Portrait of Theodore Haak translator by Sylvester Harding

Theodore Haak (1605 in – 1690 in London) was a German

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

scholar, resident in England in later life. Haak's communications abilities and interests in the new science provided the backdrop for convening the " 1645 Group", a precursor of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. Although not himself known as a

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the developme ...

, Haak's engagement with others facilitated the expansion and diffusion of the “new science” throughout Europe. Haak's language skills were used in translation and interpretation and his personal correspondence with the natural philosophers and theologians of the day, including

Marin Mersenne Marin Mersenne, OM (also known as Marinus Mersennus or ''le Père'' Mersenne; ; 8 September 1588 – 1 September 1648) was a French polymath whose works touched a wide variety of fields. He is perhaps best known today among mathematicians for ...

and Johann Amos Comenius; he facilitated introductions and further collaborations. Beginning in 1645 he worked as a translator on the ''Dutch Annotations Upon the Whole Bible'' (1657). Haak began the first German translation of

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...

'' until the beginning of Book IV (not published).

Early life and background

Haak was born on 25 July 1605 in in Germany's

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...

region. Very little is known about Haak's father—Theodore, Sr., who came to study at the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

from Neuburg in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. It is unclear whether he finished his studies, but he did marry the rector's daughter, Maria Tossanus and from there moved on to an administrative post in Neuhausen. Haak's mother, Maria Tossanus, descended from three of the Palatinate's most distinguished and intellectual families—Tossanus (Toussaint), Spanheim, and Schloer. Maria's father was the pastor Daniel Toussaint, a French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

exile from

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572. He assumed the chair of theology at Heidelberg in 1586 and became rector in 1594. Young Theodore Haak's relatives included

Friedrich Spanheim Friedrich Spanheim the Elder (January 1, 1600, Amberg – May 14, 1649, Leiden) was a Calvinistic theology professor at the University of Leiden. Life He entered in 1614 the University of Heidelberg where he studied philology and philosop ...

(1600–1649), professor of theology at Geneva and Leyden;

Ezechiel Spanheim Ezekiel, Freiherr von Spanheim (also Ézéchiel, and known as Baron Spanheim) (7/18 December 1629 – 14/25 November 1710) was a Genevan diplomat and scholar. Life He was born at Geneva, the eldest son of Friedrich Spanheim the Elder. After ...

(1629–1710), counselor and ambassador for the Elector Karl Ludwig; Friedrich Spanheim (1632–1701), a professor of theology at Heidelberg; and Dr. J. F. Schloer who together with his son Christian also occupied high positions in the Palatinate court. Definitive documentation regarding Theodore Haak's early life is not extant, but it is likely given his family's intellectual tradition and positions within the university that Haak followed the family's scholarly footsteps. It is likely that he attended the Neuhausen Gymnasium, where his mother's cousin was a teacher and eventually co-rector. He very likely would have matriculated at the University of Heidelberg had it not been for the outbreak of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–1648), which devastated the Palatinate area and Heidelberg in particular. The University of Heidelberg essentially closed and did not reopen again until the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

(1648).

Traveller

In 1625, at the age of twenty, Haak embarked for England where he visited Oxford and Cambridge Universities. A year later he returned to Germany and spent the next two years in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, where he regularly met in secret with other Protestants for religious gatherings. He brought back from England a copy of Daniel Dyke's ''Mystery of Self-Deceiving'', which he shared with his Protestant spiritual circle. This volume was also Haak's first work in English to German translation, completed in 1638 under the title ''Nosce Teipsum: Das Grosse Geheimnis dess Selbs-betrugs''. In 1628 Haak returned to England and spent the following three years at Oxford, but left in 1631 without a degree. Shortly after, he was ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

by the

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

but never took full orders. He lived for a short time in Dorchester but by 1632 left the countryside for London with the intention to return to Germany. His plans, however, were interrupted when he received a letter from the exiled ministers of the Lower Palatinate seeking his assistance with raising funds and influencing English Protestant clergymen in their cause. It was Haak's Calvinist heritage, language abilities, and presence in London that brought him to the attention of the Palatinate's ministers. When this task was completed, Haak returned to Heidelberg in 1633; but, with war still ravaging Germany, Haak left again, this time for Holland. In 1638 at the age of thirty-three, Haak enrolled at the

University of Leyden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...

, where many of his relatives had already studied.

Role in knowledge networks

By this time, Haak was becoming well known as a gentleman-scholar with independent means and excellent family connections. In 1634, Haak had formed an advantageous and lifelong relationship with

Samuel Hartlib Samuel Hartlib or Hartlieb (c. 1600 – 10 March 1662)
M. Greengrass, "Hartlib, Samuel (c. 1600–1662)", ''Oxford D ...

, a fellow German expatriate in London. Since 1636 Hartlib had been in frequent correspondence with Johann Amos Comenius, who forwarded to Hartlib his manuscript, ''De Pansophia''. In 1638 when Haak returned to England, he found his friend Hartlib engaged, intellectually and logistically, with Comenius and another Calvinist intellectual,

John Dury John Dury (1596 in Edinburgh – 1680 in Kassel) was a Scottish Calvinist minister and an intellectual of the English Civil War period. He made efforts to re-unite the Calvinist and Lutheran wings of Protestantism, hoping to succeed when he move ...

