Quotes:Munk, Salomon

Zirkoff, Boris

Munk, Salomon (1803-1867). German-Jewish Orientalist, b. at Glogau, Germany, 1803; d. at Paris, 1867. Studied Bible and Talmud under Rabbi Jacob Joseph Ottinger at Glogau, and received secular educ. at gymnasium in Berlin, and the universities of Berlin and Bonn. Studied classical philology, specializing in Oriental subjects under Freytag, Lassen and Schlegel. Left for Paris, 1828, without taking degree. Called on Goethe at Weimar. In Paris, was tutor to Alphonse and Gustave de Rothschild, while studying Arabic, Sanskrit, Persian. In 1840, made custodian of Oriental MSS. at National Library, Paris. Discovered among Arabic MSS. valuable sources for history of Jews in Moorish Spain. Made trip to Egypt and brought back Arabian MSS. from older liter. of the Karaites. Lost eyesight as the result of work. Thus handicapped, 470 he published his main work, Guide des Égarés—first printed ed. of the original Arabian text of Maimonides' Guide to the Perplexed (Moreh Nebuchim), with transl. and comment. in French (1856, 1861, 1866). Upon publ. of Part I, was elected to the Académie des Inscriptions, and in 1865, was named Prof. of Hebrew and Syrian liter., as successor to E. Renan, at Collège de France, Paris. Was also secretary of the Consistoire Central des Israélites de France. Other works: Comm. de R. Tan'houm de Jérusalem sur le livre de Habakkouk, 1843.—Palestine. 2nd ed., 1856.—*Mélanges de philosophie juive et arabe. Paris: A. Franck, 1857–59, 2 vols.; new ed., Paris, 1927.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 8, pp. 469-470

Munk, Salomon. For biogr. data see Vol. VIII, pp. 469-70.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 9, p. 445