Robert Estienne

Robert Estienne
picture of Robert Estienne
Portrait of Robert Estienne from Hendrik Hondius's Icones virorum nostra patriumque memoria illustrium (1599)
Born
Robert Estienne

1503
Paris
Died7 September 1559 (aged 55–56)
Geneva
NationalityFrench, Genevan (since 1556)[1]
Other namesRobert Stephanus, Robert Stephens, Roberti Stephani
Occupation(s)Humanist, printer, publisher
Known forPublishing the Thesaurus linguae latinae, creating the most common chapter and verse divisions for the Bible

Robert I Estienne (French: [etjɛn]; 1503 – 7 September 1559),[2] known as Robertus Stephanus in Latin[3] and sometimes referred to as Robert Stephens,[4][5] was a 16th-century printer in Paris. He was the proprietor of the Estienne print shop after the death of his father Henri Estienne, the founder of the Estienne printing firm. Estienne published and republished many classical texts as well as Greek and Latin translations of the Bible. Known as "Printer to the King" in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, Estienne's most prominent work was the Thesaurus linguae latinae which is considered to be the foundation of modern Latin lexicography. Additionally, he was the first to print the New Testament divided into standard numbered verses.

Raised a Catholic, he became a Protestant late in his life. Many of his published Bibles included commentary which upset the Catholic theologians of the Sorbonne who sought to censor Estienne's work. Eventually, overcome by the prejudice of the Sorbonne, Estienne and his family fled to Geneva where he continued his printing uncensored, publishing many of the works of John Calvin. In 1556 he became a citizen of Geneva, where he would die on 7 September 1559.

Of Estienne's four sons, two became accomplished printers, one of whom was Henri Estienne who continued the legacy of his grandfather Estienne's printing firm. Along with other printers, Estienne contributed to the "Golden Age of French Typography".

  1. ^ Robert Estienne, in the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  2. ^ Tilley 1911, p. 799.
  3. ^ Philippe Renouard, Répertoire des imprimeurs parisiens, Paris 1926, reprint 1965, pp. 141–143.
  4. ^ Sturt, John. "Robert Stephens (or Estienne), 1503-1559. French printer". National Galleries of Scotland. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  5. ^ Starnes 1937, p. 1006