Changing his name from Paul Bötticher to Paul de Lagarde in 1854, the German scholar sought to distance himself from a traumatic upbringing in Berlin. As an orientalist and theologian, he produced a massive body of philological work while developing political theories that shifted from initial German nationalism to increasingly radical and conspiratorial ideologies during the nineteenth century.
Academic Foundation and Early Research
Born in 1827, Paul de Lagarde attended Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin between 1844 and 1846, where he studied under Friedrich Rückert. He later moved to the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. Supported by a 1,000 thaler grant from King Frederick William IV in 1852, he conducted research at the British Museum in London and the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris. This period solidified his expertise in Syriac, Coptic, and Arabic, leading to his 1854 publication, Didascalia apostolorum syriace.
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After years of teaching at gymnasiums in Berlin, including the Köllnisches Gymnasium and the Friedrichswerdersches Gymnasium, Lagarde assumed the professorship of oriental languages at the University of Göttingen in 1869. He remained there until his death. Despite his scholarly productivity, he maintained a self-imposed isolation, describing himself as an anchorite. His life concluded on 22 December 1891, following an unsuccessful surgery for colon cancer.
Philological Contributions
Lagarde published extensively on biblical and oriental studies, producing works such as Libri V. T. Apocryphi Syriace, the Pentateuch in Coptic, and Prophetae chaldaice. He dedicated decades to a critical edition of the Septuagint, a project he entrusted to his student Alfred Rahlfs shortly before he died. His scholarly output included diverse volumes of miscellany, including Symmicta, Semitica, and Orientalia, reflecting his command of Ancient Greek, Latin, and Persian.
Political Ideology
In 1874, Lagarde published Politische Aufsätze, which advocated for a German colonization of Europe to establish a Mitteleuropa. His political writings frequently attacked traditional Christianity and Protestantism, which he viewed as fantasies. By the 1880s, his rhetoric moved toward virulent antisemitism, characterized by conspiratorial views. He engaged with the Völkisch movement and maintained correspondence with figures like Adolf Stoecker, attempting to define German national identity through a radical and exclusionary lens.
Fast facts
- Born: 1827, Berlin
- Died: 1891, Göttingen
- Citizenship: Kingdom of Prussia
- Languages: German, Latin, Ancient Greek, Coptic
- Major Project: Critical edition of the Septuagint
- Burial site: Göttingen City Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Paul de Lagarde study at university?
He studied Oriental languages, theology, and philosophy.
Which academic institutions employed him?
He was employed by the University of Göttingen and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Göttingen and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Fields: oriental studies and history
