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Grabe, Johann Ernst

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a Protestant theologian, was born at Konigsberg, Prussia, July 10, 1666. He studied theology in order to enter the ministry in the Lutheran Church, but, having imbibed the High-church theory of apostolical successions, he thought of joining the Roman Catholic Church, but, by the advice of Spenem, he went in 1697 to England, where he was well received by William III, who settled upon him a pension of £100 a year. In 1700 he was ordained a deacon, and was presented to a chaplaincy of Christ Church, Oxford, which was the aonly ecclesiastical appointment he ever held. Upon the accession of Queen Anne his pension was continued, and in 1706 the University of Oxford conferred upon him the degree of D.D. He now devoted himself to literary labors, in which he was industriously occupied until his death, November 14, 1711.

Of his numerous works the most celebrated is his edition of the Septuagint, the text of which is founded upon the Alexandrian MS. then in St. James's Library, but now in the British Museum. Volume 1 (Oxford, 1707) contains the Pentateuch and the three following books. Volume 2 was to contain all the historical books of the Old Testament; volume 3 all the prophetical books; and volume 4 the Psalms, the books of Solomon, etc. But after Grabe had begun to print the second volume, he was induced to postpone the appearance of that, and also, of the third volume, by the expectation of being furnished with important MSS. and other materials, wiich would enable him to render them more complete. That no time might be lost, however, in expediting the whole work, he published in 1709 volume 4, Continens Psalmorum, Jobi, ac tres Salamonis Libros, cum Apocrypha ejusdem, necnon Siracidae Sapientia (fol. and 8vo). In the following year he published a Latin dissertation, giving a particular account of the reasons why he had departed from his original order of publication, and of the materials which he expected to receive his order to perfect his plan. These were, a Syriac MS, of the original books of the Old Testament, with Origen's remarks upon them; and two MSS., one belonging to, Cardinal Chigi, and the other to the college of Louis XIV. Afterwards he received these MSS., ands made collations from them; in the 'mean while he had prepared a volume of annotations upon the whole work,. and also collected the materials for the Prolegoemena. It required, however, so much time to digest the wholeinto proper method, that the second and third volumes were not published until after his death, the former in 1719 and the latter in 1720. He also published Spicilegum SS. Patrum et haereticorum saec. 1, 2 (Oxon. 1714, 2 volumes, 8vo); Justini Apologia Prima; Irenaei adversus Hareses Libri V; Epistola ad Millim (to show that the Alexandrian MS. of the Septuagint contains the best version of the Book of Judges, and that the version of the Vatican MS. is almost a new one, made in the third century); An Essay upon two Arabic MSS. of the Bodleian Library; De Formae Consecrationis Eucharistic hoc est, Defensio Ecclesia Grac contra Romanam. He had also published in 1705 a beautiful edition of Bishop Bull's works (fol.), with notes, for which he received the author's thanks. — Hook, Eccl. Biog. 5:347; Herzog, Real- Encyklop. 5:310.