BONITZ

bonitz, hermann (1814-1888), german scholar, was born at langensalza in saxony on the 29th of july 1814. having studied at leipzig under g. hermann and at berlin under bockh and lachmann, he became successively teacher at the blochmann institute in dresden (1836), oberlehrer at the friedrich-wilhelms gymnasium (1838) and the graues kloster (1840) in berlin, professor at the gymnasium at stettin (1842), professor at the university of vienna (1849), member of the imperial academy (1854), member of the council of education (1864), and director of the graues kloster gymnasium (1867). he retired in 1888, and died on the 25th of july in that year at berlin. he took great interest in higher education, and was chiefly responsible for the system of teaching and examination in use in the high schools of prussia after 1882. but it is as a commentator on plato and aristotle that he is best known outside germany. his most important works in this connexion are: _disputationes platonicae duae_ (1837); _platonische studien_ (3rd ed., 1886); _observations criticae in aristotelis libros metaphysicos_ (1842); _observationes criticae in aristotelis quae feruntur magna moralia et ethica eudemia_ (1844); _alexandri aphrodisiensis commentarius in libras metaphysicos aristotelis_ (1847); _aristotelis metaphysica_ (1848-1849); _uber die kategorien des a._ (1853); _aristotelische studien_ (1862-1867); _index aristotelicus_ (1870). other works: _uber den ursprung der homerischen gedichte_ (5th ed., 1881); _beitrage zur erklarung des thukydides_ (1854), _des sophokles_ (1856-1857). he also wrote largely on classical and educational subjects, mainly for the _zeitschrift fur die osterreichischen gymnasien_. a full list of his writings is given in the obituary notice by t. gompertz in the _biographisches jahrbuch fur altertumskunde_ (1890).