Buxtorf, Johann

Buxtorf, Johann the head of a family which for more than a century was eminent in Hebrew literature. He was born at Camen, in Westphalia, Dec. 25, 1564, of which parish his father was minister. He studied first at Marburg and Herborn under Piscator, and afterward at Basle, Zurich, and Geneva, under Grynaeus, Bullinger, and Beza. In 1590 he became Hebrew professor at Basle, and filled the chair of Hebrew literature until his death, Sept. 13, 1629. He was the first Protestant rabbinical scholar, and his contributions to Hebrew literature were of vast importance. His works are numerous, but the following are the chief: Synagoga Judaica, in German (Basle, 1603), Lat. (Hanov. 1604): — pitome radicum Hebraicar. et Chaldaicar. (Basle, 1607): — Lexicon Hebraicum et Chald. (Basle, 1607, 8vo; the best edition is that of 1676): — Thesaurus Grammaticus Ling. Heb.: — Instituio Epistolaris Hebraic., etc. (Basle, 1603, 1610, 1629, etc.): — De abbreviaturis Hebraeorum (Basle, 1613 and 1640; the ed. of Herborn, 1708, is the best): — Biblia Hebraea rabbinica (Basle, 1618, 1619, 4 vols. fol.): — Tiberias, a Commentary on the Massorah (1665): — Lexicon Chaldcacum Talmudicum et Rabbin. (Basle, 1639, fol.) — Concordantioe Bibliorum Hebraicoe, finished and published by his son John (Basle, 1632 and 1636; Frankfort [abridged], 1676; Berlin, 1677). — Biog. Univ. 6, 405; Landon, Eccl. Dict. s.v.