Erich Julius Adolf Bethe (2 May 1863 – 19 October 1940) was a German

classical philologist 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 Latin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and ot ...

who was a native of Stettin. In 1887 he earned his doctorate from the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, later receiving his habilitation at

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

in 1891. From 1893 to 1897 he was an associate professor at the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock (german: link=no, Universität Rostock) is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continen ...

, afterwards serving as a professor of classical

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

at the Universities of

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

(1897-1903), Giessen (1903–06) and

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

(1906-1931). In 1927–28 he was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

at the University of Leipzig. Bethe was married to the German painter

Margarethe Loewe-Bethe Margarethe Loewe-Bethe (1859-1932) was a German painter. Biography Loewe-Bethe née Loewe was born in 1859 in the Province of Silesia. She was married to Erich Bethe (1863-1940). Loewe-Bethe exhibited her work at the Woman's Building at the 18 ...

. In 1933 Bethe signed the '' Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State''. His better known publications are as follows: * ''Thebanische Heldenlieder'' ( Theban heroic songs), 1891. * ''Prolegomena zur Geschichte des Theaters im Alterthum'' (Prolegomena on the history of theaters in antiquity), 1896. * ''Homer, Dichtung und Sage'' (

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, poetry and legend), 1914. * ''Der troische Epenkreis'' (The troische epic spheres), 1919 * ''Griechische Lyrik'' ( Greek lyric poetry), 1920. * ''Marchen, sage, mythus'' (Fable, legend, myth), 1922. * ''Die griechische Dichtung'' (Greek poetry), 1924. * ''Tausend jahre altgriechischen lebens'' (Millennium of ancient Greek life), 1933. * ''Ahnenbild und familiengeschichte bei Römern und Griechen'' (Ancestral imagery and family history among the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

), 1935.

Literature

* ''Erich Burck'': Leipzig 1921–1925: Richard Heinze (1867–1929), Alfred Körte (1866–1946), Erich Bethe (1863–1940). In: Eikasmós. Band 4, 1993, S. 61–70. * ''Otto Kern'': Erich Bethe †. In: Gnomon. Band 17 (1941), S. 142–144 * ''Herbert Helbig'': Bethe, Erich Julius Adolf. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 2, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1955, , S. 185

References

Open Library
(published works)

(biography) German philologists 1863 births 1940 deaths Writers from Szczecin Leipzig University faculty Rectors of Leipzig University University of Göttingen alumni University of Basel faculty University of Giessen faculty University of Rostock faculty University of Bonn alumni People from the Province of Pomerania {{Germany-academic-bio-stub