Isaac Levita, or Johann Isaac Levi

Isaac Levita, or Johann Isaac Levi as he called himself after his change from Judaism, one of the most celebrated Jewish savans of the 16th century, was born at Wetzlar in 1515.

He was thoroughly prepared by his friends for the Rabbinical 'office, and filled it for years with great distinction but, becoming impressed with the truthfulness of the Christian interpretation of the Messianic predictions, he and his son both, after a careful and extended study of the prophecies, forsook the faith of their forefathers, and joined the Roman Catholic Church. Some Jewish writers have attributed this course to a desire for promotion in literary circles, which as a Jew were closed to him. But there is no reason to believe it other than the result of association with Christians, and the study of the writings of Christian commentators on the prophecies, especially of Isaiah (more particularly chapter 53), which is said first to have led him to a study of the Messianic predictions. After his conversion (1546) he was appointed professor of Hebrew and Chaldee at the city of Liwen, and in 1551 was called to a like position in the University of Cologne. He became a vigorous defendant of the Hebrew text of the Bible, and replied to Lindanus, who had attacked it, (in his De optimo Scripturas interpretandi genere, Cologne, 1538), in a work entitled Defensio Veritatis Hebrew sacrarum scripturarum (Col. 1559). He published also the following works on Hebrew grammar, which rank among the best in' that language:

(1.) An Introduction to the Hebrew Grammar, and to the Art of Writing a pure Hebrew style, entitled מבוא אמרי שפר (Colon. 1553),in which he gave different specimens of Hebrew writing, dialogues, and epistles, both from the O.T. and other Hebrew writings, as well as the books of Obadiah and Jonah in Hebrew, with a Latin translation:--

(2.) A grammatical treatise entitled Meleditationes Hebraicae in Arten Grammn. per integrum librum Ruth explicatce; adjecta sunt quaedam contra D. 1. Forsteri lexicon (Colon. 1558), which consists of a useful analysis and excellent translation of the entire book of Ruth:

(3.) Notae in Clenardi Tabulam, etc. (Colon. 1555), being annotations on Clenard's Tables of Hebrew Grammar.

(4.) An excellent introduction to the edition of-Elias Levita's Chaldee Lexicon, entitled מתורגמן, (Colon. 1560). He likewise translated several scientific works written by Jews into Latin, and was an assistant to Pagnini on his great lexicological work. See Bartolocci, Bibl. Rabb.; Jocher, Gelehkt. Lex. Addenda, 2, 2332 sq.; Rivet, Isagoge ad Sacr. Script.; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Cor. 26, 10; Kitto, Bibl. Cyclop, 2, 410.