Tiscliendorf, Loinxuvrr FRiEnmcii Constantin VON, the most prominent scholar in the department of New-Test, palieography, was born Jan. 18, 1815, at Len- genfeld, in Saxony. Having been prepared at the gym- nasium at Plancn for the university, he entered, at Easier, 1834, aged nineteen, the halls of Leijisic. Here Gottfried Hermann and Georg Benedict Winer were among his teachers. At the close of 183G he received a prize meilal for an essay on Doctrina PuuH ApostnH de \'i Moiiis Christi Saiinfadoria, which he published at Leipsic in 1837, A second prize was awarded to him in the year 1838 on Diapututio de Christn, Pane Vita'., sive de Loco Kcanrj. .Joaiiii. c. vi, vv. 51-50, CUeme Sacra Potissinmm Ratiime habita (ibitl. 1839). At the same time, he took his degree of doctor of philosophy. In 1840 he published Dissertcttio Critica et Exerjetica de Ev. Matt. c. xix, 16 sq., and was promoted as licen- tiate of theology; in the same year he qualified as privat-docent of theology by publishing De Recensia- nibiis qiats dicunt Novi Testumeiiti Ratinne Potissinmrii habita Scholzii (ibid.; reprinted in the Prolegomena to the Greek Testament published in 1841). In this essay, as Kahnis rightly remarked, he gave to the world the programme of his theological future. In Oc- tober, 1839, he began to prepare a critical hand-edition of the Greek New Test., which was published in 1841 under the title Novum Testamentmn Greece: Textum ad Fidem Antiqtiorum Testium Recens. Brevem Appara- tiiin Crit. una cum Variis Lecthmihns Elzer.. Knappri, Scholzii, LachmaniiisubJ/inxit. etc. (ibid.). In 1840 Tisch- endorf went to Paris. The library there contained a celebrated palimpsest. A manuscript of the Bible from early in the 5Lh centurj' had been cleaned off in the 12tli century, and used for writings of Ephraem Syrus. What no mortal had been able to do before, Tischendorf did, and with the aid of chemical reagents he completely restored the original text. The University of Breslau acknowledged his merit by bestowing on him the title of doctor of theology. JNIeanwhile he also collated the Paris manuscripts of Philo for Prof. Grossmann at Leip- sic, and the only remaining manuscript of the GOth book of the Basilicas for Dr. Heimbach at Jena. F. Didot, the publisher, bargained with Tischendorf fiir a reissue of his Leipsic edition, which appeared at Paris in 1842: and then abbe Jager, a professor in the Sorbonne, begged him to edit a (ireek text that should conform as nearly as possible to the Yidgate, which was also published in the same year. In 1841 and 1842 he visited the libra- ries in Holland, London, Cambridge, and Oxford. Early in 1843 he left Paris for Rome, on the way working four weeks on the Codex E of the gospels at Basle. In Italy he staj'ed more than a year, and used his time in the best possible manner. \\'lien his Italian researches were completed, he prepared to start for his first Eastern jour- ney in 1844, which he repeated again in 1853 and 1859. On his third journej', in 1859, he discovered the famous Codex Sinaiticu.i, After his return he was made ordi- nary professor of the Leipsic University, and a special chair of sacred pala;ograi)hy was made for him. ' From this time on, he spent tlie remainder of his life in publishing the results of his amassed materials, collect- ed on his different journeys, of which we shall speak fur- ther on. On ^lay 5, 1873, he was seized witli apojilexy ; he recovered somewhat from the attack, but in Novem- ber, 1874, the malady grew worse, and on Dec. 7, 1874, he passed away. His funeral took place on the lOth, at which Drs. Ahlfeld, Kahnis, Luthardt, and others inade addresses.
Probably no theologian ever received so varied and so many signs of distinction, academic and civil. He was made a Russian noble, a Saxon privy-councillor, knight of inany orders, doctor of all academic degrees, and member of an indefinite number of societies. When, in 1855, king Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia (brotlier of the present emperor of Germany) said to him, "You
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are predestined to discoveries : wherever they are pos- sible, there you are to make them," he only proved himself a true prophet; and only a man of such un- common quickness, keenness, energy, and ambition as Tischendorf could achieve what lie brought about. '• What Wettstein and Bengel began," said his colleague Luthardt, " what Hug and Lachmann carried on. he brought nearly to completion in a wa}' which leaves the labors of his predecessors far behind." And '■ whoever," said Kahnis, '• in the future outstrijis him will do it only on the road which Tischendorf marked out; whoever overcomes him will do so only by the weapons which he himself has furnished." Complaint has been made of his changes of opinion, a reading not unfrequently being coutidently adopted in one issue and as confidently reject- ed in the next, or viceveisa. But how could it be oth- erwise, when the evidences in the case were constantly increasing in number and clearness? As the illustri- ous scholar said in his last will, " I have sought no other aim than truth; to her I have always unconditionally bowed the knee." No pride of opinion, no zeal for con- sistency, was allowed to stand in the way. He was, doubtless, unconsciously biassed in favor of the authori- ties he himself had brought to light; but his purpose was to set forth the exact text of the original without regard to dogmatic or personal considerations.