The Introduction of Modern Textual Criticism and Editing to Türkiye
Ahmet Emin SaraçThis article discusses the subject of the introduction of modern textual criticism to Türkiye. What has been said about this matter up to now is that no serious activity had occurred regarding textual criticism in Türkiye until Hellmut Ritter, who had taught at Istanbul University Faculty of Letters since 1936, and his student Ahmed Ateş, who filled a huge gap in the field of philology with his 1942 article Metin Tenkidi Hakkında [On Textual Criticism]. This article discusses the critical texts published between the Second Constitutional Era (starting in 1908) and 1941 in Türkiye. However, in order to put the period within its historical context, the article will also briefly touch upon the years before and after this period. Before the 1940s, an important corpus of critical texts can be seen to have formed in Türkiye from the works shown throughout the article. The most important cause of this was the nationalist movement that had increased among the Turks since the last quarter of the 19th century. Turkish scholars who’d followed Europe gave special importance to the publication of old works on Turkish culture in order to show that their nation was at a level that could compete with European nations in terms of civilization. Tarih-i Osmani Encümeni [The Council of Ottoman History] was active between 1909 and 1931 and had great influence on the introduction and popularization of publishing critical texts in Türkiye. Fuad Köprülü, who shined in the field of Turkology in the 1910s and had provided a great contribution to the introduction and settlement of modern science in the country, served in having people understand the importance of textual criticism. He carried out very important works, especially in the Türkiyat Enstitüsü [Institute of Turkology], which he’d founded in 1924 and directed until 1939. The most prominent name of the period in terms of those producing critical texts was Kilisli Rifat Bilge, followed by İbnülemin Mahmud Kemal İnal as another name to be remembered.
Modern Metin Tenkidi ve Tesisi Usulünün Türkiye'ye Girişi
Ahmet Emin SaraçBu makalede ele alınan konu, modern metin tenkidi usulünün Türkiye'ye girişidir. Daha önce doğrudan incelenmemiş bu konuda söylenegelenler Hellmut Ritter ve Ahmed Ateş'ten önce Türkiye’de metin tenkidine dair ciddi bir çalışma olmadığı yönündedir. Bu makalede esas olarak Türkiye'de İkinci Meşrutiyet'ten (1908) sonra başlayan tenkitli metin neşri faaliyetinin 1941'e kadarki serencamı ele alınmıştır. Bununla beraber söz konusu dönemi tarihî zeminine oturtabilmek için öncesi ve sonrasına da kısaca temas edilmiştir. Makale boyunca gösterilen eserlerden anlaşılmaktadır ki 1940'lı yıllara gelmeden önce Türkiye'de tenkitli metin neşrine dair önemli bir külliyat oluşmuş durumdaydı. Bunun en önemli âmili 19. asrın son çeyreğinden itibaren artmakta olan milliyetçilik cereyanıydı. Avrupa'yı takip eden âlimler kendi milletlerinin medeniyet bakımından Avrupalı milletlerle boy ölçüşebilecek bir seviyede olduğunu göstermek maksadıyla Türk kültürüne ait eski eserlerin neşrine özel bir önem vermekteydi. Tenkitli neşrin memlekete girip yayılmasında 1909 ila 1931 yıllarında faaliyet gösteren Tarih-i Osmani Encümeni’nin büyük tesiri vardır. 1910’lu yıllarda Türkoloji sahasında parlayan Fuad Köprülü, modern ilim anlayışının ülkeye tanıtılması ve yerleşmesinde büyük pay sahibi olduğu gibi metin tenkidinin öneminin kavranması noktasında da önemli hizmetler görmüştür. Bilhassa kuruluşundan (1924) 1939’a kadar başında bulunduğu Türkiyat Enstitüsü’nde çok faydalı işler yapmıştır. Tenkitli metin hazırlamak konusunda dönemin en fazla öne çıkan ismi Kilisli Rifat Bilge’dir. Ondan sonra İbnülemin Mahmud Kemal İnal hatırlanması gereken bir isimdir.
Textual criticism involves the effort of making a text free from any corruption it might have suffered for various reasons and bringing it to its original state as much as possible. The text established at the end of this labor is called a critical text, or critical edition. Different methods are known to have been applied in many cultures since antiquity, including Islamic culture, in order to arrive at the original text. Meanwhile, modern textual criticism became widespread in Europe in the 19th century. The subject this article discusses here is the introduction of this method to Türkiye. What has been said about this matter up to now is that no serious activity had occurred regarding textual criticism in Türkiye until German orientalist Hellmut Ritter, who had taught at Istanbul University Faculty of Letters since 1936, and his student Ahmed Ateş, who filled a huge gap in the field of philology with his 1942 article Metin Tenkidi Hakkında [On Textual Criticism]. This study discusses the critical texts published between the Second Constitutional Era (starting in 1908) and 1941 in Türkiye. However, the study will also touch upon the years before and after this period in order to put the period within its historical context.
An important corpus of critical text can be seen to have formed in Türkiye from the works shown throughout the article prior to the 1940s. The most important cause of this had been the nationalist movement, which had increased among Turks since the last quarter of the 19th century. Turkish scholars who followed Europe gave special importance to the publication of old works on Turkish culture in order to show that their nation was at a level that could compete with European nations in terms of civilization. Although very valuable works had been published at the Ikdam Printing House at the end of the 19th century, the main improvement was seen after the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Monarchy. With the establishment of the Tarih-i Osmani Encümeni [Council of Ottoman History], the publication of old texts began to be included in the government program. The Council successfully continued this task until its closure in 1931. Although some defective publications did occur among them, this was the institution that had published the most texts.
The most shining name from the 1910s was Fuad Köprülü. He attracted attention in the country and abroad with the articles he had written in his youth and became the greatest authority on Turkology. Köprülü always managed to get on well with the political power apart from some brief periods and quickly carried the academic level in Türkiye to a point comparable with Europe thanks to his superior ability to manage and benefit from the people around him. In fact, the period of 1908-1941, being the main subject of this article, was under his authority and influence enough to be called the Köprülü Period. He carried out very important works, especially in the Türkiyat Enstitüsü [Institute of Turkology], which he’d founded and directed until 1939. Although he did not show much inclination toward producing critical texts himself, he served this field with his various writings in which he emphasized the importance of textual criticism, the critical editions to whose publication he’d contributed, and the students he’d trained.
In terms of publications, Kilisli Rifat Bilge was the most prominent person in this period, with Arabic works occupying an important place among his numerous publications. Kilisli took care not to interfere with any manuscript he’d chosen as the main basis for an edition by indicating the corrections and repairs and showing the differences between copies. Meanwhile, Ibnülemin Mahmut Kenal Inal came from a more traditional and conservative place, as the motivation behind his work was not nationalism, as was the case with most of the intellectuals of the period, but rather a desire to preserve the works of the eslâf [forefathers] from oblivion and to bring these to light. The publications by Sadettin Nüzhet Ergun, who is the most popular name regarding divan [poetry collection from one author] publications, had some flaws, as he would indicate the copies he’d used but would show the differences without providing the name of the copy.
The development of textual criticism in the 1940s requires a comprehensive examination, as the critical editions from these years and their publications have had a much greater impact on the present. The most prominent names from this period are Reşid Rahmeti Arat, Ahmed Ateş, and Ali Nihad Tarlan. These people had served as the heads of three departments (Turkish Language, Arabic-Persian Philology, and Classical Turkish Literature, respectively) within Istanbul University for a long time and had an impact on the field of textual criticism through their works and the students they’d trained.
