JACOBI, Hermann Georg. Köln 11.2.1850 (or 1.2.?) — Bonn 19.10.1937. German Indologist. Professor in Bonn. Son of a steam mill owner, Friedrich Heinrich Otto J. (1803–1880) and Caroline Zeiz. Roman Catholic, educated in Köln. From 1868 studies of mathematics at Berlin, switched soon to Sanskrit and IE. Through Weber he became interested in Jaina literature. Ph.D. 1872 Bonn, under Gildemeister. After a year in London he visited India in 1873-74 and could follow Bühler to the Jaina manuscript libraries of Rajasthan. Now also achieved a manuscript collection of his own. From 1875 PD at Bonn, but soon (1876) ao. Professor at Münster. In 1885 succeeded Pischel as ord. Professor at Kiel, in 1889 Aufrecht at Bonn. In 1905-06 Rector of University. Emeritus from the beginning of 1922, succeeded by Kirfel, but continued himself teaching. During a second visit to India in 1913-14 he obtained a hon. Ph.D. at Calcutta. Married 1883 Elizabeth Blanckarts (1854–1928), four sons and one daughter. Geh. Regierungsrat 1905, Jainadarśanadivākara, member of several academies (Berlin, Munich, Prague, Göttingen, Leningrad) and learned societies.
Jacobi was the first to show that Jainas even in their origin are not a Buddhist sect. As their founder he held Pārśva. In 1914 in India he found the first Apabhramśa manuscripts and published the first Apabhramśa text edition in 1918. In addition to Jainism he was interested in MIA languages, metrics and aesthetics, poetry, astronomy (dated Veda in 4500-2500 B.C.), epics, Brahmanism, Nyāyavaiśeṣika, Buddhism, chronology and Kauṭilīya. Jacobi was a great pioneer of Jaina and Apabhraṁśa studies and important in several other fields, although some of his ideas (especially in chronology) remained controversial. He was a great cigar smoker. Among his many students were Breloer, Glasenapp, Guérinot, Kirfel, Losch, Todar Mall, Ruben, Suali, V. A. Sukthankar, Tuxen, further Laber, Minon and Pullich.
Publications: Diss. De astrologiae Indicae, Horâ appellatae originibus. 47 p. Bonn 1872 (with ed. and Latin transl. of Varāhamihira’s Laghujātaka 3-12).
– Edited & transl.: “Zwei Jainastotras”, Ind. St. 14, 1876, 359-391 (Bhaktāmara- und Kalyānamaṇḍira-stotra); “Die Çobhanastutayas des Çobhana muni, hrsg. und übersetzt”, ZDMG 32, 1878, 509-534; “Kālakācārya-kathānaka”, ZDMG 34, 1880, 247-318 & 35, 1881, 675-679; The Āyāraṁgasūtra of the Śvetāmbara Jains. 139 p. L., P.T.S. 1882; “Der Untergang Dvāravatīs”, ZDMG 42, 1888, 493-529; “Umāsvati’s Tattvārthādhigama Sūtra. Eine Jaina-Dogmatik”, ZDMG 60, 1906, 287-325, 512-551; Uttaradhyāyana-Sūtra. 4+198 p. Sacred Books of the Jains. Ahmedabad 1911.
– Edited: Sthavirāvalīcarita or Pariśiṣṭaparvan by Hemacandra. Bibl.Ind. Calcutta 1883-91, 2nd ed. 107+372 p. Calcutta 1932; Siddharṣi’s Upamitibhavaprapañcakathā. 114+1240 p. Bibl.Ind. Calcutta 1901-14 (with P. Peterson); Shripradyumnacarya: Samaraditya Samkshepa. 6+428 p. Ahmedabad 1906; Haribhadra’s Samarāicca-kahā. 6+130+336 p. Bibl. Ind. Calc. 1908-24; Vimalasūriviracitaṁ Paümacariyaṁ. 336 p. Bhavanagara 1914.
