ISBN: 978-2-87457-124-4 | EAN: 9782874571244
14,50 €
REF. HIST12_103KEN

Le renouveau de l'orientalisme à l'Université catholique de Louvain. La réintroduction des études orientalistes à la Faculté de théologie par Jean-Théodore Beelen et ses successeurs


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by Leo KENIS, in Luc COURTOIS (ed.), Les études orientales à l’Université de Louvain depuis 1834 (Histoire, 12), Brussels, 2021.



The Catholic University of Louvain, restored in 1834, provided for a limited number of courses in oriental languages at the Faculty of Theology. From 1836 to 1875, these courses were given by the Dutch theologian Jan-Theodoor Beelen (1807-1884), professor of Sacred Scripture. In his orientalist publications, Beelen concentrated on Hebrew and Aramean philology and on the edition of Syriac early Christian documents. Beelen formed a select group of researchers in Semitic languages, among whom two continued his work: Thomas-Joseph Lamy (1827-1907), his successor on the chair of Sacred Scripture and of Semitic languages, and Jean-Baptiste Abbeloos (1837-1906), who, named rector of the University in 1887, became a promoter of orientalist research at the University of Louvain. While considering orientalist studies primarily an auxiliary science of theology, these theological scholars, succeeded, with their colleagues from the Faculty of Arts, to establish the basis for the renewal of oriental studies at the University of Louvain.


Keywords: University of Louvain ; Faculty of Theology – Orientalist studies ; 19th century - Beelen, J. Th. (1807-1884)

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