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Charles Anthon (November 19, 1797 – July 29, 1867) was an American
classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
. Anthon was a professor at Columbia College and became headmaster of it's grammar and preparatory school. He produced classical works for schools, which contained assistance and translations in the notes. He had a disagreement with Martin Harris over an account where they discussed the authenticity of the ''
Anthon Transcript The "Anthon Transcript" (often identified with the "Caractors document") is a piece of paper on which Joseph Smith wrote several lines of characters. According to Smith, these characters were from the golden plates (the ancient record from which S ...
'' of the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude ...
. Anthon was also an acquaintance of writer
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
. He died in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the age of 69.


Life

His father George Christian Anthon was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
-American medical doctor who served in the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
during the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
until the surrender of
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
in 1796. George attained the rank of surgeon general, resigned, married the daughter of a
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
officer, and settled in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Charles was born there on November 19, 1797, graduated with honors from Columbia College in 1815, and, after studying
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
at his elder brother's firm, was called to the
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar ( ...
in 1819. He never practiced. Instead, the next year, he was appointed assistant professor of
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
at his old
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
. In 1830, he was made a full professor and become the headmaster of the
Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School ("Columbia Grammar", "Columbia Prep", "CGPS", "Columbia") is the oldest nonsectarian independent school in New York City, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (5 West 93rd Street). The school serves gr ...
. In 1835, he was appointed Jay Professor of the Greek Language and Literature in Columbia College upon the resignation of
Nathaniel Fish Moore Nathaniel Fish Moore (December 25, 1782 – April 27, 1872) was the eighth president of Columbia College; he had earlier been a lawyer and served on the faculty. He was the nephew of the college's former president Benjamin Moore. In 1820, M ...
. He retired from the grammar school in 1864 and died in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
on July 29, 1867, at the age of 69.


Works

He produced a large number of classical works for use in colleges and schools, which enjoyed great popularity, although schoolmasters sometimes disliked their use by students, owing to the large amount of assistance and translations contained in the notes. Anthon's books on classical literature commonly included a "classical dictionary". He also wrote ''A Manual of Greek Literature from the Earliest Authentic Periods to the Close of Byzantine Era'', providing a list of all Greek writers in that period, with a summary of their life and works and a bibliography of editions then in use. The overview is still useful today, but outdated. His intention to provide a similar volume for
Latin literature Latin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings written in the Latin language. The beginning of formal Latin literature dates to 240 BC, when the first stage play in Latin was performed in Rome. Latin literature ...
was never fulfilled. Dr. Anthon's work was carried on by his successor, Henry Drisler.


Anthon Transcript

Charles Anthon is famous in connection with the history of the
Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...
because of his interactions with Martin Harris in February 1828 concerning a fragment of
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, h ...
's translation of the
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude ...
. The fragment later came to be known as the ''
Anthon Transcript The "Anthon Transcript" (often identified with the "Caractors document") is a piece of paper on which Joseph Smith wrote several lines of characters. According to Smith, these characters were from the golden plates (the ancient record from which S ...
''. According to Harris, Anthon wrote Harris a letter of authenticity declaring the fragment to contain true Egyptian characters. Anthon also confirmed the translation of these characters as correct. When informed that an angel of God had revealed the characters to Joseph Smith, Anthon tore up the authentication, stating that there was no such thing as angels, and asked Harris to bring the plates to him for translation. Martin Harris went to Dr. Samuel L. Mitchill afterwards and received a letter of authenticity from him. Anthon, however, disagreed with Harris' version of their encounter and stated in a letter to Eber D. Howe on February 17, 1834, that the story of Anthon's authentication was false, that Anthon had identified the writings as a hoax, and that Anthon had told Harris that the writings were part of "a scheme to cheat the farmer artin Harrisof his money..." Anthon gave a second account in 1841 as to whether he gave Harris a written opinion about the document: "
arris In architecture, an arris is the sharp edge formed by the intersection of two surfaces, such as the corner of a masonry unit; the edge of a timber in timber framing; the junction between two planes of plaster or any intersection of divergent a ...
requested me to give him my opinion in writing about the paper which he had shown to me. I did so without hesitation, partly for the man's sake, and partly to let the individual 'behind the curtain' see that his trick was discovered. The import of what I wrote was, as far as I can now recollect, simply this, that the marks in the paper appeared to be merely an imitation of various alphabetical characters, and had, in my opinion, no meaning at all connected with them."


Acquaintance with Poe

Dr. Anthon was a friend and correspondent of
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
, who attempted to use their acquaintance to gain a national reputation in literature and journalism as well as publication in 1845 of his collected stories through Harper and Brothers. This was, at the time, unsuccessful due to a doubtful accusation of plagiarism against Poe; however, Poe went on to establish himself in the first rank of American letters.


