John Ernest Grabe

John Ernest Grabe, biblical scholar, has a marble monument in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. It is on the west wall and shows his figure dressed in gown and bands sitting on a sarcophagus holding a pen and a book. Others books and a funeral lamp are also shown. The sculptor was Francis Bird and the monument was erected in 1726. The Latin inscription can be translated:

John Ernest Grabe lies in the parish church of St Pancras, near London - Prussian by birth, ours [ie. English] by inclination, his name most celebrated throughout the whole Christian world for his learning and his commentaries on the books of the ancient church. Sinking in the dregs of a degenerate time, he would often in meditation return to the Church's golden age so as to distract his mind from her present depraved condition, and he cultivated a most delightful acquaintance with the Early Fathers. Kindled by their examples, he so excelled in every Christian virtue that he was able to shine even amongst those illustrious luminaries of earlier days. With the greatest reverence, he sought after the ancient, primeval, Apostolic church: upon the Church of England (as having diverged least of all from the original) he conferred the next degree of honour. Dearer than home, dearer than his native land (tho' no mortal man loved these more) did he hold this Church: he earnestly desired to be received into her bosom, and from her arms did he joyfully depart to the church of the early saints now gathered in heaven on 3rd Nov.1711 in the 46th year of his age. Lest there should be no public memorial of the great honour in which Britain held such an illustrious guest, Robert, Earl of Oxford and Mortimer placed this cenotaph here, by reason of his proven love of letters and of lettered men

He was born in 1666 at Konigsberg, a son of Martin Grabe, professor of theology, and his wife Sophia (Behmen). He attended university there and became a lecturer in history and rhetoric. Due to religious differences he made his way to England in 1697 and settled in Oxford. In 1700 he was ordained into the Church of England and published several works.

Further reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004