Edward Joseph Thomas (30 July 1869 – 11 February 1958) was an English

classicist 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 ...

, librarian and author of several books on the

history of Buddhism The history of Buddhism spans from the 5th century BCE to the present. Buddhism arose in Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha, and is based on the teachings of the ascetic Siddhārtha Gautama. The religion evolved as it sp ...

Biography

Thomas was born in

Thornhill, West Yorkshire Thornhill is a village and former township in the unparished area of Dewsbury, Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Thornhill was absorbed into Dewsbury County Borough in 1910. It is located o ...

. He was the son of a

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner supplem ...

at Thornhill Rectory.Peiris, William. (1973). ''The Western Contribution to Buddhism''. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 49-51 Thomas left school and worked as a gardener for twelve years. In 1896, he enrolled and under the supervision of John Burnet obtained a master's degree in classics from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in 1900-1901."Edward Joseph Thomas"
Accessed 28 October 2017. He studied linguistics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and graduated from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

in 1905. He was the curator of the university's library for many years and was appointed Dean of the Oriental Languages Department. His works, mainly concerned with

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

and reflecting Western scholarship, nonetheless remain widely cited for their clarity and accuracy. ''The Life of Buddha as Legend and History'' is inevitably cited in Buddhist research. Thomas's ability as a Pali scholar and translator was noted in his time.Stede, W. Review of ''Early Buddhist Scriptures''. ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies'' 9/2 (1938): 439. Thomas has been described as "one of England’s most brilliant Buddhist scholars".

Publications

''Jataka Tales''
(1916) [with Henry Thomas Francis]
''The Life of Buddha: As Legend and History''
(1927, 3rd. ed. 1952) * ''The Perfection of Wisdom, The Career of the Predestined Buddhas, A Selection of Mahayana Scriptures translated from the Sanskrit'' (London, J. Murray, 1952; rpr. Wisdom of the East Series, Rutland, Charles E. Tuttle, 1992)
''The History of Buddhist Thought''
(London: Kegan Paul, 1933; repub. 1951, 1953) * ''Early Buddhist Scriptures'' (1935) * ''The Song of the Lord: Bhagavadgita'' (1931) * ''Vedic Hymns'' (1923)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Edward J. 1869 births 1958 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews British scholars of Buddhism English classical scholars English librarians History of Buddhism People from Dewsbury People from Thornhill, West Yorkshire