Humphrey Hody facts for kids
Humphrey Hody (born in 1659 – died January 20, 1707) was an English scholar and someone who studied religion deeply. He was known for his smart ideas and writings.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Humphrey Hody was born in a place called Odcombe in Somerset, England, in 1659. When he was 17 years old, in 1676, he started studying at Wadham College, Oxford. This is a famous university in England. He worked hard and became a "fellow" of the college in 1685. A fellow is like a senior member or a teacher at the college.
Career and Important Roles
Humphrey Hody held several important jobs during his life. In 1692, he became a chaplain to Edward Stillingfleet, who was a bishop. A chaplain is like a personal priest or religious advisor. Because he supported the main ideas of the government at the time, he was also chosen to be a chaplain for Archbishop John Tillotson. He continued this role even when Thomas Tenison became the new Archbishop.
In 1698, he was given a very important teaching job at Oxford University. He became the "Regius Professor of Greek". This meant he was the main professor teaching the ancient Greek language. Later, in 1704, he was made an "archdeacon" of Oxford. An archdeacon is a senior church official who helps a bishop manage a church area.
Key Writings and Ideas
Humphrey Hody wrote several important books and papers.
Challenging Ancient Texts
In 1684, he published a work called Contra historiam Aristeae de LXX. interpretibus dissertatio. In this book, he looked closely at an old story called the "Letter of Aristeas". This story claimed to explain how the Septuagint was made. The Septuagint is an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.
Hody argued that the "Letter of Aristeas" was not a true story from ancient times. He believed it was written much later by a Greek-speaking Jew to make the Septuagint seem more important. Many people agreed with Hody's ideas, and his work was seen as very convincing. However, another scholar named Isaac Vossius disagreed strongly and wrote an angry reply.
Other Important Books
Humphrey Hody also wrote other significant works:
- In 1689, he wrote an introduction for a Greek history book by John Malalas. This was published in Oxford in 1691.
- In 1701, he published A History of English Councils and Convocations. This book looked at the history of important meetings and groups within the English church.
- In 1703, he released a four-volume work called De Bibliorum textis originalibus. In this big book, he updated his ideas about the Septuagint and also replied to the arguments made by Isaac Vossius.
After he passed away, another one of his works, De Graecis Illustribus, was published in 1742 by Samuel Jebb. This book was about famous Greek people.