– Translated: The Kalpasūtra of Bhadrabāhu. 8+173 p. A.K.M. 7:1. 1879; Jaina Sutras. 377+498 p. S.B.E. 22 & 45. Oxford 1884-95.
– Ausgewählte Erzählungen in Māhārāṣṭrī. 72+160 p. Lp. 1886 (from Devendra’s Uttarajhayanaṭīkā ed. with grammar and vocabulary).
– “Methods and Tables for verifying Hindu Dates, Tithis, Eclipses, Nakshatras etc.”, IA 17, 1888, 145-181; “On the Computation of Hindu dates in Inscriptions”, EI 1, 1892, 403-460; “Tables for calculating Hindu dates in true local time”, EI 2, 1894, 487-498.
– Compositum und Nebensatz. Studien über die indogermanische Sprachentwicklung. 10+127 p. Bonn 1897.
– Translated: “Ānandavardhana’s Dhvanyāloka”, ZDMG 56, 1902, 392-410, 582-615, 760-789 & 57, 1903, 18-60, 311-343; “Ruyyaka’s Alaṁkārasarvasva”, ZDMG 62, 1908, 289-336, 411-458, 597-628; “Bhāsa’s Svapnavāsavadatta”, Intern. Monatsschr. 7, 1913, 653-690.
– Das Rāmāyaṇa. Geschichte und Inhalt nebst Concordanz. 256 p. Bonn 1893; Das Mahābhārata. Inhaltsangabe, Index und Concordanz der Calcuttaer und Bombayer Ausgaben. 4+257 p. Bonn 1903.
– “Der Jainismus”, Archiv f. Rel.wiss. 18, 1915, 269-286 (reporting his field observations).
– Bhavisattakahā von Dhaṇavāla. Eine Jaina Legende in Apabhraṁśa. 7+94+216 p. A.Ba.A.W. 29:4. Munich 1918 (Ap. text with study); Sanatkumāracaritam, ein Abschnitt aus Haribhadras Nemināthacaritam. Eine Jaina Legende in Apabhraṁśa. 25+164 p. A.Ba.A.W. 31:2. Munich 1921.
– Die Entwicklung der Gottesidee bei den Indern. 10+136 p. Bonn 1923.
– “Über das ursprüngliche Yogasystem”, SBeAW 1929, 581-624 & 1930, 322-332.
– Translated: Triṁśikāvijñapti des Vasubandhu mit Bhāṣya des Ācārya Sthiramati. 6+64 p. Beitr. zur indischen Sprachwiss. und Religionsgesch. 7. St. 1932.
– A great number of articles on OIA & MIA (KZ, ZDMG), metrics (ZDMG, Ind. St. 17, WZKM), Vedic chronology (Festgruss Roth 1896, IA 1894, OC 10, 1894, NGGW 1894, ZDMG 1895, 1896, JRAS 1909), epics, philosophy (ZDMG, ZII, GGA, NGGW, JAOS), religion (ERE), Jainism, Buddhism, aesthetics (ZDMG, WZKM), etc.
– Schriften zur indischen Poetik und Ästhetik. Ed. H. Losch. 381 p. Darmstadt 1969.
– Kleine Schriften. Hrsg. von B. Kölver. 1-2. 22+1156 p. Glasenapp-St. 4. Wb. 1970.
Sources: Buckland, Dictionary; H. von Glasenapp, ZDMG 92, 1938, 1-14 with photo; E.H. Johnston, JRAS 1938, 340f.; B. Kölver, N.D.B. 10, 1974, 228f.; *H. Oertel, SBaAW 1938, 27f.; L. Renou, JA 230, 1938, 129-143; Stache-Rosen 1990, 112-114; Stache-Weiske 2017, 532; briefly D.B.E. 5, 1997, 274; *Beitr. zur Literaturwiss. und Geistesgesch. Indiens. Festgabe H.J. Bonn 1926 with bibliography and photo (also in Rau 55); bibliography in Kleine Schr.; Wikipedia.
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