Jacob Ben-chajim Ben-isaac Ibn-adonia

Jacob ben-Chajim ben-Isaac Ibn-Adonia a celebrated Jewish writer, was born at Tunis about 1470. During the persecutions of the Jews in the first half of the 16th century he was obliged to flee his native country-, and he went to Italy. After residing at Rome and Florence he removed to Venice, and engaged as corrector of the press proofs of the celebrated Bomberg edition of the Rabbinic Bible. This work he performed with great ability, and he afterwards published a second edition of this Bible in four volumes folio, called Bomberg's Second Rabbinic Bible (Venice, 1524-25). The first was prepared under the supervision of Felix Pratensis (q.v.). It contains the Hebrew text, with the Masorah, the Targums, the commentaries of several of the most noted early Jewish scholars, and copious introductions, etc., by the editor himself. Jacob benChajim deserves especial credit for the able manner in which he labored on the Masorah (q.v.), displaying no small amount of erudition, sagacity, and patience. With the greatest of care he sifted the indigestible material which had gathered in the 1st and 2nd centuries, and, having brought order out of chaos, he inserted it upon the margin of his edition of the Rabbinic Bible. In after life he embraced Christianity. He died about the middle of the 16th century. See Kitto, Journ. Sac. Lit. 1863, p. 521; Bibl. Cyclop. 2, 453; Rossi, Dizion. storico degli Autori Ebrei, s.v.; Fürst, Biblioth. Jud. 2, 17; Eichhorn, Einleit. in d. A. T. § 394. SEE RABBINICAL BIBLES. (J. H. W.)