Alexander Helladius
Encyclopedia
Alexander Helladius was an 18th century Greek
scholar and humanist from Larissa
in Greece, who studied at the Greek College of Oxford University and published several works on the Greek language and tradition.
Frangiskos Prosalentis. He arrived in England in 1703 as the escort of Lord William Paget
, ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
. He saw himself as a genuine heir of an unbroken classical tradition and tried to combat Western misconceptions of Hellenism, while his excellent knowledge of the Greek language secured him valuable contacts, especially at the University of Altdorf
. In 1712 he published in Nuremberg
an older Greek grammar by Bessarion Makris
to which he appended a fictitious dialogue countering the arguments in favour of the Erasmian pronunciation
of ancient Greek
. Later, in Status Praesens, he counters the arguments of some Western scholars that the contemporary Greeks spoke a barbarian language (barbarograeca) and could not understand ancient Greek. Helladius sought to show the unbroken continuity of the culture of the Greek people and was adamant in his opposition to the translation of the New Testament
into the vernacular.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
scholar and humanist from Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
in Greece, who studied at the Greek College of Oxford University and published several works on the Greek language and tradition.
Life and work
He was a student of the Corfiote hierodeaconHierodeacon
A Hierodeacon , sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon...
Frangiskos Prosalentis. He arrived in England in 1703 as the escort of Lord William Paget
William Paget, 6th Baron Paget
William Paget, 6th Baron Paget was an English peer and Ambassador.Paget was English ambassador to Vienna between 1689 and 1692 and Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople between 1692 and 1702, during which time he was central to the negotiation of the Treaty of Carlowitz between the...
, ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. He saw himself as a genuine heir of an unbroken classical tradition and tried to combat Western misconceptions of Hellenism, while his excellent knowledge of the Greek language secured him valuable contacts, especially at the University of Altdorf
University of Altdorf
The University of Altdorf was a university in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, a small town outside Nuremberg. It was founded in the late 16th century, received university privileges in 1622 and was closed in 1809 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria....
. In 1712 he published in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
an older Greek grammar by Bessarion Makris
Bessarion Makris
Bessarion Makris was a Greek scholar and theologian.He was born in Ioannina, northwestern Greece, center of the 17th-18th century Modern Greek Enlightenment. At 1672 Makris became the head of the Goumas School. He composed a manual named Σταχυολογία , printed in 1686 in Venice...
to which he appended a fictitious dialogue countering the arguments in favour of the Erasmian pronunciation
Ancient Greek phonology
Ancient Greek phonology is the study of the phonology, or pronunciation, of Ancient Greek. Because of the passage of time, the original pronunciation of Ancient Greek, like that of all ancient languages, can never be known with absolute certainty...
of ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
. Later, in Status Praesens, he counters the arguments of some Western scholars that the contemporary Greeks spoke a barbarian language (barbarograeca) and could not understand ancient Greek. Helladius sought to show the unbroken continuity of the culture of the Greek people and was adamant in his opposition to the translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into the vernacular.
Known works
- Status Praesens Ecclesiae Graecae: In Quo Etiam Causae Exponuntur Cur Graeci Moderni Novi Testamenti (1714)
See also
- Greek scholars in the RenaissanceGreek scholars in the RenaissanceThe migration of Byzantine scholars and other émigrés from southern Italy and Byzantium during the decline of the Byzantine Empire and mainly after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the 16th century, is considered by some scholars as key to the revival of Greek and Roman studies and...