Knorr Von Rosenroth, Abraham

Knorr Von Rosenroth, Abraham a Lutheran divine, descended from a noble family noted in the annals of the history of Silesia, flourished in the 17th century as pastor at Alt Rauden, in the duchy of Wohlau, and was the father of Christian and Caspar, both also noted Lutheran pastors.

The former of these two sons, namely, Christian, was born July 15,1631, and was educated at the high-schools in Wittenberg and Leipzig. He was then sent abroad, and visited Holland, France, and England in turn, and on his return devoted himself at Sulzbach to the study of the Oriental languages, especially the Hebrew, of which he had acquired the rudiments while abroad. He took up the writings of the Cabalists, and even attempted to prove the authenticity of the N.-T. Scriptures by this Jewish philosophical system, in his Kabbala denudattr, sive doctrina Hebrceorumn transcendentalis (part i, Sulzbach, 1677-8, 4to; pt. ii, F. ad M. 1684, 4to a third part was supplied by Pagendorm). His other writings, all of this eccentric nature, do not deserve mention here, as they have lost all value as literary contributions. See. for details, Allgem. Hist. Lex. iii. 42; Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, 10:295 sq. (J. H.W.)