BRUCKER (Jamas), Theologian, Historian, 'Philologer, and Biographer, was born at Augs burgh on the 22d of January 1696. His father, who was a respectable burgher, destined him for the church, and his own inclinations according with his father's wishes, he was sent, at the usual age, to pur sue his studies in the University of Jena. Here he took the degree of Master of Arta in 1718 ; and in the following year he published his 7'entansen Intro ductionis in Historicnn doctrines de Idea, in 4to ; a work which, having afterwards amplified and com pleted, he republished under the title ot Historic Philosophka doctrines de Ideis, at Augsburgh in 1728. He returned to his native city in 1720; but here his merit having attracted envy rather than recompense, he was induced to accept of the office of Parish Mi. ulster of KaUfbevern in 1724. In the same year he published a memoir, De Vita et Scriptis Etingeri, Aags. 8vo. His reputation having been at length established by these learned works, in 1781 he was elected a Member of the Academy of Sciences of Berlin, and soon thereafter he. was 'cited to Augsburgh to fill the honourable situation of :Pastor, and senior Minister of the church of St Ul ric. He published, in the same year, three disser -tations relating to the history of philosophy, under -.the title of •tium Vindelicum, nave Meletematum Historico.philosophicorum triga, Augsburgh, 1731, Svo. Besides several smaller dissertations on Bio - graph.y and Literary History, printed at different • times, and which he afterwards collected in his Mis -sellanea, he published at Ulm, in 1737, Neue Zu • saetze verschiedner Vermehrungen, &c. an den kurtzen Fragen aus der Philosophischen historic, 7 vols. 12mo. This work, being a history of philosophy is question . and answer, contains many details especially in the -department of literary history, which he has chosen :to omit in his greater work on the same subject. -He was forced, by the booksellers, in opposition .to his own opinion, to adopt the erotematic method, which at that time had been rendered popular by the writings of Hubner and Rambach.
In 1741, at Leipsic, appeared the first volume of his great work, Histories Critics Philosophies, a mu'n di incunabulis ad nostram usque cetatum deducts. Four
• other ponderous quartos, completing the first edition of this elaborate history, followed in 1744. Such -was the success of this publication, that the first im •pression, consisting of four thousand copies, was VC hawked in twenty-three years, when a new and mom perfect edition, the. consummation of the labours of half a century devoted to the history of philosophy, was in 1767 given to the world in six volumes quarto. The sixth volume, consisting entirely of supplement . and corrections, is applicable to the first as well as . to the second edition. Of the merits of this work, . we shall speak in the sequel.
His attention, however, was not wholly occupied by this stupendous undertaking : the following books would of themselves have been sufficient to exhaust the industry of any ordinary author. Pinacotheca Scrip torum nostra estate liters iliustrium, &c. Augsburgh, 1741-55, folio, in five decads. Ehren Tempel der Deutsche?, Gelehr samkeit in evelschen die Bsldnisse gekhrter Maenner under den Deutschen CMS dem :ICY. XVI. and X VII. Jahrhundert aufgestellet, and ihre Geschichte, &c. outworfes sired, Augsburgh, 1747-49, 4to, five decads Institutions Historic Philosophice, Leipsic, 1747, 8vo, a second edition, ibid. 1756; and a third has been published since -Brucker's death, with a continuation by Professor Born of Leipsic, in 17g0: Miscellanea Historic Philoscphicce Literarice critice dim :parsing edits •none uno farce collects, Augsburgh, 1748, 8vo „Erste AVSngsgrunde der Philosophischas Ges shichte, als sin Auszug seiner grosser?: Werke. Zweyte Ausgabe, Ulm. 1751, 8vo. He likewise superintended and corrected an edition of Luther's .translation of the Old and New Testament, with a Commentary extracted from the writings of the Eng lish Theologians, Leipsic, 1758-70, folio, six parts. -His death ensued before this work was finished, which has since been accomplished by Teller. He died at Augsburgh in 1770; and he may be added to the catalogue of Huetius, to prove that literary labour is not incompatible with sound health and longevity. See Sara Onomasticon,Biographie /fel. .verselle.--Gesner's Isagoge.