COLINET, Philémon. Alost (Aalst) 2.3.1853 — Sleydingen 3.12.1917. Belgian Indologist, Linguist and Scholar of Religion. Professor in Louvain (Leuven). Son of Felix Joannes C., a smith, and Maria Theresia Jolie. In 1877-82 student at Seminary of Ghent, in 1882 ordained as priest. In 1881-84 studied Oriental languages at Louvain under de Harlez, 1884 Ph.D. there. Further studies of IE linguistics at Berlin (J. Schmidt) and Paris (Bréal & Bergaigne). From 1887 eo. Professor at Louvain, 1889 ordinary, 1892 with chair. Taught Sanskrit and Gothic, occasionally Pāli, Greek, Old High German, Old Dutch, Old Church Slavonic, comparative IE, Flemish dialectology, and general phonetics.
The chief achievement of Colinet was his extensive study on the Rigveda. According to Carnoy “he criticized both romanticing (Grassmann, Ludwig) and over-ritualistic (Pischel, Geldner) interpretation, rejected arbitrary translation based on a ‘central idea’ of each hymn (Roth), and attempted himself to define the meanings of words from the clear passages and then apply them to the difficult. Further he rejected etymological interpretations and mythological fantasy.” He further characterized him as “independent and original spirit, temperamental, combative and passionated, nick-named ‘le membre opposant’.”
Publications: Diss. Les doctrines philosophiques et religieuses de la Bhagavadgita. 77 p. P. 1884.
– La Théodicée de la Bhagavadgitâ, étudiée en elle-même et dans ses origines. 115 p. Louvain & P. 1885.
– “La divinité personnelle dans l’Inde ancienne”, Le Muséon 3, 1884, 126-143, 294-319 & 5, 1886, 212-232; “Les principes de l’exegèse vedique d’après MM. Pischel et K. Geldner”, Le Muséon 9, 1890, 250-267 & 372-388.
– “Puramdhi, the Goddess of abundance in the Rig-Veda”, The Babylonian and Oriental Record 2, 1887-88, 245-254; “La nature du monde supérieur dans le Rig-Veda”, Le Muséon 8, 1889, 578-595 & 9, 1890, 71-86; “Étude sur le mot Aditi”, Le Muséon 12, 1893, 81-90; “La nature primitive d’Aditi”, Transactions of the 9th OC, London 1892, 1, 1893, 396-410; “La symbolisme solaire dans le Rig-veda”, Mélanges Ch. de Harlez. Leiden 1896, 86-93.
– Together with La Vallée Poussin editor of Le Muséon 1901-16.
– “À propos des voyelles finales à quantité variable dans le Rig-Veda”, JA 10:14, 1909, 395-399; “Étude sur le sens du mot Svadhā dans le Rig-Veda”, Mélanges d’indianisme Sylvain Lévi. Paris 1911, 159-172; some further articles.
– “Essai sur la formation de quelques groupes de racines indoeuropéennes”, Le Muséon 11, 1892, 151-190; Het dialect van Aalst. 308 p. Antwerpen 1896; Qu’est-ce que l’histoire des religions? 100 p. Rome & Louvain 1913.
Sources: *A. Carnoy, Ann. de l’Univ. cath. de Louvain 1915-19, 453-483; J.L. Pauwels, Nat. Biogr. Woordenboek 2, 1966, 132-134; P. Servais, D.O.L.F. 232f.; Chr. Vielle, Indianisme et bouddhisme à Louvain, de Félix Nève à Étienne Lamotte (https://dial.uclouvain.be/pr/boreal/object/boreal%3A226663/datastream/PDF_01/view) with caricature; on his dialectal studies A.M. Hagen in J. Noordegraf et al., The History of Linguistics in the Low Countries. 1992, 334; photo in https://oilsjtgoistad.blogspot.com/2019/12/philemon-colinet-kanunik-colinet.html.
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