Raimondi, Giovanni Battista

Raimondi, Giovanni Battista a celebrated Italian Orientalist, was born at Cremona in 1540, removed in his youth to Naples, where he studied at the university theology, philosophy, and mathematics, and then spent some time in Asia studying Eastern civilization and languages. Returning to Italy, he became engaged in various literary enterprises. and enjoyed the society of the great and the learned. He brought out an edition of the Gospels in Arabic with a Latin interlinear translation (1591), and wrote grammars of Syriac and Arabic. He was also engaged on a polyglot Bible more complete than that of Alcala or of Antwerp, ald only ceased labor when the death of pope Gregory XIII (1585) and the departure of cardinal Ferdinand de Medici (1587) deprived him of the necessary funds for such an enterprise. He died about 1610. He was engaged after 1587 in the compilation of Oriental MSS. and other like labors. See Tiraboschi, Della Litteratura Italiana. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.