Barthold georg niebuhr biography channel

From tohe served as the ambassador of Prussia to the Vatican, and later became a professor at the University of Bonn. While the actual results of this work were valuable, it was his method that made it groundbreaking. Niebuhr attempted to extract the rational core from the legends surrounding the founding of Rome, focusing on the history of the society and state formation in Rome rather than on exceptional individuals.

By the end of the 19th century, it was realized that excessive criticism was unproductive. Imagination, nevertheless, was Niebuhr's most signal endowment,—not the historical imagination that reanimates actors departed from the world's theatre, but the critical imagination that makes past social conditions living and real. In the pourtrayal of men Niubuhr's touch is uncertain, but his treatment of institutions is an actual contact.

Everything becomes alive to him, and to the reader's elation at finding himself thus apparently introduced to realities where he had looked only for abstractions must be ascribed much of the overwhelming influence and success of a work so deficient in the ordinary attractions of history. Niebuhr's other works are interesting, but would not of themselves have made a great reputation.

The notes of his Bonn lectures on ancient history and geography disappointed expectation, but expectation had been pitched unreasonably high. They were not finished compositions, and could not be more than useful and suggestive commonplace books. A detailed examination of their obiter dicta by the light of recent discovery and more exact research would be highly interesting.

His lectures on the French Revolution, delivered inthough well worth hearing, were not worth publishing, especially as the editor cannot vouch for their verbal or even their substantial fidelity. The Kleine Schriften include many valuable essays. His letters form one of the barthold georg niebuhr biography channel interesting collections of correspondence extant, alike for the multiplicity of important subjects treated in them, and their revelation of the writer in all his strength and weakness.

The luminous profundity of his remarks is frequently startling. Like Coleridge he seems to have an intuitive faculty for descending below the apparent surface of things, while he is no more successful than Coleridge in applying this gift to the appreciation of the practical problems of his own age. There is hardly another book from which it would be possible to select more entirely perverse and erroneous views respecting human society in general, and more admirable observations on individual men and things.

A selection of remarks and aphorisms, both from his correspondence and his historical writings, would be a compilation of great value. Niebuhr's personal character was in most respects exceedingly attractive. His heart was kind and his affections were strong; he was magnanimous and disinterested, simple and honest. He had a kindling sympathy with everything lofty and generous, and framed his own conduct upon the highest principles.

His chief defect was an over-sensitiveness leading to peevish and unreasonable behaviour in his private and official relations, to hasty and unbalanced judgments of persons and things that had given him annoyance, and to a despondency and discouragement which have frustrated the great good he might have effected as a critic of public affairs from the point of view of a lofty morality.

His imagination sometimes usurps the functions of his judgment, and his sagacity is traversed by a vein of paradox. In this, as in many other features of his intellectual character, he strikingly resembles Bentley, but his moral constitution is totally dissimilar. The principal authority for Niebuhr's life is the Lebensnachrichtenprepared by Madame Hensler inand consisting mainly of correspondence linked by a brief biographical narrative.

In the English translation by Miss Winkworth a great part of the correspondence is omitted, but the narrative is rendered more full, especially as concerns Niebuhr's participation in public affairs. It also contains interesting communications from Bunsen and Professor Loebell, and select translations from the Kleine Schriften. The reminiscences of Francis Lieber London, convey a pleasing view of Niebuhr's character, and preserve passages of his conversation when ambassador at Rome.

The first edition of his Roman History was translated into English by F. Walterbut was immediately superseded by the translation of the second edition by Julius Hare and Connop Thirwall, completed by Dr William Smith and Dr Leonhard Schmitz last edition, London, New York: Dodd, Mead. In Baynes, T. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Barthold georg niebuhr biography channel

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 5 July Jedermann-Verlag GmbH, American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 8 September Krmnicek and M. Gaidys, 'Gelehrtenbilder. Altertumswissenschaftler auf Medaillen des Jahrhunderts', in S. Krmnicek ed. Schmitz, 'Preface', in T. Mommsen, ed. Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Retrieved 8 March Source not identified. References [ edit ]. Primary sources [ edit ]. Further reading [ edit ]. External links [ edit ]. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barthold Georg Niebuhr. Barthelmess, Richard. Barthelme, Frederick. Barthelme, Donald — Barthelme, Donald. Barth, R obert L awrence. Barth, Karl — Barth, John M. Barth, Jacob.

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