Flavigny, Valerian De

a French; Hebrew scholar, was born at Villers-en-Prayrres, near Laon, about the commencement of the 17th century; was made doctor of the Sorbonne in 1628, and in 1630 professor of Hebrew at the College of France. Flavigny was master of several Oriental languages, and was considered one of the best critics of the Bible text of his time. He was engaged in a controversy with Abraham Echellensis (q.v.) and Gabriel Sionita with regard to the correctness of the polyglot of Le Jay, which was finally decided against him by a committee of the Sorbonne. He condemned the Copernican system as heretical in his Expostulatio adversus thes'm, etc. (Paris, 1666, 12nmo). He died April 29, 1674. Flavigny's writings on the text of the Bible are, Epistole iv de inoenti Bibliorum opere septemlingui (1636):-Epistolce duce in quibus de ingenti Bibliorum opere quod nuper Lutetime Parisiorumprcodiit ac ei prefixa praefatione, etc. (1646): - Epistola in qua de libello Ruth Syriaco, quen Abr. Echellnsis insertun esse voluit inqgenti Bibliorum operi, etc. (1647) :--Eistola adversus Abr. Echellensemn de libello Ruth, simulque sacrosancta veritas hebraica strenue defenditur atquepropugnatur (1648):-Disquisitio theologica, an, ut habet Capellanus, nonnulla sanctee Scriptures testimonia alio modo proferanztur a rabbinis quam nunc leguntur in voluminibus hebraicis (1666). Flavigny published also a dissertation against the propositions of Louis of Cleves on the episcopacy and priesthood. He was also editor of the works of Guillaume de Saint-Amour, a divine of the 13th century.- Dupin, Bibliotheque des Aut. ecclesiastiques, 18:99; Hoefer, Nouv. Biographie Generale, 17:864; Biographie Universelle, 15:27.