GRIESBACII, JOHANN JAK013, was born 4th jan. 1745, at Butzbach, a small town of Hesse Darmstadt, where his father was pastor. Having received his school education at Frankfurt on the Maine, he studied theolog,y at the universities of Tlibingen, Halle, and Leipsic. Whilst at Halle he came under the influence of Semler, whose methods, opinions, and pursuits, gave a powerful bias to the mind of the y-oung student. Having finished his academical career at Leipsic, he re turned to Halle, but before settling himself there, he, in 1760, commenced a literary tour for the purpose especially of examining the MSS. of the N. T. in the principal libraries of Germany, Holland, England, and France. He returned to Halle in 1770 laden with materials, and set himself to make use of them for the emendation of the text of the N. T. In 1773 he was appointed extra ordinary professor of theology at Halle ; and two years after he became ordinary professor of theo logy at Jena. Here the rest of his useful and laborious life was spent ; and here he died on the 24th of March 'SI 2.
Griesbach's name and fame stand connected with the textual criticism of the N. T. On this principally he spent his time and his strength. In i771, soon after his return from his extended tour, he submitted to the University of Halle a dissertation, De codicibus quatuor Evangelistareent Origenianed. In 1774 he issued the first volume of his N. T. containing the historical books, with the first three gospels arranged synoptically ; in 1775 appeared the second volume, containing the epistles and the Apocalypse ; and along with this a new edition of vol. i., but without the synoptic arrange ment of the first gospels. Between 1777 and 1704 he published a series of critical works on the text of the N. T., and having thus prepared the way for his great work, he sent forth, in 1796, the first volume of a completely remodelled and carefully prepared edition of the N. T., with copious apparatus and valuable prolegomena ; followed, in 1806, by vol.
ii. This edition was published both at Halle and London. A sumptuous edition in 4 vols. 4to, or small folio, with copperplate illustrations, was issued in 1805-1807. Manual editions, containing the principal various readings, but without the authorities, appeared in 1805 and in 1825. A third edition of the larger work was commenced by Dr. D. Schulz, of which only the first volume appeared, Berol. 1827.
Griesbach's labours on the text of the N. T. commenced an era in Biblical criticism. Not only were his collections of various readings more ex tensive and more carefully sifted than those of any who had preceded him ; not only did he carry out more thoroughly than any of his predecessors the principle of determining the value of a reading by its antiquity and its source ; but he contributed more than any of them to place textual criticism on a scientific basis, and to furnish rules for the guid- , ance of the critic in his work. His system of re censions may be unsound, and he may have been hampered or misled by it in some of his decisions ; but there can be no doubt as to the important bear. ing both of the facts Ile has collected and the theo ries he has offered to account for them, on the subsequent progress of Biblical criticism. Ever, where he had little to guide him but his own judg ment, inore recent investigations have generally shewn that his conclusions were correct. He was the- first, also, who ventured to print the text as the principles of his criticism determined, instead of retaining the Textus Rcceptus and treating the readings of the codices simply as departures from that. Griesbach's Ofiziscuth, which consist chiefly of academic programmes and addresses, and are not of much value, were collected and pnblished by Gabler in 2 vols, Jena 1824.—W. L. A.