Mercier (or Le Mercier), Jean

Mercier (Or Le Mercier), Jean in Latin Mercerus, a distinguished Huguenot, was born in Uzes, France, near the beginning of the 16th century. Destined for the bar, he studied law in Avignon, and also in Toulouse. -But the dead languages having' a powerful attraction for him, he devoted much of his time to the study of Greek, and ere long confined himself entirely to the pursuit of Hebrew and' other Shemitic tongues. After having been the most noted pupil of Vatable, he became his successor, in 1546; to the chair of professor of Hebrew in the Royal College of France. Casaubon believed that Mercier was the most learned Hebraist of his day. When the second religious war broke out, Mercier was constrained to quit Paris. After the treaty of peace at Saint- Germain, he returned to France, but while passing through his native city he was carried away by the pestilence. He died a Protestant in 1562. Mercier-published almost the whole of Jonathan's Targum on the Prophecies. He also wrote in Latin valuable commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament, and on the Gospel according to Matthew. His commentaries furnished matter to the Synopsis Criticorum of Utrecht (1634). He is also the author of Tractatulus de accentibus Jobi, Proverbiorum, et Psalmorum, auctore R. Juda, jilio Betham Hispano, a translation from Hebrew (Paris, 1556, 4to):-Liber de accentibus Scripturce, auctore R. Juda, filio Balaam (Paris, 1565, 4to):-In Decalogum commentarius Rabbini A braham, cognomento JBen-Ezra, interpr. J. Mercero (-Lyons, 1568, 4r,) ,- Notae in Thesaurum Linguce

Sanctce Pagnizi (Lyons, 1575-95, fol.) -Observationes ad Horcepollinis hieroglyphica (Strasburg, 1595, 4to). He also published a Commentary on the Canticles and Lectures on Genesis. See Haag, La France Protestante.