Publications


Reference and instructional works

* Charles Anthon, ''Elements of Latin Prosody and Metre'', New York: Swords (1824)
online
* '' A classical dictionary: containing a copious account of all the proper names mentioned in ancient authors'' etc., by J. Lemprière, D.D., 5th American edition, corrected and improved by Charles Anthon (1825)
online
*
Richard Valpy Richard Valpy (7 December 1754 – 28 March 1836) was a British schoolmaster and priest of the Church of England. Life and career Valpy was born the eldest son of Richard and Catherine Valpy in Jersey. He was sent to schools in Normandy and ...
, ''The Elements of Greek Grammar'', with additions by C. Anthon, 8th edition (1833)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A Grammar of the Greek Language'' (1838)
online
revised and corrected by the Rev. J.R. Major, D.D., London:
Thomas Tegg Thomas Tegg (1776–1845) was a British bookseller and publisher. Early life Tegg was the son of a grocer, born at Wimbledon, Surrey, on 4 March 1776, and was left an orphan at the age of five. He was sent to a boarding school at Galashiels in ...
(1840)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A System of Greek Prosody and Metre: for the use of schools and colleges'' (1839)
online
(1842
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A System of Latin Prosody and Metre, from the Best Authorities, Ancient and Modern,'' Harper and Brothers (1842
online
* Charles Anthon, ''First Greek lessons: containing all the inflexions of the Greek language, together with appropriate exercises in the translating and writing of Greek, for the use of beginners''. Anthon's Greek Lessons, Part I (1842)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''An Introduction to Greek Prose Composition''. Anthon's Greek Lessons, Part II (1842)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''First Latin Lessons, containing the most important parts of the grammar of the Latin language, together with appropriate exercises in the translating and writing of Latin, for the use of beginners''. Anthon's Latin Grammar, Part I (1838)
online(1846 printing)
* Charles Anthon, ''An Introduction to Latin Prose Composition''. Anthon's Latin Grammar, Part II (1842)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A Classical Dictionary, containing an account of the principal proper names mentioned in ancient authors'', Harper and Brothers (1842)
online
* ''A new abridgement of Ainsworth's dictionary: English and Latin, for the use of grammar schools'', by John Dymock, LL.D., new American edition with corrections and improvements by Charles Anthon, Philadelphia: Butler & Williams (1844)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A System of Latin Versification, in a series of progressive exercises'' (1845)
online
* ''A school dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities'', abridged from the larger dictionary by William Smith, LL.D., with corrections and improvements by Charles Anthon, LL.D. (1846)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A system of ancient and mediæval geography for the use of schools and colleges'' (1850)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A Manual of Roman Antiquities, with numerous illustrations'' (1851)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A Manual of Grecian Antiquities, with numerous illustrations'' (1852)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''A Manual of Greek Literature from the Earliest Authentic Periods to the Close of Byzantine Era'' (1853)
online
* ''A copious and critical English-Latin lexicon'', founded on the German-Latin dictionary of Dr. by
Joseph Esmond Riddle Joseph Esmond Riddle (1804–1859) was an English cleric, scholar and lexicographer. Life The eldest of the eight children of Joseph Riddle of Old Market Street, Bristol, he was born there on 7 April 1804. From Mr. Porter's school in Bristol he wa ...
and
Thomas Kerchever Arnold Thomas Kerchever Arnold (1800 – 9 March 1853) was an English theologian and voluminous writer of educational works. Life Arnold was born in 1800. His father, Thomas Graham Arnold, was a doctor of Stamford. He was educated at Trinity Colleg ...
, first American edition, carefully revised, and containing a copious dictionary of proper names from the best sources, by Charles Anthon, LL.D., New York: Harper and Brothers (1856)
online
* ''A Latin-English and English-Latin dictionary: for the use of schools'', chiefly from the lexicons of Freund, Georges, and Kaltschmidt, by Charles Anthon (1859)
online
* ''A School Grammar of the Latin Language'' by C.G. Zumpt, translated and adapted by Leonhard Schmitz, corrected and enlarged by Charles Anthon (1859)
online
* ''A new classical dictionary of Greek and Roman biography, mythology and geography'', partly based upon the ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/ biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 ...
'' by William Smith, LL.D., revised, with numerous corrections and additions, by Charles Anthon, LL.D. (1862)
online


