1. Martin Ludwig Jedemin Rhesa was a Lutheran pastor and a professor at the University of Konigsberg in East Prussia.
71 Facts About Ludwig Rhesa
1. 2.
Ludwig Rhesa is best remembered as publisher of Lithuanian texts.
3.
Ludwig Rhesa was the last prominent advocate of the Lithuanian language in Lithuania Minor.
4.
Orphaned at an early age, Rhesa was taken in by his distant relatives.
5.
Ludwig Rhesa became a military chaplain of the Konigsberg garrison and participated in the Napoleonic Wars, including the French invasion of Russia and the Battle of Leipzig.
6.
Ludwig Rhesa received doctorates in philosophy and theology.
7.
Ludwig Rhesa revived the seminar and led it until his death, becoming an authority on the Lithuanian language.
8.
Ludwig Rhesa initiated a new revision to the 1755 Bible translation into Lithuanian which was published in 1816 and 1824.
9.
Ludwig Rhesa worked diligently to correct translation errors and to improve the purity of the Lithuanian language.
10.
Ludwig Rhesa was the first to publish secular Lithuanian texts in Lithuania Minor, most important of which were the Lithuanian epic poem The Seasons by Kristijonas Donelaitis and a collection of 85 Lithuanian folk songs and their translations to German.
11.
Ludwig Rhesa published texts in German, including two poetry collections and impressions from his travels during the Napoleonic Wars.
12.
Ludwig Rhesa's family lived in Lithuania Minor since at least the 16th century and included teachers and publishers.
13.
The family is likely of Curonian origin, but Ludwig Rhesa considered himself to be a Lithuanian.
14.
Ludwig Rhesa's father owned an inn in Karvaiciai and guarded the coast.
15.
In 1785, Ludwig Rhesa moved to live with his cousin-in-law Christian David Wittich who at the time was priest in Kaukehmen.
16.
Ludwig Rhesa completed his education in three years.
17.
Ludwig Rhesa attended lectures by Immanuel Kant, Christian Jakob Kraus, and was particularly close with professor Johann Gottfried Hasse.
18.
Ludwig Rhesa was interested in linguistics and attended lectures on the Lithuanian language, but theology was more practical as it provided more secure employment after graduation.
19.
Ludwig Rhesa graduated in 1799 and worked as a tutor for a few months.
20.
In 1807, Ludwig Rhesa completed his dissertation on the moral explanation of the holy texts based on teachings of Immanuel Kant, received doctorate in philosophy, and was invited to teach at the university as a privatdozent.
21.
Ludwig Rhesa continued to work as a military chaplain and in 1811 was promoted to chaplain of a brigade.
22.
Ludwig Rhesa became acquainted with Karl von Lieven who later unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Rhesa to teach at the University of Dorpat.
23.
Ludwig Rhesa was able to visit London and obtain 200 pounds sterling from the British and Foreign Bible Society for the Bible translation into Lithuanian.
24.
Ludwig Rhesa returned to Konigsberg in 1816 and resigned from the chaplaincy devoting the rest of his life to academics.
25.
In 1810, after publishing a treatise on the Christianization of Lithuania, Ludwig Rhesa became an extraordinary professor and director of the Lithuanian language seminar at the university.
26.
On several occasions, Ludwig Rhesa defended the Lithuanian language against Germanization arguing that language is the greatest treasure bestowed by God upon a nation and the it expresses nation's spirit and character.
27.
Ludwig Rhesa even suggested introducing Lithuanian language classes in gymnasiums in Tilsit, Gumbinnen, Insterburg.
28.
Ludwig Rhesa separated students into two groups, one for beginners and another for more advanced students.
29.
Ludwig Rhesa later added the third group for advanced students which he taught without receiving compensation from the university.
30.
Ludwig Rhesa long sought to hire a permanent lecturer for the seminar and to introduce Lithuanian language lessons at the Tilsit Gymnasium so that the university would not have teach the basics.
31.
In 1837, Ludwig Rhesa employed Friedrich Kurschat, another Prussian Lithuanian, as his assistant.
32.
Intermittently, Ludwig Rhesa served as dean of the theology faculty and as prorector of the university.
33.
Ludwig Rhesa died on 30 September 1840 and was buried near the Brandenburg Gate in Kneiphof.
34.
Ludwig Rhesa's tombstone depicted an open Bible with a Lithuanian inscription Tai esti visas Sventas Rastas.
