The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Johann Ernst Grab, D.D. (1666 - 1711)
German theologian. Settled in England in 1705 here he obtained a D.D. degree and published several works, including and edition of the Septuagint. Relevant locations: Birth place in Königsberg, PrussiaResidence at England, Europe
References in Documents:
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach] playthings and likely to please the ignorant —are always shown.
They are for the most part codices , elegantly written and painted or decorated with gold; but Mr. Crab never
even mentioned what they are and probably neither knows nor can read them. Of one however he did remark:
"That book is very old-more than eight hundred years." When I asked him how he knew this, he could
reply nothing but: "It is certain, Dr. Grabe told me so," [i.e., the famous Joh. Ernst Grabius of Königsberg ,
with whom he considered himself great friends because they have similar sounding names], Thereupon he looked so
desperately wise that one could not help laughing. What these codices which he said were so old really were I cannot say; for he put them back again
so quickly and pointed out everything in such furious haste, that it was useless: but by their
character I could see they are fairly old. Also, as I had hopes of finding them later in the
catalogue and looking at them at leisure, I did not permit myself to be annoyed.