Creuzer

Creuzer, FRIEDRICH, a learned German philologist, was born at Marburg, March 10, 1771, and studied there and at Jena. In 1802 he was called to a chair at Marburg, and in 1804 to that of Philology and Ancient History at Heidelberg, which he filled till his retirement in 1845. Here he died, 15th February 1858. Creuzer's first and greatest work was his perversely ingenious and learned Symbolik und Mythologie der alten Völker, besonders der Griechen (4 vols. Leip. 1810-12). His symbolical explanation of ancient mythologies was assailed by Hermann, Voss, Lobeck, and Pott. His next work in importance was a complete edition of the works of Plotinus (3 vols. Oxford, 1835). With G. H. Moser, Creuzer edited several of the philosophical works of Cicero. Most of his writings are collected in the series of Deutsche Schriften (1837-54), which contains also his autobiography, under the title Aus dem Leben eines alten Professors, subsequently divided and arranged into Deutsche Lehr- und Wanderjahre and Paralipomena. In 1854 appeared his Opuscula Selecta.