with vowel points) of 1636. Lukman’s animal fables were an important part of pre-Islamic Arabic culture and are still popular today. Erpenius’ library was transferred to Cambridge University Library in 1632. He produced many works, among others grammars of several oriental languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Chaldean, Syrian.
Erpenius was appointed professor of Arabic and other oriental languages at the Leiden University in 1613. He set up a printing office there for Arabic and other oriental languages. He printed his first edition of Luqman’s fables as his first trial publication (without vowel points for Arabic types). The annotations he made for his own copy were incorporated in the second edition ( with vowel points) of 1636. Lukman’s animal fables were an important part of pre-Islamic Arabic culture and are still popular today. Erpenius’ library was transferred to Cambridge University Library in 1632. He produced many works, among others grammars of several oriental languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Chaldean, Syrian.
