Isaac Jacob Schmidt

Isaac Jacob Schmidt
Born25 October [O.S. 14 October] 1779
Amsterdam, Netherland
Died20 September [O.S. 8 September] 1847
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
AwardsOrder of Saint Vladimir

Isaac Jacob Schmidt (Russian: Яков Иванович (Исаак Якоб) Шмидт; 25 October [O.S. 14 October] 1779 — 20 September [O.S. 8 September] 1847 [1]) was an Orientalist specialising in Mongolian and Tibetan. Schmidt was a Moravian missionary to the Kalmyks and devoted much of his labour to Bible translation.

Born in Amsterdam, he spent much of his career in St. Petersburg as a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He published the first grammar and dictionary of Mongolian, as well as a grammar and dictionary of Tibetan. He also translated Saghang Sechen's Erdeni-yin tobči into German, and several Geser Khan epics into Russian and German. His works are regarded as ground-breaking for the establishment of Mongolian and Tibetan studies.

  1. ^ Прохоров, А. М., ed. (1978). "Шмидт Исаак Якоб". «Большая Советская Энциклопедия» (В 30 томах). Vol. 29. Москва: Советская энциклопедия. p. 444.