Abraham Wheelocke facts for kids

Abraham Wheelock (born in 1593 in Whitchurch, Shropshire, died September 25, 1653) was an English expert in languages. He became the very first professor of Arabic at Cambridge University.

Who Was Abraham Wheelock?

Abraham Wheelock was an important scholar who lived in England a long time ago. He was known for his knowledge of many languages, especially Arabic and Old English. He helped publish some very old and important books.

His Time at Cambridge

Wheelock finished his studies at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1618. He then became a Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge in 1619. Around 1632, he became the first Adams Professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge. This was a big deal because it meant he was the main teacher for the Arabic language there. One of his students was a famous scholar named Thomas Hyde.

A Church Leader

Abraham Wheelock also worked for the Church of England. He became a deacon in 1619 and a priest in 1622. He served as a vicar, which is a type of church leader, in several places. These included St Sepulchre's in Cambridge from 1622 to 1642, and also in Passenham, Northamptonshire and Middleton, Norfolk.

University Librarian

In 1629, Wheelock was chosen to be the librarian of the "Public Library," which is now known as the Cambridge University Library. He also taught Anglo-Saxon, which is an old form of the English language.

In 1632, he helped bring a large collection of books and old writings from the Middle East to the Cambridge University Library. This collection belonged to a scholar named Thomas van Erpe. It was bought by the family of the 1st Duke of Buckingham. This collection was very important because it included the first Chinese book the library ever owned.

Publishing Important Books

Wheelock was also a very busy editor. He helped publish some of the earliest printed versions of important historical texts.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

He produced the first printed edition of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People in Old English. He also published the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle between 1643 and 1644. In the same book, he included a very important edition of Bede's Ecclesiastical History in its original Latin. He placed the Latin text right next to the Old English version. He also included old Anglo-Saxon laws. Many of his notes in this work included old English sermons by Aelfric of Eynsham, which Wheelock himself translated into Latin.

The Four Gospels

In 1644, a publisher in London released a bigger version of his work. This new edition included an updated legal text called "Archaionomia." Wheelock likely worked on this with his friend Sir Roger Twysden.

He also helped create a special version of the Four Gospels (parts of the Christian Bible) that was written in three languages: Persian, Syriac, and Arabic. This book was published in the same year as the London Polyglot, another multi-language Bible project he helped with.

His Family Life

Abraham Wheelock got married in 1632 to Clemence Godd. It is thought that he might have been the father of Ralph and Gregory Wheelock, who both later attended Cambridge University in 1645 and 1649.