BUHL, FRANZ PEDER WILLIAM MEYER°

BUHL, FRANZ PEDER WILLIAM MEYER ° (1850–1932), Danish biblical and Semitic scholar. Buhl was born in Copenhagen and educated at the University of Copenhagen, where he taught Old Testament from 1880 to 1890. From Copenhagen he was called to the University of Leipzig, remaining there until 1898, when he was recalled to Copenhagen as professor of Semitic languages (1898–1932). Buhl collaborated in the editing of the 13^th (1915) and following editions of Hebraeisches und aramaeisches Handwoerterbuch ueber das Alte Testament of Gesenius, and of R. Kittel's Biblia Hebraica (where he edited the books of Psalms, 1930, and Esther, 1935). In his article on biblical poetry, "Dichtkunst bei den Israeliten" (in Realencyklopaedie fuer protestantische Theologie und Kirche, 4 (1898), 626–38), he anticipated the study of form criticism in his recognition of the literary types (Gattungen) and life situations of the poetic compositions. His study of the canon and text of the Old Testament appeared originally in German, Kanon und Text des Alten Testaments (1891; English translation by J. Macpherson, 1892) and is among the most influential of his works. Besides the foregoing, he wrote Den gammeltestamentlige Skriftover levering (1885; German translation, 1891; English translation, 1892); Jesaja oversat og fortolket (8 parts, 1889–94); Gennesaret Sö og dens Omgivelser (1889); Palästina i kortfattet geografisk og topografisk Fremstilling (1890); Det israelitiske Folks Historie (1892, 19368); Geschichte der Edomiter (1893); De messianske Forj'ttelser i det Gamle Testament (1894); Til Vejledning i de gammeltestamentlige Undersögelser (1895); Geographie des alten Palaestina (1896); Die socialen Verhaeltnisse der Israeliten (1899); Psalmerne oversatte og fortolkede (12 parts, 1898–1900); and Muhammeds Liv (1903; German translation, 1961³). A Festschrift was presented to Buhl on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday in 1925.

[James Muilenburg]