35.
Ludwig Rhesa left personal library of about 3,000 books.
36.
Ludwig Rhesa's manuscripts ended up at the Prussian State Archive Konigsberg.
37.
In 2007, a culture center named after Ludwig Rhesa was opened in Juodkrante.
38.
In 1809, Ludwig Rhesa established contacts with Wilhelm von Humboldt, Prussian Minister of Education, who promised to support a new revision to the 1755 Bible translation into Lithuanian.
39.
Ludwig Rhesa was the only university professor fluent in Lithuanian, thus most of the work was done by him.
40.
In connection with this work, Ludwig Rhesa published two philological studies in German: about the history of Bible translations into Lithuanian and with critical remarks on the translations.
41.
Ludwig Rhesa had various books on Biblical criticism by more than 150 authors.
42.
Ludwig Rhesa was less successful in identifying and removing Slavic loanwords.
43.
Ludwig Rhesa's publication was more aimed at the educated German-speaking public than at academic study.
44.
Ludwig Rhesa added or modified words to strengthen the dactylic hexameter.
45.
The publication started with a dedication to Wilhelm von Humboldt who had encouraged Ludwig Rhesa to publish The Seasons.
46.
Ludwig Rhesa emphasized poem's originality and argued that it was not inspired by other German or classical works.
47.
Ludwig Rhesa praised poem's linguistic richness, its strong Lithuanian character, and focus on the life and culture of Lithuanian serfs.
48.
In 1825, Ludwig Rhesa published a collection of 85 Lithuanian folk songs and their translations to German titled Dainos oder Litthauische Volkslieder.
49.
Ludwig Rhesa then described the common metre, melody, and rhythm.
50.
Ludwig Rhesa claimed that he worked on this publication for 15 years.
51.
Ludwig Rhesa wanted to visit Lithuania proper to collect songs there, but was unable.
52.
Ludwig Rhesa had more helpers and collected more songs than what was published.
53.
In 1820, Ludwig Rhesa sent a manuscript with 89 songs to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe hoping to get his critique, support, or recommendation, but Goethe never replied.
54.
Ludwig Rhesa did publish a favorable review of Dainos in Uber Kunst und Altertum.
55.
Ludwig Rhesa's review became instrumental in popularizing Lithuanian songs in western Europe.
56.
The songs from Ludwig Rhesa's collection inspired several artists to create Lithuanian-themed works, including poet Julius Zeyer, composer Antonin Dvorak, writer Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Jordan, poet Adelbert von Chamisso, author Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski.
57.
In 1824, Ludwig Rhesa published a 70-page collection of 96 fables by Aesop and Christian Furchtegott Gellert translated into Lithuanian and six Lithuanian fables by Kristijonas Donelaitis.
58.
Ludwig Rhesa added a Lithuanian introduction which is one of a few original Lithuanian texts authored by him.
59.
Ludwig Rhesa's poem praising King Frederick William III of Prussia, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, Emperor Francis I of Austria for their victory over Napoleon was included in an ornate publication with poems in 43 languages celebrating the victory.
60.
Ludwig Rhesa had more Lithuanian texts which remained unpublished, including numerous Lithuanian folk songs and proverbs.
61.
Ludwig Rhesa attempted to recruit Endrikis Budrius to write a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian.
62.
Ludwig Rhesa published two volumes of Prutena, oder preussische Volkslieder, a collection of 61 Germans poems in 1809 and 41 poems in 1825.
63.
Ludwig Rhesa did not distinguish Prussian Lithuanians from Lithuanians and thus wrote about all Lithuanians.
64.
Ludwig Rhesa lovingly described everyday village people and serene scenes of nature.
65.
Ludwig Rhesa's poetry reflected classicism and many of his poems are idylls.
66.
Ludwig Rhesa's poetry lacks imagination, depth of feeling, originality both in depiction and in expression.
67.
Ludwig Rhesa focused not on military movements, but on different cultures, national identities, art.
68.
Ludwig Rhesa searched for people's soul as described by Johann Gottfried Herder.
69.
Ludwig Rhesa was tasked with continuing a biographical dictionary, first published by Daniel Heinrich Arnoldt in 1777, of all priests in western Prussia.
70.
Ludwig Rhesa wrote a 1,074-page manuscript on the history of the Catholic Church.
71.
Ludwig Rhesa left a 672-page manuscript on the Gospels of Matthew and John.