School editions with commentary

* ''C. Crispi Sallusti opera, omissis fragmentis, omnia: ad optimorum exemplarium fidem recensita'', animadversionibus illustravit P. Wilson, LL.D., 4th ed. recensuit notasque suas adspersit Charles Anthon, New York: Carvill (1825)
online
Charles Anthon, ''C. Crispi Sallustii de Catilinae conjuratione belloque Jugurthino Historiae'', New York: Carvill (1829
online
4th ed., Boston (1833
online
''Sallust's Jugurthine War and Conspiracy of Catiline, with an English Commentary, and Geographical and Historical Indexes'', 6th ed., New York: Harper and Brothers (1837
online
6th ed. (1838
online
10th ed. (1854
online
* Charles Anthon, ''Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War; and The First Book of the Greek Paraphrase; with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory, Plans of Battles, Sieges, Etc., and Historical, Geographical, and Archaeological Indexes,'' Harper and Brothers (1838)
online (1862 printing)
* Charles Anthon, ''Q. Horatii Flacci Poëmata'', New York: Carvill (1830)
online
''The Works of Horace, with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory,'' Harper and Brothers (1839); new edition (1849
online (1857 printing)
* ''The Greek Reader'', by Frederic Jacobs, new edition, with English notes, critical and explanatory, a metrical index to Homer and Anacreon, and a copious lexicon. By Charles Anthon. (1840)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''The Aeneid of Virgil, with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory, a Metrical Clavis, an Historical, Geographical, and Mythological Index,'' Harper and Brothers (1843)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''M. Tullii Ciceronis Orationes Selectae'', ex recensione Jo. Aug. Ernesti., with an English commentary, London: Priestley (1837
online
new edition, London (1846
online
''Select Orations of Cicero, with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory'', new edition, New York: Harper and Brothers (1845)
online
new edition (1849
online
* Charles Anthon, ''The De senectute, De amicitia, Paradoxa, and Somnium Scipionis of Cicero, and the Life of Atticus by Cornelius Nepos, with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory'' (1848)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''The First Six Books of Homer's Iliad with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory, A Metrical Index, and Homeric Glossary,'' Harper and Brothers (1851)
online
''The first three books of Homer's Iliad, according to the ordinary text, and also with the restoration of the
digamma Digamma or wau (uppercase: Ϝ, lowercase: ϝ, numeral: ϛ) is an archaic letter of the Greek alphabet. It originally stood for the sound but it has remained in use principally as a Greek numeral for 6. Whereas it was originally called ''wa ...
'', new edition by Benjamin Davies, London (1854
online
* Charles Anthon, ''The Anabasis of Xenophon, with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory'', Harper and Brothers (1852)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''Cornelius Nepos with Notes, Historical and Explanatory,'' Harper and Brothers (1852)
online (1871 printing)
* Charles Anthon, ''The Germania and Agricola, and also Selections from the Annals, of Tacitus, with English Notes, Critical and Explanatory'', (1847)
online (1852 printing)
(1853
online
* Charles Anthon, ''The Satires of Juvenal and Persius with English Notes Critical and Explanatory, from the Best Commentators,'' Harper and Brothers, (1857)
online
*
Hubert Ashton Holden Hubert Ashton Holden (12 May 1822''England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538–1975'' – 1 December 1896) was an English classical scholar. Biography He was born in Birmingham''1891 England Census'' into an old Staffordshire family. He was ...
, ''M.T. Ciceronis De Officiis libri tres, with marginal analysis and an English commentary'', first American edition corrected and enlarged by Charles Anthon, (1859)
online
* Charles Anthon, ''An English commentary on the Rhesus, Medea, Hippolytus, Alcestis, Heraclidae, Supplices, and Troades of Euripides'' (1877)
online


Family

His brother John Anthon was a noted jurist. His brother Henry Anthon (1795-1861) was a noted clergyman. His son Charles Edward Anthon was a professor of history and belles-lettres at the New York Free Academy (which later became the College of the City of New York), and a prominent
numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...
.Anthon, Charles Edward, NumismaticMall.com
accessed 15 Aug. 2018
Anthon, Charles E., 1823-1883, American Numismatic Society
accessed 15 Aug. 2018.


See also

*
Reformed Egyptian The Book of Mormon, a work of scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement, describes itself as having a portion originally written in reformed Egyptian characters on plates of metal or "ore" by prophets living in the Western Hemisphere from perha ...


Notes


References

* *


External links


Catalogue of Prof. Charles E. Anthon's collection of autographs
L. Tom Perry Special Collections The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special ...
,
Harold B. Lee Library The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gran ...
,
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

Letter, portrait, and a newspaper clipping, 1849-1858
L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University * * * — Anti-Mormon view of Anthon's testimony regarding Mormonism * — Pro-Mormon view of Anthon's testimony regarding Mormonism * * * *
Finding aid to Charles Anthon manuscripts at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthon, Charles 1797 births 1867 deaths American classical scholars Columbia College (New York) alumni Classical scholars of Columbia University Scholars of ancient Greek literature Scholars of Latin literature Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles