Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/178

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LXNORHAKT


151


LE HOURRY


time his lectures bore the impress of his deep Catholic belief. He ^ ve voice to his convictions in his ' * Ques- tions histonques" (Paris, 1845), in his work on the

  • ' Associations religieuses dans la soci^t^ chr^tienno"

(Paris, 1866), and in many serious articles in the

  • 'Correspondant". His writings greatly influenced

the much discussed question of freedom of teaching {liberU d'enseignemeni). In 1846, the students, in re- taliation for the suppression of M. Quinet's chair, com- pelled Lenormant to give up his professorship; he was then given the editorship of the." Corresponaant'* which he resigned in 1855. In 1848 he was named director of the conmiission of historical monuments, and in 1849 an almost unanimous vote of the members of the Academy appointed him to the chair of ar- chaeology in the ColUge de France. From that time he devoted himself entirely to the teaching of Egyptian archaeology. He died while on an expedition under- taken for the sake of initiating his son mto the knowl- edge of the monuments of antiquity.

Many articles from the pen of Lenormant appeared in the " Annates de I'lnstitut Archdologique de Kome", the *'M6moires de T Academic dcs Inscriptions", the "Revue de Numismatique", and the "Correspon- dant ". His chief independently published works are : "Les Artistes contemporains " (raris, 1833, 2 vols.); "Introduction h Thistoire de I'Asie occidentale" (Paris, 1838); "Mus^e des Antiquit(f'S ^gyptiennes" (Paris, 1842); " Questions historiques" (Paris, 1845), besides two valuable collections, "Trdsor de numis- matique etdeglyptiaue" (Paris, 1834-50) (in collabo- ration with Paul Dclaroche and Henriguel Dupont) and " Elite des monuments c^ramographiques " (1844- 58)(withDeWitte).

De Witte, Annuaire de VAcadHtie de Beloique (Brussels, l«6l), 129-86; Aftmioires de Vlngtitut de France, XXXI, (Pans), p. 547-608.

F. Mayence.

Lenormant, FR.VMfois, archaeologist, son of the preceding, b. at Paris, 17 January, 1837; d. there. 9 December, 1883. His father personally supervised his education and exercised great influence over his mind and studies. He gave early proofs of classical scholarship, by publishing, when only fourteen, an article in the "Revue ardi^ologique": "Lettre i M. Hase sur des table ttes grecques trouv^'es d Memphis ". In 1857 he was awarded the numismatic prize by the Academy of Inscriptions for a remarkable essay pub- lished in the "Revue numismatique": "Essai sur la classification des monnaies des Lagidcs *\ While pur- suing his classical studies, he attended the lectures of the raculty of law and in 1857 received his degree as licentiate. In 1858 he visited Italy and in 1859 ac- companied his father to the East. The latter having died during the journey Frangois returned to France with the body, but set out soon again for Greece. He conducted important excavations at Eleusis and as a result pubh'shed several essays, notably: "Rccherches arch^ologiques rl Eleusis" (Paris, 1862). While thus engaged, he heard of the massacre of Christians by the Druses, and immediately ceasing his researches sailed for Syria to go to the rescue of the victims of Moslem fanaticism. When the French expedition reached Syria, he felt free to return to Eleusis. In 1862 he was appointed sub-librarian of the Institut de France. In 1865 and 1866 he travelled again through the East, and shortly after this, sununarized his studies in a "Manuel d'histoire ancienne de I'Orient jusqu'aux guerres Mddiques " (Paris, 1868), a very popular work, in 1869 he visited Eg}'pt and familiarized himself with Egyptian antiquities; he published numerous essays on the cuneiform texts and on the language spoken in Babylon and Nineveh. During the siege of Paris, 1870, he took part in several engagements. Two years later, his " Essai de commentaire des fragments cosmogoniques de B^rose" (Paris, 1S72) was pub- lished.


