Phibus
Phibus is the name of a number of Jews who distinguished themselves in Hebrew literature. We mention the following as most important:
1. SAMUEL, of Warcislaw, flourished in the last quarter of the 17th century, was rabbi at Furth and Schldlow, and wrote, בֵּית שׁמוּאֵל, a commentary on the codex Eben-Ezer, making use of other commentaries on the same, as the טורי זהב of Chajim Kohen, etc. (Dyrhenfurt, 1689; corrected edition, Furth, 1694; Wilna-Grodno, 1819): — a corimentary on the codex Orach Chajim: — a commentary on Jore Dea: — Discourses on the Pentateuch, which have not been printed.
2. SAMUEL ben-Joseph ha-Kohen Falk, of Vienna, died in Palestine, where he went after the Jews had been expelled from Vienna in 1670. He wrote, לֶקֵט שׁמוּאֵל, a kind of haggadistic dictionary of proper names, wherem he speaks in alphabetical order of אִהֲרן אָבוֹת אָרָם, etc., collected from different sources (Venice, 1694): דּרוּשׁ שׁמוּאֵל, discourses on the Pentateuch (ibid. 1714). See Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. 3:1122 sq.
3. URI ben-Aharon ha-Levi, a typographer at Amsterdam, was born in 1623, and was still living in 1713. He published the Hebrew Old Testament, with many additions of Jacob Blitz, and a Preface in Judmeo- German by the editor (Amsterd. 1679). He also published Neuer Abendsegen, a prayer-book, in Judaeo-German (ibid. 1677). See Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, 10:329 sq.
4. URI ben-David, flourished in the middle of the 17th century, was rabbi at Polnow, in Lithuania, and wrote אור תּורָה, an exegetical and allegorical commentary on the Pentateuch, with additions of Sam. El. Edeler (Lublin, 1672). See Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. 1:131, 3:84.
5. URI ha-Kohen, rabbi at Metz, wrote halachic discussions, haggadic dissertations, and discourses, under the title of הֲלָכָה בַרוּרָה ,_ (Metz, 1793).
6. URI ben-A. Low, of Breslau, is the author of, מלּים מדרִשׁ, a Hebrew- German Dictionary (Dyrhenfurt, 1773): לקּוּטַי אורות, in two parts, the first gives the six hundred and thirteen precepts according to the Pentateuch, the second, under the title פּתגִּם הִמֶּלֶך, contains these precepts in a metrical form (ibid. 1812).
7. URI ben-Simeon, of Beelen, who lived in the middle of the 16th century, published יחŠם הָאָבות, remarkable epitaphs of pious and distinguished Israelites in Palestine, written for pilgrims. After it had been published by an anonymous author in 1537, Uri Phobus recast the whole, and published it in 1564 at Safed, After having visited and seen himself the different places. It was then published again in Venice in 1599, and often. It was translated into Latin by Hottinger, in his Cippi Hebraici (Heidelberg, 1659-1662) into French by Carmoly (in Revue Orient. [Brussels, 1843- 1844] 3:85-99): — לוח, a Calendarium, which has been translated into Latin by Jac. Christmann, under the title Calendarium, Palestinorum et universorum Judeorum ad annos 40 supputatum, auctore Ui fil. Sim. Judaeo Palastino, nunc primum ex sermone Hebraeo in Latinum conversum, ac scholiis utilibus maximeque necessariis illustratum (Frankf. a.M. 1594). See Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. 1:133 sq.; 3:84 sq. Furst, Bibl. Jud. 3:95 sq. (B.P.)
