"the most learned, most voluminous, and most useful of bibliographers," was born at Leipsic November 11, 1668. He lost his parents at an early age, but was sent to study at Quedlinburg, where, by reading Barthius's Adversaria, he was inspired with an ardent love of letters. He went to Hamburg in 1693, and spent five years as librarian for J.F. Mayer, dividing his time between preaching and study, till he was chosen professor of rhetoric and philosophy in the gymnasiumn of that city. In 1719 the landgrave of Hesse-Cassel offered him the professorship of theology at Giessen, and the post of general superintendent of the churches of the Augsburg Confession; but the magistrates of Hamburg augmented his salary for the sake of keeping him, and of this he ever after retained so grateful a sense that no offers of preferment could tempt him to leave them. He died at Hamburg April 3, 1736, with the character of being one of the most learned of men. The list of his published writings exceeds 100 titles.
His principal works are,
(1.) Codex Pseudepigraphus Veteris Testamenti, Gr. et Lat. collectus, et Animadversionibus illustratus (Hamb. 1713, 12mo; 2d ed. with a supplementary volume, ib. 1722-23, 12mo): —
(2.) Codex Apocryphus N.T. (2d ed. Hamb. 1719, 3 volumes, fol.): (See APOCRYPHA OF N.T.:) —
(3.) Observatiines selectae in varia loca Nov. Test. variorum auctorum (Hamb. 1712, small 8vo): —
(4.) Bibliotheca Antiquaria (Hamb. 1,713; 2d ed. 1760, 2 volumes, 4to), containing notices of all writers on Hebrew, Greek, Roman, and Christian antiquities: —
(5.) Bibliotheca Ecclesiastica (Hamb. 1718, fol.), collecting the works of a number of Latin ecclesiastical writers: —
(6.) Bibliotheca Graeca, sive notitia Script. Vet. Grcecorum, quorumcunque monum. integ. aut. fragm. edita, extant (Hamb. 1728, 14 volumes, 4to). Of this invaluable collection a fourth and enlarged edition, edited by Harles, was commenced in 1790, of which 12 vols. had appeared up to 1811, extending to volume 11, page 544 of the former edition: an Index to the whole was published in 1838: (4to).
(7.) Collection of authors on Christian Evidences, under the title Delectus Artumentorum et Syllabus Scriptorum qui veritatem religionis Christianae asseruerunt, etc. (Hamb. 1725, 4to): —
(8.) Bibliotheca Latina (Venice, 1728, 2 volumes, 4to; re-edited by Ernesti, Lips. 1774, 3 volumes, 8vo): —
(9.) Bibliotheca mediae et infirme Latinitatis (best edit. Mansis, Padua, 1754, 6 volumes, 4to): — Hydrotheologia, written in German, and translated into French under the title Theologie de l'Eau, ou Essai sur la Bonte, la Sagesse et la Puissance de Dicu, manifestees dans la Creation de l'Eau (La Haye, 1741, 8vo): — Conspectus Thesauri Litterarii Italiae (1749, 8vo); or notices of the principal collections of the historians of Italy, as well as of other writers who have illustrated the antiquities, geography, etc., of that country, including the great works of Burmlannus and Graevius, with an account of the Italian literary journals existing or which had existed before the time of Fabricius, of the Italian academies, and a catalogue of Italian bibliographers and biographers classed according to the particular towns which they have illustrated: — Salutaris Lux Evangelii, sive Notitia Propagatorum per Orbem totum. Christianorum Sacrorum: accedunt Epistolea quaedan ineditae Juliani Imperatoris, Gregorii Habessini Theologia AEthiopica, necnon Index geographicus Episcopatum Orbis Christiani (1731, 4to): — Centifolium Lutheranum, sive Notitia Literaria Scriptorum omnis generis de Martino Luthero, ejus Vita, Scriptis, et Reformatione Ecclesiae editorum (1730, 2 volumes, 8vo): — Centuria Fabriciorums Script. clarorum qui jam diem. suam obierunt collecta (1709, 2 volumes, 8vo, with a continuation in 1727). The author has included in his list not only the authors whose name or surname was Fabricius, but also those whose names may be turned into the Latin Fabricius, such as Lefevre. Fabri, the German Schmidts, etc. Independently of the above and other minor works, Fabricius published editions of Sextus Empiricus, of the Gallia Orientalis of father Colomies, of the works of St. Hippolytus, and many others. For an account of his life and writings, see Reimar, De vita et Script. J.A. Fabricii comment. (1737, 8vol). — Biographie Universelle, 14:54 sq.; English Cyclopaedia, s.v.