In 1874 Lenormant succeeded Beul^ as professor of archseology at the Biblioth^que Nationale, and deliv- ered brilliant lectures on Greek and Eastern antiqui- ties. With de Witte, a Belgian archaBologist, he founded in 1875 the "Gazette arch^ologique " for the publication of unknown monuments and miscellane- ous archicological studies. In this review he pub- lished many articles on ancient monuments of every description and origin. From 1879 to 1883 he visited Southern Italy several times, and as a result of his travels published a work on Lucania and Apulia. In 1880 he produced the first volume of "Origines de I'histoire d'aprds la Bible et les traditions des peuples orientaux" (3 vols., Paris, 1880-83), a work that at- tained wide pubhcity. The writer thought it impossi- ble to maintain a unity of composition in the books of the Pentateuch. He held that there were certain traces of "two distinct original documents; the Elo- histic and the Jehovistic which served as a basis for the final compiler of the first four books of the Penta- teuch, anti he is satisfied with establishing between them a certain concordance, leaving untouched their original redaction ". The first chapters of Genesis, ao- coiSing to him, are a " book of origins" and represent the story of Israel as told from generation to genera- tion since the time of the Patriarchs; in all fundamen- tal facts this narrative tallied with the sacred books of the Euphrates and the Tigris. For him, inspiration lies in the absolutely new spirit which animates the narrative, though in composition it is quite similar to the stories of neighbouring tribes. Four years after the death of the author this book was put on the Index (19 December, 1887). Quite probably Lenormant would have suomitted, since in his introduction he as- serts his attachment to the Catholic Faith and his de- votion to the Church. He died from the after effects of a disease contracted during one of his visits to Southern Italy. In 1881 he had been made a member of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres.

lenormant wrote many works. Aside from those referred to above, must be mentioned: "Sur I'origine chr6tienne des inscriptions sinaitiques" in "Journal Asiatique", XIII (Paris, 1859), fifth series; "Ilistoire des Massacres de Syrie en 1860" (Paris, 1861); "La Revolution en Grdce" (Paris, 1862); "Essai sur I'or- ganisation politique et <5conomique de la mormaie dans I'antiquite (Paris, 1863); "Chefs-d'ceuvres de I'art antique" (Paris, 1867-1868) in 7 vols.; "Histoire du peuple juif" (Paris, 1869); "Le deluge et Tepopde oabylonnienne " (Paris, 1873); "Les premidren civili- sations" (Paris, 1873 — 2 vols.): " La langue primitive de Chald6e et les idiomes touraniens" (Paris, 1875): "La monnaie dans I'antiquit^" (Paris, 1878-1879); "Atraversl'Apulie et laLucanie" (Paris, 1883): "La Gen^se traduite d'apr^s I'h^breu, avec distinction des elements constitutifs tlu texte, suivi d'un essai de restitution des textes dont s'est ser\'i le dernier r^dacteur" (Paris, 1884).

Le Hir, Francois Lenormant, t'tude hiographique (Lyons, 1884); VAN DEN (Iheyn, F. Lenormant (Brussels, 1884); Babelon, Adrien de Longph-ier, Francois Lenormant, Erneti Muret, trots rUcrolooiea (Berlin. 1885): de Witte in Annuaire de VAcadtmie de Befgigue (1887), 247-291.

F. Mayence.

Le Nourry, Denis-Nicolas, of the Congregation of St-Maur, ecclesiastical writer, b. at Dieppe in Nor- mandy, 18 Feb., 1647; d. at the Abbey of St-Germain in Paris, 24 March, 1724. He received his first educa- tion from the priests of the Oratory at his native place; then entered the Benedictine Oixler at Jumidges, 8 Julv, 1665. After completing his theological studies and being ordained to the priesthood, he was sent to Rouen, where, in the Abbey of Bonnenouvelle, he assisted John Garet in publishing the writings of Ca»- siodorus (1679). For this work he wrote the preface and the life of the author. In the edition of the works of Pt. Ambrose he aided Jean du Chesne and Juliea