(1596–1680). Hartlib was a polymathic intelligencer, and the " Hartlib circle" reached into Holland, Transylvania, Germany, England, and Sweden. France, however, was an obvious gap in his European network and Haak's French language abilities drew him to Hartlib, who knew that an informal philosophical group existed in Paris. Its intelligencer was

, a French theologian, mathematician, philosopher, and friend of

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. He is considered t ...

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

, and

Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal (19June 162319August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. Pascal was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. His earliest ...

. Haak initiated a correspondence with Mersenne in 1639, likely at the request of Hartlib. His initial letter enclosed mathematical studies by John Pell and works by Comenius. Mersenne replied almost immediately and although he briefly commented on Pell and Comenius, it was his request to Haak to send further scientific information that sustained their corresponding relationship. The correspondence between Haak and Mersenne covered current scientific and mechanical subjects such as

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

s, the making of

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

s, spherical glasses, new planetary discoveries,

magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

cycloid In geometry, a cycloid is the curve traced by a point on a circle as it Rolling, rolls along a Line (geometry), straight line without slipping. A cycloid is a specific form of trochoid and is an example of a roulette (curve), roulette, a curve g ...

s, mills, and other machines. The nature of the correspondence was somewhat of a disappointment to Hartlib, who was more interested in expanding Comenius's pansophic work. Mersenne showed greater interest in English scientific experiments and results, and the correspondence between Mersenne and Haak did serve to connect a small group of interested philosopher-scientists in London to Mersenne's scientific group in Paris.

The “1645 Group” and the Royal Society

Haak's correspondence with Mersenne dwindled after 1640; Haak had diplomatic engagements in Denmark, and had started on his more ambitious translation work, including an English translation of the ''Dutch Annotations upon the Whole Bible,'' to which he was commissioned by The

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of Divinity (academic discipline), divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and ...

1645''.'' In 1647, his correspondence with Mersenne resumed. Scientifically-minded men began to meet in London beginning in 1645. This "1645 Group", or as it later was and misleadingly known—the ' Invisible College'—is considered by some a predecessor of the Royal Society. The group's meetings and philosophical interests afforded Haak the perfect opportunity to re-engage with his French friend. Letters in 1647 indicate that Haak was writing on behalf of the group, to ask Mersenne about developments in France, and requesting an exchange of knowledge, even asking for a report when others from the Paris group returned from their scientific travels. Haak's involvement the group then seems to have waned. As it re-emerged after the Restoration, it became more formalized within the Royal Society. One year after the founding of the Society, Haak was formally entered as a member in 1661 and in fact is listed as one of the 119 original fellows. Haak's work with the Royal Society was similar to the work that had so far engaged him throughout his life—translation, correspondence, and diffuser of knowledge. One of the first tasks he undertook was a translation of an Italian work on

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

. He also acted as an intermediary on behalf of his old friend Pell, and communicated to the Society Pell's studies, including observations of a

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

. Later it was to respond to university professors and civil administrators seeking information on the work undertaken by the Society. Other minor works prepared for the Society included a history of

sugar refining Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

and some German translations. His massive work in translating the '' Statenvertaling met Kantekeningen'' into English was published in London by Henry Hill 1657. Haak died on 9 May 1690, at the home of Frederick Slare, a friend, cousin and F.R.S., in the

Fetter Lane Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London, England. It forms part of the A4 road (England), A4 road and runs between Fleet Street at its southern end and Holborn. History The street was originally called F ...

area of London. His life is "a study of the seventeenth century world in all its complexities of politics, new scientific discoveries, and intellectual strivings" both in England and abroad. His networks evidence the "formal and informal institutional arrangements, and social relationships" that were key to developing "the new philosophy" during the Scientific Revolution.

Works by Theodore HaakBarnett, Theodore Haak, F.R.S. (1605-1690), App. 2.

*Dyke, Daniel. ''Mystery of Self-Deceiving'', 'Nosce Teipsum: Das grosse Geheimnis dess Selb-betrugs'', (Basel, 1638) Translated from English into German. *_____. ''A Treatise of Repentance'' 'Nützliche Betrachtung der wahren Busse'' (Frankfurt, 1643) Translated from English into German *Milton, John. ''Paradise Lost'' 'Das Verlustige Paradeiss'', unpublishedTranslated from English into German. *Schloer, Frederick. ''Sermon on the Death of the Two Renowned Kings of Sweden and Bohemia Publicly Lamented in a Sermon'', (London, 1633). Translated from the German into English *''Solemn League and Covenant.'' Translated from English into German *''The Dutch Annotations Upon the Whole Bible''. Translated from Dutch into English. (London, 1657).

References

*Pamela Barnett, ''Theodore Haak, F.R.S. (1605-1690)'' (The Hague: Mouton, 1962) *Dorothy Stimson, ''Hartlib, Haak and Oldenburg: Intelligencers'', Isis, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 1940), pp. 309–326

Notes

External links

*
Project Galileo page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haak, Theodore 1605 births 1690 deaths People from the Electoral Palatinate Original fellows of the Royal Society German male non-fiction writers 17th-century German translators German expatriates in England German people of French descent English–German translators German–English translators Dutch–English translators German people of the Thirty Years' War