LöwE, jOel, bEn-jehudah lOeb

Löwe, Joel, Ben-Jehudah Loeb (also called Bril, ביר, from the initials בן רבי יהודה ליב, ben-R. Jehudah Loeb), a Jewish writer of note, born about 1740, was a distinguished disciple of Moses Mendelssohn, and afterwards, although a Jew, held a professorship in the William's school at Breslau. He died in that city, February 11, 1802. Besides many valuable contributions to Biblical exegesis and literature in the Berlin Magazine for the Advancement of Jewish Scholarship, entitled Mleassef or Sammler (Collector), of which he was at one time also editor, he published

(1) Commentary on the Song of Songs, with an elaborate Introduction, written conjointly with Wolfssohn, to Mendelssohn's German translation of this book (Berlin, 1788; republished in Prague, 1803; Lemberg, 1817): —

(2) Annotations on Ecclesiastes, also conjointly with Wolfssohn, published with Mendelssohn's commentary on this book, and Friedlainders' German translation (Berlin, 1788): —

(3) Commentary on Jonah, with a German translation (Berl. 1788): —

(4) Commentary on the Psalms, with an extensive introduction (עם באור זמירות ישראל) containing an elaborate treatise on the musical instruments of the ancient Hebrews, as well as on Hebrew Poetry; published with Mendelssohn's German translation of this book (Berlin, 1785-91): —

(5) German Translation and Heb. Commentary on the Sabbatic and Festival Lessons from the Pentateuch and the Prophets, SEE HAPHTARAH, (Berl. 1790-91): —

(6) German Translation of the Pentateuch for beginners, preparatory to Mendelssohn's version (Breslau. 1818): —

(7) Elementary Hebrew Grammar, entitled עמודי הלשון, according to logical principles, for the use of teachers (Berlin, 1794; republished in Prague, 1803). Of his articles published in quarterlies, the following are the most important: — 1. Notes on Joshua and the Song of Songs, in Eichhorn's Allgemeine Bibliothek (Leips. 1789), 2:183 sq.: — 2. Treatise on Personification of the Deity and the Sephiroth, ibid. (Leips. 1793), 5:378 sq. See Fürst, Biblioth. HIebraica, 2:268; Steinschneider, Catalogus Libr. Hebr. in Bibliotheca Bodleiana, col. 1627 sq.; Kitto, Cyclopcedia of Biblical Literature, s.v.; Gratz, Gesch. der Juden, 11:131 sq.