HARDY, Edmund Georg Nicolaus. Mainz 9.7.1852 — Bonn 10.10.1904. German Catholic Priest and Indologist. Son of pharmacist Edmund H. (1816–1878) and Ottilie Moufang (1818–1852), school in Mainz. After studies at Mainz Catholic Episcopal Seminar in 1871-75 he was ordained priest 19.1.1875. In 1875-85 chaplain of Heppenheim an der Bergstrasse in Hessen, at the same time further studies at Heidelberg (philosophy under Kuno Fischel, Ph.D. 1879) and Berlin. Dr.theol. 1885 Freiburg in Breisgau, PD 1886 and ao. Professor there 1887, in Theology. In 1893 retired to the Benedictine monastery of Beuron, but soon accepted a combined chair of Indian languages and literatures and Comparative Religion at Fribourg in Switzerland. It has been hinted at that in both cases (Freiburg and Fribourg) his position had some kind of political background, but no details are told. In 1898 he retired formally because of ill-health (it was an excuse, he was one of the eight German professors, who resigned their position at Fribourg) Then he lived in Würzburg concentrating on research. Moved to Bonn, where he died in the age of 52.
Hardy was a specialist of history of Indian religions, especially of Pāli Buddhism. At the time of his death he planned to edit the commentary of the Anguttara Nikāya and of the Mahāvaṁsa. Participated in the preliminary work on the P.T.S. dictionary.
Publications: Edited with R. Morris & M. Hunt: Aṅguttara-nikāya. 1-6. L. 1885-1910 (P.T.S. Text Series 3-8; parts 3-5 by E.H.).
– Edited for the P.T.S.: Petavatthu Commentary. Paramattha-Dīpanī. Vol. 3. 10+303 p. L. 1894; Vimānavatthu Commentary. Paramattha-Dīpanī. Vol. 4. 15+374 p. L. 1901; Nettippakaraṇa with extracts from Dhammapāla’s commentary. 41+289 p. L. 1902.
– Buddhismus nach älteren Pāli-Werken. 8+168 p. Darstellungen aus dem Gebiete der nichtchristlichen Religionsgeschichte 1. Münster 1890, 3rd ed. 11+208 p. Münster 1926; Die Vedisch-brahmanische Periode der Religion des alten Indiens. 8+249 p. Münster 1893; Indische Religionsgeschichte. 143 p. S. Göschen. Lp. 1898; Buddha. 131 p. S. Göschen. Lp. 1903.
– “Ein Beitrag zur Frage, of Dhammapāla im Nālandasaṅghārāma seine Kommentare geschrieben”, ZDMG 51, 1897, 105-127; “Eine buddhistische Bearbeitung der Kṛṣṇa-Sage”, ZDMG 53, 1899, 25-50.
– “The Story of the merchant Ghosaka”, JRAS 1898, 741-794 (ed. and transl. from the Dhammapada Commentary and Manorathapūraṇī).
– Indiens Kultur in der Blütezeit der Buddhismus. König Asoka. 3+72 p. Mainz 1902.
– Manorathapūraṇī. Buddhaghosas’s commentary on the Aṅguttara-Nikāya. After the Manuscript of E. Hardy edited by M. Walleser and H. Kopp. 1-5. L. 1924-57 (P.T.S. text series 64-68).
– Also wrote on comparative religion, e.g. “Zur Geschichte der vergleichenden Religionsforschung”, Archiv f. Rel.wiss. 4, 1901, 45-66, 97-135, 193-228.
Sources: H. Bechert, N.D.B. 7, 1966, 670f.; *K. Hoeber, Akademische Monatsblätter. Organ des Verbandes der katholischen Studentvereine Deutschlands 17, 1905, 81-86; *P.E. Pavolini, GSAI 17, 1904, 395f.; T.W. Rhys Davids, JRAS 1905, 213-215; Stache-Weiske 2017, 319, 527; *Streitberg, Hochland 2:1, 1904-05, 427-445; *bibliography by Streitberg in IF Anz. 17, 1905, 139-144 (also Pischel on life, 137f.), *Streitberg also in Biogr. Jahrb. 10, 1907, 337-343; German Wikipedia; photo in Rau 61 and Leumann 1909, 45.
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