Cotelerius

Cotelerius (Cotelier) JEAN BAPTISTE, an eminent French scholar, born at Nismes. 1627. At twelve years of age he could read the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Testament with ease. In 1649 he was elected a member of the Sorbonne. He did not receive the degree of doctor, because he refused to take orders. In 1676 he was made Greek lecturer at Paris, and retained this post, with great reputation, till his death, August 12, 1686.

Most of his literary labor was spent Upon the Greek fathers; and in 1672 he published the "Apostolic Fathers" (Patres Aevi Apostolici, Paris), of which the best edition is Patrum qui temporsibus Apostolicis floruerunt opera, recensuit J. Cleridus (Amst. 1724, 2 vols. fol.). In 1667 he was commissioned by Colbert to revise and catalogue the Greek manuscripts of the Royal Library. He was engaged in this work, conjointly with the celebrated Du Cange, for five years. In 1676 he obtained through Colbert the chair of Greek at the Royal College of Paris. In 1677 he began the publication of his Ecclesie Graecae Monumenta, e MS 'codicibus, Gr. and Lat. (3 vols. 4to; the 3d vol. appeared two days before his death). The fourth volume of this work, for which he had collected much material, was published in 1692 by the Maurines. — See Wetzer a. Welte, Kirchen-Lex. 2:905; Dupin, Nouvelle Bibliotheque, 18:186.