, professor of the Greek and eastern languages, and of divinity, in the
, professor of the Greek
and eastern languages, and of divinity, in the university
of Giessen, was born Dec. 26, 1581, at Sprendlingen, a
little town near Francfort, where his father was minister.
He went throb gh his studies in Marpurg, where he took
his degree of M. A. in 1599, having taken his bachelor’s
in 1595. He was an early genius composed a prodigiousnumber of Greek verses at fifteen years old and was capable of teaching Greek, Hebrew, and even philosophy,
before he was twenty. The Hebrew he spoke as fluently
as if it had been his native language. He thoroughly read
the Greek authors; and even studied physic for some time,
though he had devoted himself to the ministry. In 1605,
he was chosen to teach Greek and Hebrew, in the college
which the landgrave had recently established at Giessen;,
and which the year after was converted into an university
by the emperor, who endowed it with privileges. Having
discharged for five years the several duties of his employment with great reputation, he was appointed divinity professor in 1610. In 1611, a church was offered him in
Moravia, and a professorship at Hamburgh with a considerable stipend: but he refused both. In 1613, he took the
degree of D. D. at the command of the landgrave; who
sent him to Francfort, that he might view the library of the
Jews, who had been lately driven away by popular tumults.
Helvicus, fond of reading the rabbins, bought several of
their books on that occasion. He died in the flower of
his age, Sept. 10, 1616; and his loss was bewailed by the
German poets of the Augsburg confession. A collection
was made of his poems, which were printed with his funeral sermon and some other pieces, under the title of
“Cippus Memorialis,
” by the care of Winckleman, who
had been his colleague.